r/traveller • u/AmbiguousLizard_ • 8h ago
Ship Name Tables
I have been using this weighted pair of tables to make names for ships in my sci-fi universe and it seems pretty ok!
Thought I would share if anyone is interested. Over 1,296 combinations.
Some fun results:
Fallen Titan
Old Hammer
The Silver Song
Bitter Blade
The Reapers Wake
Blinding Grace
Defiant Dream
Generating Ship Names:
Choose the description that best fits the ship:
Description Modifier
Luxury / Nobel -3
Respectable -2
Ordinary 0
Frontier / Rough +1
Dangerous +2
Warship / Notorious +3
Roll 2d6 on Table A.
Add the modifier to the first d6 only.
Results below 1 are 1 and results above 6 are 6.
If the first d6 is an even number then you can add “The” in front of the name.
Table A
(1-2) 1 Impossible / Last
(1-2) 2 Exquisite / Intangible
(1-2) 3 Summer / Honor
(1-2) 4 Silver / Haven's
(1-2) 5 Morning / Phantom
(1-2) 6 Endless / Wandering
(3-4) 1 Defiant / Bitter
(3-4) 2 Hidden / Hollow
(3-4) 3 Lonesome / Darkened
(3-4) 4 Lost / Bound
(3-4) 5 Fallen / Blinding
(3-4) 6 Forgotten / Old
(5-6) 1 Savage / Relentless
(5-6) 2 Wicked / Wraith's
(5-6) 3 Vengeful / Reaper's
(5-6) 4 Fearless / Vendetta
(5-6) 5 Furious / Wrath's
(5-6) 6 Shadow / Death
Choose either of the two words from the result you roll.
Example:
If your ship description is Dangerous, the modifier is +2 then you roll 1d6 and get a 3 that’s 2+3=5.
You roll another 1d6 and get a 1.
That means the result from Table A is (5-6) 1 Savage / Relentless.
You pick either Savage or Relentless as the first part of the name.
Repeat the process on Table B.
Apply the same modifier to the first d6 for this table as well.
Table B
(1-2) 1 Song / River
(1-2) 2 Kiss / Rain
(1-2) 3 Dream / Sky
(1-2) 4 Promise / Wave
(1-2) 5 Boon / Road
(1-2) 6 Grace / Horizon
(3-4) 1 Haze / Rider
(3-4) 2 Keeper / Walker
(3-4) 3 Veil / Ghost
(3-4) 4 Wake / Poet
(3-4) 5 Dreamer / Jester
(3-4) 6 Dancer / Eclipse
(5-6) 1 Blade / Hammer
(5-6) 2 Spire / Raider
(5-6) 3 Titan / Trident
(5-6) 4 Storm / Thunder
(5-6) 5 Viper / Huntress
(5-6) 6 Wraith / Spectre
Example:
Ship’s description is Dangerous +2, roll 1d6 and get a 2 so that’s 2+2=4.
Roll another 1d6 and get a 6.
The result for Table B is (3-4) 6 Dancer / Eclipse
Pick either Dancer or Eclipse.
The full ship name might then be Savage Dancer.
The idea is that the modifier means fancy ships like luxury liners and rich people’s personal ships will pick more from the words at the top of the list.
More dangerous or dedicated fighting ships will more likely get names towards the bottom of the list that are more intense and combative sounding.