I'm unsure about the title for A Need To Kill.
Here's the thing. The title used to be A Reason To Murder. This enabled me to phrase the relationships like this:
The relationship between Person X and Person Y was [INSERT RELATIONSHIP].
But it was worse than that, because [INSERT WORSENESS].
But even worse than that, [INSERT EVENWORSENESS].
But the full horror of the relationship is [INSERT HORROR]
...which gave Person X A Reason To Murder.
See? So the title of the game occurs on the relationship sheet, which is cute.
However, I changed the title to the snappier A Need To Kill. The problem is, it doesn't fit as well...
...which meant Person X had A Need To Kill.
Not as good.
Can you think of any good titles that both sound snappy and fit into that sentence? My preferred option is "No Option But Murder": how does that sound?
Graham
How about...
Submitted by Geoff Hall on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 13:00.
Motivation to Murder
It should fit into the sentence quite nicely and the alliteration means that it (to my mind) retains the snappier feel.
~Geoff
Dread Fuzzy Blog
I'd go for "A Motive For
Submitted by mytholder on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 14:13.
I'd go for "A Motive For Murder".
I wondered about A Motive For Murder
Submitted by Graham W on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 14:16.
What about "No Option But Murder"? I rather liked that.
G
Oh...
Submitted by Gregor Hutton on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 14:17.
"A Motive For Murder" works for me.
One of my favourite D&D Adventure titles was John Tynes' "Three Days To Kill" so I think any of the titles you've had work OK. And since you're tapping into that Christie vibe even oblique titles like "A Death in the Family" or whatever work because you'll have the "An Inspector Chapel Mystery Game" as a tag line.
Motives
Submitted by Graham W on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 14:38.
I've put my finger on why "motive" doesn't work for me.
Firstly, it makes it sound too police procedural. Especially for an American audience (who think that "murder mystery" equals "hard-boiled detective fiction"), I want to get away from police terminology.
Secondly, I want to get at the idea that this thing would irrevocably drive someone to murder. Almost anything could be interpreted as a motive for murder. I want something that would leave someone with, well, no option but murder.
The most instructive thing about this thread, so far, is that nobody's arguing for A Need To Kill. That's useful.
Graham
No Option But Murder doesn't
Submitted by Steve Dempsey on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 15:12.
No Option But Murder doesn't quite work for me. I'm not sure why. Maybe Option sounds too American? I don't know.
How about:
which gave person Y an Appointment with Death
which gave person X a Reason to Kill
which meant person X was Compelled to Kill
which meant for person Y Death was Necessary
which left person X with Murder in Mind
Hmmmm
Submitted by Graham W on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 15:22.
Death Was Necessary isn't bad. Heading in the right direction, although I'm mentally searching for another word than "Necessary".
What do you think of No Choice But Murder?
Graham
Malice Aforethought? With
Submitted by mytholder on Mon, 11/02/2008 - 19:27.
Malice Aforethought?
With Murder In MInd?
Death to titles!
Submitted by Tim Gray on Mon, 11/02/2008 - 21:01.
'A Reason for Murder' stumbles for me, as compared to 'A Need to Kill', just because it's two two-syllable words. If you could shorten one of them it might be better. E.g. 'A Reason to Kill', or even just 'Reason to Kill'.
'No Option But Murder' could work, but it kind of suggests something a bit... well-educated. If that's what you're going for, consider it.
'Motivation to Murder' wanders around too much before it gets to the dramatic part.
'The Murder Imperative'? (Or, to be obtusely clever, 'The Cain Imperative'.)
Tim Gray
Silver Branch Games
www.silverbranch.co.uk
Well
Submitted by JoE PrincE on Mon, 11/02/2008 - 22:43.
I always liked A Reason to Murder...
+++
JoE
+++
Prince of Darkness Games
Rock N' Role-Play....
Titles
Submitted by Destriarch on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 07:22.
Maybe just call it 'Motive'? Or even 'Alibi'?
Darn, so many of the good titles with 'Kill' and 'Murder' in have already been taken by detective novels.
Ash
"Today the choice is no
Submitted by evilgaz on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 13:05.
"Today the choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence. "
Martin Luther King
[Voiceover]The only reason left to live, is to kill[/voiceover]
Commited to / Hungry for / Reduced to / Depserate for (Murder)
Time to Kill.
Seconded
Submitted by Destriarch on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 18:45.
Time to Kill.
I like that one a lot, although sure enough, John Grisham wrote a novel called "A Time to Kill". Still, at least that's one word different.
Ash