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Post by jeffgeorge on May 6, 2017 20:22:14 GMT -9
I'm within a couple of weeks of having two products ready for release on DriveThru/RPGNow, so I'm starting to worry about whether I need a publisher identity other than just my plain old name. I've been beating myself over the head for days now, and I can't come up with anything that really excites me. One of my early thoughts was Swamp Castle Games, but there's a text adventure game on Google Play called Swamp Castle, so when you google for "swamp castle games," you get pages of hits for that. I'm not coming up with a Fantasy-sounding name that isn't forgettably similar to thousands of other publishers on DriveThru (Fat Dragon, Fat Goblin, Goblinoid Games...), and my own family name--George, if you weren't paying attention--doesn't make a very interesting company name ("George Games," "GeorgeumArts"...no, just no...).
I keep circling back around to Python references, though. The best I can come up with is "Buzzard, Stubble & Boot", which is taken from "Bunn, Wakkit, Buzzard, Stubble and Boot", a name which was first rejected as the name for group's television program, and later as the title for one of the early first-series episodes. The name eventually appears in the very long and absurd name of an extremely silly candidate in the Silly Elections sketch, but it goes by very quickly.
So...does "Buzzard, Stubble & Boot" or "Buzzard, Stubble, Boot & Co." sound like a suitable parody of the name of a publishing house? Any thoughts?
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Post by migibb on May 7, 2017 3:43:17 GMT -9
"Grail-shaped Beacon Games"
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Post by Vermin King on May 7, 2017 4:51:40 GMT -9
"The Ministry of ..."?
I have no clue what a good name would be
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Post by cowboyleland on May 7, 2017 5:17:08 GMT -9
I am afraid I am no help. Strangely, I don't feel like "Buzzard, Stubble and Boot" is very memorable. I feel like people will say "I can't remember who makes these things; it is a strange triple barrel name but I can't remember exactly what it is."
But I am not a marketing guy by any stretch.
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 7, 2017 5:22:37 GMT -9
"Ministry of..." is a good beginning...just need to figure out what it's the Ministry of. I also like the ring of "(Blank) Expeditionary Co.", but you need a good first word or words that starts with a vowel for alliterative goodness. This one is based on the WoW guild I founded on the day WoW Day One (my group came over from City of Heroes during WoW's open beta), which was called the Azeroth Expeditionary Co. To make that name work, you need a word that starts with a vowel and has two or three syllables. I've considered "Eastlands Expeditionary Co.", which abbreviates to EEC, or even "East Coast Expeditionary Co.", since I live in New York, which would be "ECEC," which is a less appealing acronym. For that matter, one reason I like Buzzard Stubble & Boot is the acronym, "BSB," which sounds good. If all anyone remembers is BSB Games, I'm ok with that, leland. And any input from people in the target demographic--people who own dice--is helpful, whether they are Ad Men or not. Thanks for the continuing input, everyone.
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Post by Vermin King on May 7, 2017 6:04:41 GMT -9
Names ... sigh
When my ex-wife and I were expecting, we ended up deciding on using grandparent names, so Michael Alan was named after his two grandfathers. If he'd been a girl, she would have been Victoria Elizabeth (what a mouthful). Now that Michael and his girlfriend are expecting, they are having trouble deciding on a name for their upcoming son. Michael wanted 'Warren Michael David' ... WMD ... needless to say, Darlene wouldn't allow that.
Ministry of Paper?
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Post by nolabert on May 7, 2017 6:13:47 GMT -9
How about Garrulous Grognard Games 😀
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Post by Vermin King on May 7, 2017 6:38:09 GMT -9
That actually reminds me of an idea I had for a name a while back. Before I dropped that train of thought, I had three words starting with 'D'.
That way the abbreviation would be 3D Paper Models
I never did anything with that idea, so if someone wants to use it, feel free
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Post by ignatious on May 7, 2017 7:09:50 GMT -9
Ministry of pressed fibers Ministry of pulp Ministry of papercraft Ministry of paper games or for that alliterative quality Perfectly Produced, Preposterously Profound, Precision, Printable, Playable, Paper Products. or 9p games for short. or Generously, Gracious, Gangrenous George's, Gently Generated, Gargantuanly Grandiose, Great, Gripping Games, Good Golly. or 13G for a more mildly muted manageable moniker. It's too bad your first name isn't Geoff. just spit balling
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Post by glennwilliams on May 7, 2017 7:17:58 GMT -9
Ministry of George. Do you have a mission statement (fancy term for general idea of what you want to do)? Mine came from reacting to an $800 sci-fi fort from a well-known miniatures evil empire. So, from, we won't cost you an arm and a leg came finger and toe. I'd go from what it is you want to accomplish, although "you guys pay for my games" probably won't fly. So... Ministry of George. Since you'll be using DTRPG, it's pretty obvious what field you're in (and don't forget the sister sites when appropriate), so "games", "miniatures", etc are a given. I'd leave terms like that off.
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Post by Punkrabbitt on May 7, 2017 9:49:06 GMT -9
King George Games?
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Post by ignatious on May 7, 2017 10:41:31 GMT -9
on a somewhat more serious note, Ministry of Olde Dungeons
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Post by whisper31 on May 7, 2017 13:00:48 GMT -9
Okay. I'm kind of half serious with this one, but you'll have to follow me a bit. Most of us are of the age that we remember the Bugs Bunny cartoons, right? Do you remember the abominable snowman's most used line? "I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him, and name him George." So usually everytime I hear the name George, that line pops into my head. So I came up with "Abominabable Games". Not the greatest name in the world, but it would stick in my mind. Just my two coppers worth. P.S. I came up with this tag line for you: "I will print them and cut them and build them and I will thank George for them."
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Post by squirmydad on May 7, 2017 14:48:06 GMT -9
Jeff's Games! (mandatory exclamation point)
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Post by arcticdragongames on May 8, 2017 7:19:00 GMT -9
"Buzzard, Stubble & Boot" has many syllables. How about "Buzzard Stubble Games" or "Stubble Boot Games" or"Stubbleboot Games"?
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 8, 2017 10:03:23 GMT -9
"Buzzard, Stubble & Boot" has many syllables. How about "Buzzard Stubble Games" or "Stubble Boot Games" or"Stubbleboot Games"? Yes, it was deliberately meant to have too many syllables, like a parody of a law firm, ad company, or other old-school business. I figured that everyone, even myself, would probably call it BSB most of the time. Making it even shorter just takes it farther away from the original, making it less an homage, and more just random. As you point out, though, too many syllables was a bad idea, no matter how I rationalize it to myself. Thanks for pulling me back from the edge.
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 8, 2017 10:06:03 GMT -9
It's too bad your first name isn't Geoff. That possibility has been discussed my entire life, but it would make me "Gee-off Gee-org", which is pretty gee-ross...
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Who am I?
May 8, 2017 15:55:31 GMT -9
via mobile
Post by Punkrabbitt on May 8, 2017 15:55:31 GMT -9
Dragon St. George
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Post by squirmydad on May 10, 2017 6:45:03 GMT -9
"Isle of Jeff" presents...
"Surely you Jeff" presents...
"JeffGeorge Productions"
"JG Productions"
"Digital Dungeon Games"
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Post by kgstanley81 on May 10, 2017 7:39:12 GMT -9
Sir Jeff of George
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 11, 2017 14:22:14 GMT -9
I think I've got it. Purveyors of fine products for OSR Roleplayers.I think that clearly describes what I'm selling, in a way that sounds kind of adventuresome. Any last-minute warnings or protests?
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Post by cowboyleland on May 12, 2017 8:09:03 GMT -9
Put an "e" on Olde to link it with "half" your product line?
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Post by kgstanley81 on May 12, 2017 8:29:35 GMT -9
I agree with the "e"
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 12, 2017 11:40:16 GMT -9
Put an "e" on Olde to link it with "half" your product line? I hear that. I'm really not married to the "Dungeons of Olde" name--it was originally just a working title for the dungeon crawl rules set I work on from time to time. I originally intended to come up with a GM-less random adventure game a la HeroQuest, but since I started, I discovered that things like Descent, Darkfast Dungeons, Dungeon Plungin', and that Mouse game exist, not to mention the fact that my own rules kept getting more complex and RPGish. Anyway, the tiles arose out of a need to have a board for that game, then took on a life of their own. It seemed like they fit into a less-crowded market niche, as a papercraft 2.5D terrain set, than did the original game idea, anyway, so that game project is now almost entirely back-burnered. The point is, Dungeons of Olde was never a great name, and it was never really intended for the terrain set anyway. I'm pretty sure I like the Expeditionary Co. name better, and I'm not certain I'm going to put the "Dungeons of Olde" label on the tiles at all. If "Dungeons of Olde" is never used on a published product, and "Old School Expeditionary Co." is the only name the wider public ever sees, is it better with the "e" than without? I think that's the basis on which I have to make that decision. BTW, I'm sorry to have to impose all of this dithering on the community here. At the moment, you folks are the closest thing I have to an "inner circle". I really need to get back into an active game group...
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Post by ignatious on May 12, 2017 11:52:25 GMT -9
as per the "e", "I'm with you fellars"
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Post by jeffgeorge on May 12, 2017 12:03:29 GMT -9
Here's the logo with the "e". I remain on the fence about it. I think that to answer the question of whether or not to include the "e", you have consider it as if you'd never heard of or seen the "Dungeons of Olde" title. Does "Olde School Expeditionary Co." make sense to someone who doesn't know what "Dungeons of Olde" is? Does it come off as quaint, ironic, or pretentious? (Quaint I might be able to live with, ironic is what I was shooting for, and pretentious is right out.)
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Post by ignatious on May 12, 2017 12:18:40 GMT -9
Quaint like "a geographical oddity, two weeks from everywhere" and ironic because it's exactly where it needs to be for the story.
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Post by cowboyleland on May 12, 2017 18:59:47 GMT -9
An especially old spelling of the word "old" certainly borders on ironic; I might even argue "poetic," but I am easily amused and since I suggested it I could well be the one who now sounds pretentious. Just make good stuff, lack of the perfect name hasn't hurt Dave Graffam (sp?)
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Post by Vermin King on May 12, 2017 19:43:18 GMT -9
An especially old spelling of the word "old" certainly borders on ironic; I might even argue "poetic," but I am easily amused and since I suggested it I could well be the one who now sounds pretentious. Just make good stuff, lack of the perfect name hasn't hurt Dave Graffam (sp?) I almost mentioned earlier that I like words that invoke what they represent. 'Olde' definitely does that. I think its use here would help to create a memorable title. It would generate a smile here and there, and never ever do you want to turn down 'good will'
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Post by glennwilliams on May 15, 2017 5:50:17 GMT -9
I really like Old School Expeditionary Co, with or without the extraneous e. I crams a lot of meaning into a small package.
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