Dear WotC - You suck at names.

[Kunimatyu]

WotC,

You're great guys. I love all the changes I've heard about 4e so far, from encounter design, cosmology, points of light, PC mechanics -- the whole works.

However.

You are TERRIBLE at coming up with names. "Emerald Frost"? "Feywild"? "Shadowfell"? WTF?

Those are horrid, lame, pathetic names. Please find someone who can make non-terrible names. Or, if that's not possible, put up submission contests to come up with better ones.

All the best,
Kuni

 

[fiddlerjones]

Oh I can totally come up with cool names. I have this great method.
I take two fantasy sounding words and stick them together! It works every time.


Also, I'm kidding.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

I can definitely get behind this initiative.

Actually, they could borrow the Magic the Gathering creative team for about six hours; they seem to have a limitless supply of awesome names that manage to sound both fantastic and believable.

 

[Desdichado]

How about take your actual name, turn it backwards, and then tweak any letters that don't quite work? Is that a good way to generate names?

Besides, the WotC method was "pioneered" by Ed Greenwood long before TSR folded.

 

[Nifft]

Oh I can totally come up with cool names. I have this great method.
I take two fantasy sounding words and stick them together! It works every time.

...

fiddlerjones

fiddler jones

Ha-ha! -- N

 

[Aloïsius]

Besides, the WotC method was "pioneered" by Ed Greenwood long before TSR folded.

Not an english native speaker, but "shadowfell" sounds 10 time better than "evermeet".

feywild, however...

 

[Nifft]

the WotC method was "pioneered" by Ed Greenwood long before TSR folded.

the WotC method was "pioneered" by Ed Greenwood long before TSR folded.

Greenwood

Green Wood

Ha-ha! -- N

 

[Zurai]

I happen to very much like both Feywild and Shadowfell.

 

[Lorthanoth]

Conversely if WoTC named the new planes things like "Vazgaldishan" or "frohertuin" then people would be up in arms about unpronouncable, nonsense names. The names are intended to be generic and evocative of the general theme/idea of a plane, or so I would guess. If you don't like them, then change them for your campaign. It's what we've all been doing for years. I bring to your attention "Geoff" and "Verbobonc".

 

[Kunimatyu]

Conversely if WoTC named the new planes things like "Vazgaldishan" or "frohertuin" then people would be up in arms about unpronouncable, nonsense names. The names are intended to be generic and evocative of the general theme/idea of a plane, or so I would guess. If you don't like them, then change them for your campaign. It's what we've all been doing for years. I bring to your attention "Geoff" and "Verbobonc".

I think they can come up with generic names that don't totally suck. Feywild ain't it, though.