The unnamed named?

Two blog posts in one day, what the hell is happening?

Over the last few weeks I have released various details about the game that I've been working on but there has been one noticeable ommission, the name. Until I started this project I had no idea how hard naming something can be. As it may be the first thing that someone sees, it needs to encapsulate everything about the game. I think I have finally settled on something I'm happy with but please let me know what you think.

Before I reveal the name, I need to say a little bit more about the setting. As I have said in previous posts, this initially started life as a historical game and as such, I did some research. I knew right from the off that I didn't want it based in a city or somewhere known for having gangsters. My research discovered that Kansas was the last state in the US to fully abolish prohibition (you couldn't buy by the measure until 1987) so that seemed perfect. It also gave the possibility of gunfights on farms and remote stills hidden away. I'm aware that a lot of gamers only had a grassy game board and limited scenery and that setting would still fit on that type of board.

After further research I found the city of Liberal, below is an extract from Wikipedia about the city's history.

Early settler S. S. Rogers built the first house in what would become Liberal in 1872. Rogers became famous in the region for giving water to weary travelers. Reportedly, Liberal gained its name from the common response to his acts of kindness, "That's very liberal of you."

I really liked how that story fit in with the idea of groups fighting over drink. As the game is no longer a historical piece, I have decided to set it in Liberal County, a fictional rural area in Kansas.

What the holy hell does all that have to do with the name? The name I'm going with (for now a lot least) is Liberal Crime.

I have a four day weekend this week so I'll be working hard to get the initial playtest pack ready. My Soulstone Train co-host Shane is back from holiday this week so hopefully the first game is imminent.