September 21, 2011: Contest: Name That Game!

We've got a really beautiful new abstract game that will ship in 2012. The piece design is finished; we have showed it off at some recent conventions. We've got a good card design. And we have a very good set of rules, though we're still playtesting. Which is no hardship, because the game is FUN.

But we're still not sure what we're going to call it.

Of course, the designer, Beau Beckett, had a name for it, and we might still use that one. But we looked for alternatives, and it was just amazing how many castle-related names have already been used. In all kinds of languages. There are a LOT of games about castles. Half the time, around the office, we call this one by Beau's name, and half the time we just say "Castle Game." And I won't swear we won't end up calling it "The Castle Game." But that's kind of vanilla . . . And remember, I'm the guy who used GURPS as the working title for a new rules set, and ended up publishing it under that name. Sometimes I must be stopped for my own good.

So: contest time. Come up with a name for a quick two-player abstract game that uses walls and towers to claim space. Don't duplicate the name of any published game. It has to use the English character set, though it doesn't have to be English. (I mean, think of Agricola.) Send your suggestions to contest@sjgames.com. Leave "Castle Game Name" as the message title, to make it easier on me. If we use your name, you'll get an early copy, credit in the game, and bragging rights. And my thanks!

-- Steve Jackson