Orius
Unrepentant DM Supremacist
I'm looking for a name generator for planets and/or systems for a space opera sci-fi setting. I'm looking for something free and relatively easy to use preferably a browser-based random generator or a set of dice tables that can be downloaded from something like DriveThru. System neutral is preferable, but it doesn't really matter. I need something that I can use to quickly generate dozens of names for systems. I'm doing some preliminary work on doing a space game, and I'll use at least in part a generation system based on Traveller's subsectors (which should give an idea of how many worlds I'll need to name), but I can't come up with enough useful names on my own.
Now I did find this in my list of materials:
It's okay in a pinch, but there's a few problems with it:
1: Real universe references. Some worlds are named New ___ which are named after locations on Earth or other bodies in the Solar System. Some other names are taken from constellations or other stars. I'm going to be using a completely fictional universe, so real universe names won't do.
2. Mythological names. This is related to #1, stuff taken from the real world will feel out of place to me. And this is complicated by how many bodies in the Solar System already have mythological names. And there's names taken from multiple mythologies as well as Tolkien (which I'm counting in this category for refence).
3. Unpronounceable names. The generator isn't too bad at this, but there's a couple of results that really needed to buy some vowels from Pat Sajak.
4. Limited generation pool. Some of these names keep repeating, so it's not working with a lot of random bits.
5. Apostrophes. Need I say anything more?
For example, here's a few results that just won't do it for me:
New Kenya
New Amazon
New Athens
New Kalahari
New Triton
New Rhea
New Vesta
New Venus
New Earth
New Terra (sigh)
New Gaia (eyeroll)
These would be fine for a real universe game though.
And the mythological references:
Amenhotep
Orome
Bragi V
Midgard
Ungoliant
Draugluin V
Imhotep
New Deseret (Space Mormons!)
These seems to be mostly Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Norse mythology with some Tolkien. There's a few historical names as well. Greek mythology too, but those names are also used heavily in the Solar System so that runs up against #1 AND #2. I got a Thalassa Prime, and while that's both mythology and a moon of Neptune, Thalassa is also simply the Greek word for the sea, so that's passable for an ocean world. It generates a number of Chinese names that I'm unfamiliar with too, but I'm not sure those are mythological/historical or not. I did get a result of Liu Bei II which I did recognize, so I suspect the names all have a real world basis.
9807 Eridani VII
5100 Fornacis II
These come from constellation names.
And the ridiculuous:
V'Gouza (gag)
S'Groidi (choke)
N'Dreesha (puke)
Mr'Meniea (clearly ruled by Mr. Meanie)
U'Wooki (I can HEAR Chewbacca laughing at me)
This generator does come up with a few decent names here and there, but I have to roll dozens of times just to get a halfway decent list of stuff. Anyway, I'm looking for any other alternatives. Browser-based stuff is fine, but I don't want to download any sort of .exe files for this. Or worse, a pile of source code. Free dice tables from DriveThru is fine too, but I don't really want to spend anything on this, and I don't like downloading Pay What You Want for free (feels like an insult to the creator). My snarking above I hope gives some idea of the sort of results I'm looking for. The kind of names I want are the sort of things that would be more or less typical of English-language space opera, so like the kind of names that would pop up in Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Stargate, etc.
Now I did find this in my list of materials:
donjon; SciFi Name Generator
A collection of random generators for Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games
donjon.bin.sh
It's okay in a pinch, but there's a few problems with it:
1: Real universe references. Some worlds are named New ___ which are named after locations on Earth or other bodies in the Solar System. Some other names are taken from constellations or other stars. I'm going to be using a completely fictional universe, so real universe names won't do.
2. Mythological names. This is related to #1, stuff taken from the real world will feel out of place to me. And this is complicated by how many bodies in the Solar System already have mythological names. And there's names taken from multiple mythologies as well as Tolkien (which I'm counting in this category for refence).
3. Unpronounceable names. The generator isn't too bad at this, but there's a couple of results that really needed to buy some vowels from Pat Sajak.
4. Limited generation pool. Some of these names keep repeating, so it's not working with a lot of random bits.
5. Apostrophes. Need I say anything more?
For example, here's a few results that just won't do it for me:
New Kenya
New Amazon
New Athens
New Kalahari
New Triton
New Rhea
New Vesta
New Venus
New Earth
New Terra (sigh)
New Gaia (eyeroll)
These would be fine for a real universe game though.
And the mythological references:
Amenhotep
Orome
Bragi V
Midgard
Ungoliant
Draugluin V
Imhotep
New Deseret (Space Mormons!)
These seems to be mostly Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Norse mythology with some Tolkien. There's a few historical names as well. Greek mythology too, but those names are also used heavily in the Solar System so that runs up against #1 AND #2. I got a Thalassa Prime, and while that's both mythology and a moon of Neptune, Thalassa is also simply the Greek word for the sea, so that's passable for an ocean world. It generates a number of Chinese names that I'm unfamiliar with too, but I'm not sure those are mythological/historical or not. I did get a result of Liu Bei II which I did recognize, so I suspect the names all have a real world basis.
9807 Eridani VII
5100 Fornacis II
These come from constellation names.
And the ridiculuous:
V'Gouza (gag)
S'Groidi (choke)
N'Dreesha (puke)
Mr'Meniea (clearly ruled by Mr. Meanie)
U'Wooki (I can HEAR Chewbacca laughing at me)
This generator does come up with a few decent names here and there, but I have to roll dozens of times just to get a halfway decent list of stuff. Anyway, I'm looking for any other alternatives. Browser-based stuff is fine, but I don't want to download any sort of .exe files for this. Or worse, a pile of source code. Free dice tables from DriveThru is fine too, but I don't really want to spend anything on this, and I don't like downloading Pay What You Want for free (feels like an insult to the creator). My snarking above I hope gives some idea of the sort of results I'm looking for. The kind of names I want are the sort of things that would be more or less typical of English-language space opera, so like the kind of names that would pop up in Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Stargate, etc.