Most interesting character names

[kafka47]

Whilst, Traveller does give broad latitude for naming conventions from Jameson to Starkiller. Fantasy RPGs seem to do this much better. I always fall back onto Terran names with maybe a Vilani name for spice. What are some of the more interesting names (PC/NPC) that others have come up with?

 

[Plankowner]

Early on, my group was inspired by the Star Wars Movie (there was only 1 way back then). Some names we used:

Sidney Lunerstar
(eventually became Count of Lunion)

Dak Rimjumper
(Scout who sacrificed himself during "Dagger at Efate" mission)

Jamethon Blackthorne
(I think this was taken from one of the Dorsai books)

 

[Pickles]

Some (mine and othe players') which have come up in campaigns over the years:

Amadeus Argleblaster
Nathaniel 'Natty' Blackhatt
Magnus Dolby
Grendel Havoc
Altantis Hemoglobin
Ruger Redhawk
Santos Saggitarius
Albedo Spiral
Lucifer Venom
Dementos Yossarian

 

[Black Globe Generator]

The one that I remember was merchant captain Gratiano Smyth, my derivative of Cyrano Jones.

 

[wordserpent]

I have had the following names show up in my games. Some of them were great, others, well...

Corell Morellion (one of various spellings)

Udius Maximus

"Die-Hard"

Black Billy (of the unknown stellar reaches)

Gvegh Usnarl (a vargr)

Marty Freidman (an ex-marine Lt Colonel who had a 6 in Recon)

Calloway O'Bannon

and my all time favorite...

Haywood Djablomi (this guy died relatively early on in his career)

 

[aramis]

Xen Xanfried, Scout
His Grace Colonel Sir Vladzimir Shushugliar
Iggaadiin Ikkhimnakhaka Dalinaag
Eiiieeiieeiieeuup'p'p (A dolphin)

His Grace of the Imperial Court Billy-Joe-Bob Fred Frederickson

 

[Golan2072]

Telina "Mommy" Karo (A belter-worker turned adventurer due to a very bad labour dispute)
Nejala Karo (Telina's adopted Celiran youngster)
Natalia Myron (post-Hard Times political leader in the Rim)
Captain Armando Durnhal (a Solomani war hero and medium-sized Naval ship CO)

 

[Madarin Dude]

Bob Bitchin (inspired by a Cheech and Chong album)
Marz Barre (inspired by a candy bar)
Fat Bob McCalahan
I find the sillier the name the better the character.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by kafka47:
Whilst, Traveller does give broad latitude for naming conventions from Jameson to Starkiller. Fantasy RPGs seem to do this much better. I always fall back onto Terran names with maybe a Vilani name for spice.

I have the same problem. One way I've come up with to combat that is to make up tables for the ethnicity of names and then roll on them. I have tables for the most common worlds in my campaign and a 'generic' table for Imperial names. One added bonus is that this gives each world a different 'flavor'.

I wrote a small article about that for JTAS Online:

http://jtas.sjgames.com/login/article.cgi?499

What are some of the more interesting names (PC/NPC) that others have come up with?

I normally try to avoid names that breaks the fourth wall, but I did break that rule for the NPCs in the crew of the Mukhaldim, a Kinunir officered by the players in an old naval campaign. I've forgotten most of them, but there was a trio of spacehands called Stan Dupp, Ben Dover, and Sid Down. There was a marine sergeant name Ruth Moon who was nicknamed 'Honey' (her first name was never used because the Marines are ruthless). There was a trio of marines called Abraham deLacey, Guiseppe Casey, and Thomas O'Malley. I can't remember the rest.

I do on occasion have the people in MTU themselves use punny names. I have one named Stephanie Lee Caucus who left home at the age of 18 and changed her name because her friends had nicknamed her 'Staffy' (She and another NPC both took the name 'Bronwyn Hawke' because it was the name of the heroine of a popular kid's holodrama series when they grew up).

There's also a popular action holodrama series on Regina where the hero is named 'Conn Fusion'.


Hans

 

[hirch duckfinder]

Hirch Duckfinder
Aram Toe (not a bright chap)
Luck Handi (named to bring his father good fortune at the card table - which he didn't)

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

One of my friends who started playing TRAVELLER with me in the very early days (1978) made one who still shows up on occasion in various incarnations...

V'Hela Psylocin, ex-Scout and general troublemaker.

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Dr. Gwerf (vargr)
Cymon Orcus of Theron (Computer Scientist)
Benjamin of Zeldar (Hiver Traveller)
Franklin of Zeldar (Hiver Engineer)
Claudius of Fornax (Hiver Troubleshooter TNE)
Captain Jhon Vaur Cocker (Sol Trade Captain)
Themistocles Osiris (The Hinterworlds' Stephen King)

Xanana (Evil Music Star)

Arminius Spitz (Procknroll Band)

Orkko Ogzar (Vargr Mercenary)

 

[selunatic2397]

One of my favorite npc's was an alien girl in my very early games. The heroes had a far trader and someone decided that they needed a ship's boy to do all the scut work.

The ex-marine delegated came back with a young girl from a refuge camp. He claimed that no boy would volunteer so he found a ship's girl instead. Her name was Tabitha Katrina.

Eventually they needed her last name so in true hero fashion they forged up some adoption papers. Herein lay the problem...everyone decided to adopt her!

They decided to go by their salaries as a factor of rank and just keep adding to her last name.

Banchek [captain and pilot ], hault Jamison [a baron who was the engineer ], Rourke [ a player with an unhealthy fascination with Fantasy Island...he even had a little robot named Tatoo {the little robot from that old Dragon magazine article about "Skitterbuggers" }]

So, by the end, this little 4 foot 10 and 75 pound alien girl had a name bigger than she was...Tabitha Katrina Banachek hault Jamison-Rourke.

I still use her in my campaigns...I ran her through the Imperial Navy and let my players run in to her occasionally.

 

[Spud]

Used to run an ex-scout-

Umberto Padraic Alejandro Raaberenidaa Jangli Mifune Shmuel Piotr Marcus Kyatifa a McAndrews Poppadopoulos, IISS

“…call me Stosh”

Retired Scout, age 56

Solomani extraction; cold you tell?

 

[DaveChase]

Picking out names for Characters and NPC's, we use to say name a state (or nation) and then open up a map of the place.

Then with eyes close place a finger on the map and take the name of the closest city/town under the finger. Do this twice. Then choose which name is first and last.

Names created this way for some of my characters:

Ben Table
Tabor Burdick
Freezin (no second name since I hit ocean once)


Dave Chase (nope this was my given not picked name hahaha

 

[Spud]

_could_ _could_ you tell? Not cold!

I hate typing.

 

[Theo D Lite]

Well. . .

Theodore D Lite - Small Craft Pilot.
James Debenture - The name's Debenture, James Debenture (Artillery Major).
Robert and Frank Freeman - They weren't (free men that is) they were in a penal battalion but I didn't know that when I rolled them up.
Travis Morgan - Actually named after an engineering consultancy.
Coode Blizard - Another engineering consultancy. They used to be Coode, Lemon and Blizzard but Lemon got squeezed out!
Col Pinadon - who was a knight and therefore Sir Col.

Also had an NPC ex Military Intelligence (isn't that an oxymoron?) who had a Doberman called Logan so he could take Logan for his run.

 

[archhealer]

AHahahahahaha.

Captain Grrllish. A vargr mercenary captain with a chip on his shoulder. (The best part was, nobody caught this one till much later than the characer's introduction. Go on, say it out loud.)

 

[SanDragon]

Originally posted by selunatic2397:
One of my favorite npc's was an alien girl in my very early games. The heroes had a far trader and someone decided that they needed a ship's boy to do all the scut work.

The ex-marine delegated came back with a young girl from a refuge camp. He claimed that no boy would volunteer so he found a ship's girl instead. Her name was Tabitha Katrina.

Eventually they needed her last name so in true hero fashion they forged up some adoption papers. Herein lay the problem...everyone decided to adopt her!

They decided to go by their salaries as a factor of rank and just keep adding to her last name.

Banchek [captain and pilot ], hault Jamison [a baron who was the engineer ], Rourke [ a player with an unhealthy fascination with Fantasy Island...he even had a little robot named Tatoo {the little robot from that old Dragon magazine article about "Skitterbuggers" }]

So, by the end, this little 4 foot 10 and 75 pound alien girl had a name bigger than she was...Tabitha Katrina Banachek hault Jamison-Rourke.

I still use her in my campaigns...I ran her through the Imperial Navy and let my players run in to her occasionally.

Couldn't they just call her Tabby Kat?