November 5, 2023: Quick-And-Dirty Name Generator

Here's a quick RPG tip: Do you use a password manager (such as Bitwarden or 1Password)? Do you need some random names for a weird/alien/fantasy game and have a hard time coming up with interesting ones? Use the password generator!

Set the number of characters to a value that you think is suitable for a name; between five and nine is a fine place to start. Turn off numbers and punctuation; for readability, you can make it all either upper or lower case as well. (You don't care that these aren't good "passwords," because that's not what you're using them for.) Then start generating. You'll get a lot of duds, but you'll also get some that look inspiring.

If one seems "close" enough with only a few tweaks (change or delete a letter or two, split the password into two parts, etc.), go ahead and do that. You now have a new name just waiting for a character to go with it.

With just a few minutes of "rolls" – literally generated as I wrote this entry – I now introduce you to Jegsuld, Nyr Pendra, Xxzeeth, Ugelfak, Kyptance, and Lessy Sceff. That's enough for a six-member party!

-- Steven Marsh