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Need help with creative steampunk object names.

5 replies [Last post]
Wed, 06/15/2011 - 23:46
emxibus
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Joined: 10/24/2008

I'm finishing up on my gladiator game (after 7 years) and I'm looking to create my next game. Hopefully, this one will take less time :)

Here's some background:
Number of players: 1,2, or 4. you can have 3 players, but one player will play 2 charactor while the others play one.
Game type: cooperative puzzle card game.
Theme: Steampunk, save the world from destruction.

A fiery Comet is on a collision course with earth. As the last 4 surviving members of the brotherhood of time you have taken upon yourselves the task to save the world. Your plan is simple, construct the legendary redemption machine and destroy the comet before it is too late.

the Game is played In a 5 x 5 grid centered on the project lead for that turn. The players move their chars around reconstructing components for the Redemption Machine. The components have up to four requirements for reconstruction: cogs, iron, steam tech, and electricity. Each charactor has a speciality: Cogmaster, Ironsmith, Engineer, or Shocker. Working together, the brotherhood members move so that those with the skills needed to reconstruct the componet are positioned horizontal or vertical to the component card. Each round, representing a day, a project lead is selected by a die roll. Then a number of component cards are played so that all 8 adjacent spots to the project lead are filled with component or botherhood cards.

Movement: think of the 3 by 3 puzzles with one missing square. The components do not move, but the chars can move horizontal or vertical within the grid. There is no turn order other than the same char cannot move twice in a row. All characters must remain adjacent. It's the project lead's job to lead (determine which component to reconstruct next, along with coordinating movement) his team to reconstruct all the currently played components before the 60 or 90 sec timer (day) runs out. At the end of the round players work on constructing artifact from the components they have collected. Artifacts are used to activate the redemption machine. Artifacts also give the brotherhood special powers, so the order in which the artifacts are construct will change the way game will play.

What I need help with right now is coming up with creative steampunk names for the 15 components. The components with fewer requirements are more common, and no component is unique. The component requirements do not necessarily show the actual parts needed to reconstruct it, it may just be who would be best suited to reconstruct the component.

1 cogs
2 iron
3 cogs, iron
4 electricity
5 electricity, cogs
6 electricity, iron
7 electricity, cogs iron
8 steam tech
9 steam tech, cog
10 steam tech, iron
11 steam tech, cog, iron
12 electricity, steam tech
13 electricity, steam tech, cogs
14 electricity, steam tech, iron
15 electricity, steam tech, cogs, iron

I also need names for the 6 artifacts that will activate the Redemption Machine. I picture the Redemption Machine as a gigantic cannon housed within an observatory like structure.

Thanks,
JR

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Thu, 06/16/2011 - 15:51
#1
ericphillips
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Joined: 06/16/2011
This sourcebook for the GURPS

This sourcebook for the GURPS RPG is a good source of inspiration (and information):

http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG30-6422

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Thu, 06/16/2011 - 16:48
#2
emxibus
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Joined: 10/24/2008
ericphillips wrote:This

ericphillips wrote:
This sourcebook for the GURPS RPG is a good source of inspiration (and information):

http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG30-6422

Nice, this will really help.

Thanks,
JR

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Tue, 06/21/2011 - 08:22
#3
infocorn
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Joined: 07/30/2008
Pardon the 13-year-old-ism here...

I think you might want to reconsider the "Shocker" name as the term "shocker" has some less than family-friendly implications.

Voltmaster?
Something Tesla-y?

My understanding of the steampunk genre is pretty limited, but it seems like the Victorians might've really liked big fancy-pants-sounding words, so you could really go big with some of your titles. "Bolt Baron" springs to mind. Plus, your cadre of world-savers being a brotherhood, I think of the names that Freemasons or Fraternities use for their members (especially RANKING or dignitary members); a "title" for each player might give it some oomph:
-- Forgemaster (iron)
-- Firekeeper (steam)
-- Master Arificer (cogs)
-- Voltage Viceroy (electricity; I was tempted to use Lightning Lord here, but that's an old-school bad guy from Megaman 2...so no)

You could even do it as "__ of the __: (Job Description)" like "Master of the Forge" or similar.

I'm SO glad I stopped work on my own steampunk game. I think it could have gotten WAY out of hand.

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Tue, 06/21/2011 - 10:06
#4
emxibus
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Joined: 10/24/2008
thanks

Thanks for your input, and I agree with your shocker comments. I'm having a hard time coming up with a cool name for him, but I do like your suggestions.

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Tue, 06/21/2011 - 14:57
#5
infocorn
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Joined: 07/30/2008
Backstory?

I started this design thing of mine after many years of half-abandoned short story writing, so maybe if you needed help with world building, I could do that.

Something like a heirarchy for your cadre...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"THE LEAGUE OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHERS (borrowed from the Quicksilver books by Neal Stephenson):
BEING the collection of gentlemen and ladies interested in the dissection of the natural world to make better known the mysteries its inner machinations,
AND STATED that such enterprises by their very nature and being require a structure to delegate the tasks of such investigations
RESOLVE THAT our four main areas of research be headed and directed by the following Officers of Title:
-- The Studies of Smelting and Forging of Iron Ores and Other Amalgams and Alloys of Metal shall be led by the Master of the Forge
-- The Research Governing Powering Devices By Harnessing the Intrinsic Powers of Steam shall be led by the Stoker of Flames
-- The Discoveries of Machining Parts, Elements and Pieces Designed to Replicate the Motions of the Spheres shall be led by Captain of Gears
-- The Learning of Ways in which the Forces Electric May Best be Harnessed to Serve Our Needs shall be led by Admiral of Dynamoes.
AND RESOLVE THAT each Officer of Title be assigned and dispatched men, materials, and information to the performance of their duties posthaste and without unreasonable delays."

The faded illunmated parchment fluttered just outside my office. As the panic outdoors threatened to overtake our labratories, they blaming us for this World Killer now hurtling through the aether towards us, I thought of its aims. It was up to the four of us remaining now, those honorary title holders, now that the League had been devoured by the fear in the streets.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know...
something like that.

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