SHARD (The game's new "working" name)

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    • SHARD (The game's new "working" name)

      As mentioned as part of the news from the GAMA Trade Show, the advice from all retailers, publishers, and distributors is to change the name of the game to something more iconic and indicative of the world's fiction than Dárdünah. Though Dárdünah is indeed the name of the world (just as Arrakis was the name of the world in the fiction of Frank Herbert), it's a bit of a mouthful, being hard to pronounce for people who are new to the scene and trying to remember the name of the game either for ordering it, or selling it (a very important consideration). The co-creator and owner of the I.P., Aaron de Orive, and I, long ago discussed this possible eventuality, and considered what iconic names might be suitable considering Dárdünah’s fiction and cultural importance of things such as crystals (an often-used phrase on Dárdünah is "May your crystal never shatter"),..and one of the few words that we seemed to keep returning to was "SHARD"... Like Frank Herbert's use of "DUNE",..shard seemed iconic enough, and recognizable enough, to do the trick. We assumed then,..that if we ever felt really pressured to change the name, "SHARD" would be it...

      At the trade show,..retailers were trying to suggest names that hearkened to the animals as player characters with words like "FERAL" and even "PRIMAL",..and there was a discussion of combining words together, such as "FERAL SHARD" or "PRIMAL SHARD", etc...though several thought that this might harm the simplicity that many want to see in a name. So far, though,..nothing seems to "sing" to me as much as "SHARD",..though I'm willing to entertain other suggestions...

      With this in mind,..I open this up as a topic of discussion. I'm well aware there will be many opinions concerning this potential change,..so please know that while I'd like to see lots of different ideas, the final decision will rest between myself and Aaron, so don't get too disappointed if ideas get discarded. In the end,..(like the Highlander)..there can be only one!

      Scottie ^^

      note: The image below shows the current design for the name. I am currently working on a version that has a slightly different design for the "S" and the "D" letters, to see what happens if I use a capital "D" instead (which causes me to change the balanced design of the "S" as well).. I'll update this image or add another image to compare as I get them made...
      Images
      • New Logo Test Flattened.jpg

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    • (silly me an my rushing to get my opinion in after reading your previous post elsewhere!)

      You know, putting it that way, I can understand better why you may end up calling it Shard (I meant Aaron in my earlier post, not Eric, btw). Dune/Arrakis and Shard/Dardunah seems like a good comparison. BUT... Even though Shard does seem to represent Dardunah to a good extent, I still feel as though it is missing something.

      I think where my semi-chaotic mind is getting to is that Dune summed up the world of Arrakis while Shard seems to only sum up one part of Dardunah. It personally makes me feel as though this is the only inhabitable area of the entire world, when there is at least a dozen possibilities.

      With the singular word, it feels as though you leave out all of the many other (I can count 12 on the world guide) ShardS in the game. Even possibly calling it Shards may ease my mind a bit.

      Despite my reservations about changing the game to Shard, I feel you should probably stick to your guns on the name unless someone can come up with better. Besides, I even remember calling it 'That game that Scottie is making' when I first began showing interest in it. That of course was mainly due to how hard it was to remember Dárdünah.

      In fact.. You know what? I now like the name Shard. I'm a convert due to my own thinking and your explanation. The phrase 'May your crystal never shatter' sold me.

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Ninjato ().

    • When I think of "Shard" as it refers to the world,...I imagine more that, since the janah of the world don't really know that the world is actually a shattered sphere, what they really think is something akin to what early explorers of OUR world may have believed,..that the world was a flat piece of material that you could literally "fall off" the edges of if you could get there. The inhabitants of Dardunah may very well believe that the world is a gigantic shard of crystal floating in the colorful veils of Heaven, and that one can actually fall off. The truth is, in fact, very close to that... What they wouldn't necessarily know is that there are MORE shards of the same sphere floating nearby....

      Now,..as far as the fiction of the world goes,.."Shard" is merely meant to evoke the importance of crystals to the cultures in general. Does it do that well enough....? I'm not so sure,..and neither is Aaron, for that matter,..but we're willing to go with this if nothing better and more catchy comes along,..which is why I'm willing to put this up for public discussion, just in case there are better ideas floating around out there that may float our way through this forum... :D

      Scottie ^^
    • For what it's worth, I think Dárdünah as a name is just fine. Yes, it's a bit unorthodox and unique but I think that works to it's advantage as well. I think a vanilla, boring name like 'Shard' removes the initial impression of the game.

      I know that every member (if I may speak so freely) of our play testing group feels the same way. I think changing the name is silly, to be honest. You want a name that is evocative and lets you know right off the bat that this isn't your familiar elf-and-dwarf hack and slash game. Shard doesn't give you that, and feels like it has no connection to the game. Dárdünah does. I would argue that whatever confusion would be caused by the name (and I concede that it's not an easy name) would be mitigated by the sense of wonder that is created by the name alone.

      With that said, I'm sure we could all debate this until the end of the time and it's Scott's call. I just wanted to make sure the dissenting opinion was heard. :)
    • Not a fan...

      of changing the name to Shard. I think it's a great name for Aaron's script, but not for the RPG. I echo Matt's thoughts but I concede that "Dárdünah" could be visually intimidating for some. I think the name should remain Dardunah, sans the special characters.
      When I introduced the game to the group I am with, and other friends, and my wife (who is soooo the opposite of a "gamer")- none of them responded with "What did you say? How do you pronounce that? Dar-what?". Quite simply, the name is not hard to pronounce, but it is tricky to discern the pronunciation at first. To that point I say "big fuckin' deal" so was the word "thaumaturgy" when I first encountered it, but now it's widely used in fantasy and gaming contexts (and is a bad-ass word, which is also how I feel about Dardunah)
      That kind of opinion about the name Dardunah from the folks you spoke with makes me think about how the majority of modern day Hollywood films are "dumbed down" to worthless tripe because "the Industry" seems to think most people are retarded fuck-sticks...which could be argued well either way (;•) So they spoon feed us like we are retards. One of the fondest feelings I got when I was introduced to RPGing was a sense of better vocabulary because of all the new and archaic terms I was introduced to.
      My point being, I personally don't like the name Shard for the game, I feel it dumbs-down some intangible thing within me- it's not as evocative or exotic for me as the name Dardunah. And to me, Dardunah is the RPG epitome of exotic and evocative. - except of course when I catch a glimpse of my own naked body reflected in the window of the girl's high school gym... wait, did I just type that? Nevermind.
      But I do think the accents should be dropped from the name. Oh, and please pardon the unnecessary use of the word "fuck" in my post. As the father of a 17 moth old, I have to watch my language at home and I don't get to use that word as much anymore, so I try and make up for that when I can.
      Peace.
      -Joe F.
      PS: Have I ever mentioned how much I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HATE having to type the word "Dárdünah" with all the special characters and shit..grrrrrrrr HULK HATE SPECIAL CHARACTERS!!!
    • RE: Not a fan...

      Originally posted by joe
      of changing the name to Shard. I think it's a great name for Aaron's script, but not for the RPG. I echo Matt's thoughts but I concede that "Dárdünah" could be visually intimidating for some. I think the name should remain Dardunah, sans the special characters.
      PS: Have I ever mentioned how much I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HATE having to type the word "Dárdünah" with all the special characters and shit..grrrrrrrr HULK HATE SPECIAL CHARACTERS!!!


      Well,..that WAS another point of feedback as well from the retailers, that regardless of the name change, I should consider removing the special characters that give pronunciation understanding. They cause "issues" it seems, when using the books in the form of PDFs. But aside from that, they believe special characters seem to make the main title look too "complex", regardless what the title (SHARD or otherwise) may be...

      As an addendum to Joe's commentary, he also wrote an email to me containing a list of potential suggestions for other names for the game. I shall include these now as part of this discussion. Please feel free to provide opinions concerning them (though keep inflamatory comments to a minimum, if you would)..

      Here they are.. I have ommitted those that seemed to be thrown in merely for a laugh...:

      Shard Song
      Spiral Shard
      Amber Shard
      Dream Shard
      Sundered Shard
      Sundered Edge
      Sundered Dream
      Sundered Veil
      Crystal Dream
      Crystal Veil
      Veils of Dream - I like this one
      Veil of Dreams
      Veils of the Devah
      Devah's Dream
      Devah's Song
      Janah's Song
      Janah's Honor
      False Dawn
      The False Dawn - I like this one
      Edge of Heaven - I like this one
      Spiral Dream
      Singing Dream
      Shattered Edge
      Shattered Dream
      Shattered Dawn
      Shattered Spiral
    • Originally posted by betafu
      For what it's worth, I think Dárdünah as a name is just fine. Yes, it's a bit unorthodox and unique but I think that works to it's advantage as well. I think a vanilla, boring name like 'Shard' removes the initial impression of the game.

      I know that every member (if I may speak so freely) of our play testing group feels the same way. I think changing the name is silly, to be honest. You want a name that is evocative and lets you know right off the bat that this isn't your familiar elf-and-dwarf hack and slash game. Shard doesn't give you that, and feels like it has no connection to the game. Dárdünah does. I would argue that whatever confusion would be caused by the name (and I concede that it's not an easy name) would be mitigated by the sense of wonder that is created by the name alone.

      With that said, I'm sure we could all debate this until the end of the time and it's Scott's call. I just wanted to make sure the dissenting opinion was heard. :)


      As an addendum to this, Betafu also had a short list of potential names he put forth for consideration:

      Originally posted by betafu
      Veil of Dreams
      The False Dawn
      Edge of Heaven

      But really, I think Dardunah (without all that fancy-schmancy foreign
      accent crap in it) is the best bet. Really.
    • *from external E-mail*

      I'm onboard with 'Shard' for 3 reasons, personally;
      1) The feedback you received from the vendors is concurrent with some simple marketing tactics I picked up in college (Keep It Simple Stupid(KISS) -
      Witness: Frank Hurbert's best seller - Arakis)

      2) It is relevant to the game world, I swear, you can't spit on Dardunah without hitting a shard.

      3) To my recollection of the story Scott told, when he bounced the name 'Shard' off the panel of vendors, they didn't say "that'll work" or "Yeah, something like that" they said "Perfect!"

      Granted there are a sea of useless miscreants out there that don't deserve the fine role playing experience that is Dardunah, but their money still spends.

      IF Shard is decided against, in the end, here are some other suggestions;

      ...

      Ok, I got nothin'. And although I REALLY like 'Black Shard Heroin' I don't think we can call it 'Crystal Meth' So I suggest that if we do go this rout, we should just call it 'PCP'.
      I'd rather kiss Satha Vortoc on his sything death-hole
    • Originally posted by ZClip
      3) To my recollection of the story Scott told, when he bounced the name 'Shard' off the panel of vendors, they didn't say "that'll work" or "Yeah, something like that" they said "Perfect!"


      They didn't quite all say "perfect!",...like I said,..there were those that mentioned names such as Feral and Primal, because they were suggesting things that seemed to call to the use of animal people as characters. Shard was something that came up when I mentioned that Aaron and I had discussed changing the name long ago,..and that was the word we kept landing on, because of how the word "Shard" seemed to evoke the ever-present emphasis on crystals and their place in the in the world's fiction...

      I'm not married to "Shard" per-se, nor are Aaron or the retailers,..but that's the best I've honestly seen so far, even with all the suggestions.

      The name needs to be simple, evocative, easy to remember, and meaningful to the gamer who is unfamiliar with the world, such that, through reading it, they get an idea that pops into their mind. Before ever hearing about Dardunah through Aaron,..if I heard the word "shard", immediately a sparkling piece of crystal comes to mind, like the shard of the Dark Crystal from the Jim Henson film. That, in turn (to me), evokes images of alien worlds and interesting fantasy, merely because of that reference. That's me, though, and that may not work for everyone.

      The important thing to remember, though, is that I really need to consider what the average person in the consumer/retailer/distributor market will think when they read the word (or words) on the cover of the game for the first time. The next most important thing to remember is that I'm not going to be able to please everybody, and in fact,..I'm really probably going to have to settle on what will annoy everybody the least. This may sound like I'm shooting for "lowest common denominator", but believe me when I say that whatever I choose, it will be chosen only if I am pleased with it, and if Aaron is pleased with it as a representation of the RPG aspect of his intellectual property.

      Here are the factors I'm shooting for (I realize that these are "in a perfect world" criteria):
      • A word(s) that means something in the English language.
      • A word(s) that is evocative of the game/world in the same way "Dune" was evocative of the setting/fiction of the Frank Herbert novels.
      • A word(s) whose font is easily readable and recognizable, yet iconic and beautiful.
      • A word(s) that doesn't necessarily describe merely a part of the game (such as mentioning the "Dream", the janah, or the devah), but instead evokes the world as a whole, or at least some primary aspect of it.
      • A word(s) that is simple and memorable for someone who has never been introduced to the fiction of Dardunah, a word that might make someone take a second glance at the product out of interest in what the word may mean to them, as opposed to why the word in confusing to them.


      Scottie ^^
    • Hmm,,, maybe

      Musket Totin' Kung Fu Animal-people from the Outer Dimension vs. Giant Bug -Demons of the Shattered Crystal Planet (now in ZULU-VISION!!!)

      Or something shorter

      AVB (Animals Vs Bugs)

      Nah, I still like Shard,,, especially since it rhymes with 'Tard' and we know how I actually sound smarter when I'm engaged in a conversation with 'those types'
      I'd rather kiss Satha Vortoc on his sything death-hole
    • Now that I see the list, I am also drawn to The False Dawn and Veils of Dream, but I don't really like Edge of Heaven. Tonight before I got on to reply to this post I had thought about naming it just False Dawn so I was very happy to see it on the list. As for Shard, I still think that it is a good name but my own personal vote would have to go with The False Dawn.


      <(..<) <(..^) (^..)> (>..)>

      And that is my special dance to you Scottie Cakes
    • I do like what "The False Dawn" and "Veils of Dream" imply, and how they relate to the game as a whole,..the only thing I'm concerned about is the three-part-name, and the issues with complexity that apparently generates when considered for the shelf-title of a game (i.e.,...single-name titles are described as having more positive and memorable "impact").

      Though I like it the best,..False Dawn has several issues,..the primary one being that the IP itself is, specifically, Dardunah;World of the False Dawn, and needs to be used as such in conjunction with whatever the game's title becomes (that is,..if Dardunah itself ceases to be the game's title). This is why you see the "World of the False Dawn" phrase at the bottom of the books currently, with Dardunah at the top... Whatever it gets changed to,..it needs to have "a gamebook of Dardunah; World of the False Dawn" somewhere at the bottom to continue identification of the product pertaining to the IP (intellectual property).

      I did a lookup for both names,..and unfortunately "False Dawn" and "The False dawn" has pretty thorough usage already from many different commercial angles, and would be difficult to use as a site or name of any kind.. It is a word used for astronomy, as well as several other businesses having to do with internet service in the form of sites using that name having already being bought up and sat upon.

      "Veils of Dream" is less used (and personally my second favorite of both multi-word names), and is generally associated with the wedding industry, or with one particular metal band that uses that phrase as part of one of their song titles... If I absolutely had to go with a three-part-name,.."Veils of Dream" might indeed work,...but,..I still have my reservations about it from the standpoint of relevance to all aspects of the game (just as Joe's group has concerns about SHARD for the same reasons...)... In the case of "Veils" my worry is that it over-emphasizes the magical aspects of the game, while leaving out the more hard-edged aspects of its combat and grit...

      Oh,..and thanks for the fun dance... It did indeed please me....

      Scottie ^^