Ok, so I finally made some progress with the new campaign I plan to launch ...
The map is sort of decided, and the lay-out of the countries as well, although I might still make a few changes to the borders of the various countries. I realized most of them are well-defined islands, but that means any conflict will have to involve sea movement, so that's perhaps a bit too awkward.
So, what's the progress? I finally settled on the name of the various countries, as well as their historic counterparts from which inspiration will be drawn. The idea is to set the campaign in the late19th / early 20th century, the era between the Franco-Prussian war and the first World War.
With a little help from ChatGPT, I arrived at the various country names.
A typical question I asked CHatGPT: Can you generate a fictive country name with Turkish elements that evokes deserts?
Then ChatGPT would come up with a list:
Here are some fictive country names with Turkish elements that evoke deserts:
- Kumkarya ("Kum" means "sand" in Turkish, combined with a suffix to suggest a land or region)
- Sahrapa ("Sahra" means "desert" in Turkish, with a suffix for a more fictional feel)
- Çölkova ("Çöl" means "desert" in Turkish, combined with a suffix to suggest a place)
- Tuzgöl ("Tuz" means "salt," and "göl" means "lake," implying a salt desert or dry lake area)
- Kumovik ("Kum" meaning "sand," combined with a suffix to imply a place or region)
- Dünyakum ("Dünya" means "world," combined with "kum" for a broad, desert-like region)
- Sahralia (A blend of "sahra" for desert and "-lia" for a fictional land)
- Kumtepe ("Kum" for sand and "tepe" for hill, suggesting sandy hills or dunes)
- Gölçöl ("Göl" means "lake," and "çöl" means "desert," combining the concepts)
- Aridistan (Inspired by "arid," reflecting a dry, desert-like environment)
These names combine elements related to deserts with Turkish phonetics to create evocative and fictional desert landscapes.
Ok, so I picked Ardistan... then I asked: What does Ardistan mean? ... and the answer was:
"Ardistan" is a fictive name that combines elements inspired by both Turkish and Persian:
- "Arid" – Derived from English, meaning "dry" or "desert-like," reflecting a lack of moisture.
- "-stan" – A Persian suffix meaning "land of" or "place of," commonly used in the names of countries and regions (e.g., Pakistan, Afghanistan).
So, "Ardistan" could be interpreted as "Land of Aridity" or "Place of Dryness." It evokes the concept of a dry, arid, or desert-like region, suggesting a vast, barren landscape.
This looks all very good. So I repeated this exercise for the other countries I want to include.
|
Country |
Colour on Map |
Historical Inspiration |
|
Ardistan |
Red |
Arabia/North Africa/Ottoman |
|
Bellancia |
Green |
France/Italy/Switzerland |
|
Shirokai |
Yellow |
Japan/Far East |
|
Falkenland |
Bue |
Germany/Poland |
|
Zeelandia |
Magenta |
Netherlands/England |
|
Frostovik |
Cyan |
Scandinavia/Russia |
|
Islands |
Black |
|
And the respective explanations, again after playing around with ChatGPT:
"Ardistan" could be interpreted as "Land of Aridity" or "Place of Dryness." It evokes the concept of a dry, arid, or desert-like region, suggesting a vast, barren landscape.
While "Bellancia" isn't a recognized word, it could evoke imagery like "beautiful lance" or "beautiful weapon" in an abstract or poetic sense. As a fictional country name, it suggests elegance and strength.
"Shirokai" could be interpreted as "White Sea" or "Castle Sea," depending on the context and kanji used. It evokes imagery of a serene, possibly majestic body of water or a significant geographical feature.
"Falkenland" translates to "Land of Falcons" or "Falcon Country." It suggests a place associated with falcons, evoking imagery of freedom, strength, and possibly a connection to nature.
"Zeelandia" can be interpreted as "Land of the Sea" or "Sea Land." It evokes imagery of a coastal or maritime region, reflecting both the sea and the idea of a distinct, land-based area associated with it.
"Frostovik" could be interpreted as "Frost Village" or "Frozen Place" in a fictional context. It evokes imagery of a cold, possibly remote or rugged region with a wintry or icy character.
I certainly am not suggesting you should let ChatGPT do all the work. But by asking a number of questions, picking some results you like, iterating on them, you quickly come up with some good inspiration.
Now I still need a name for the continent and the campaign. Since I have a soft spot for Tony Bath's Hyboria, I wanted something that sounded like Hyboria. My wife suggested Arboria. That sounds good, also because HY and AR are shifted exactly 7 spots in the Latin alphabet for both letters ;-) But since we have a lot of water on the map, perhaps Seaboria would be better choice?
But I think I'll stick to Arboria for now.
