Another Name ?

[JPierreD]

I'd say Battlemaster expresses the exact same thing Blood & Power suggests. Blood will invoke in most people the idea of fighting or Battle. Power is more likely to suggest something other then fighting, but when you pair it with Blood I'd say its no different from implying that being a Master of Battle gives you Power through Blood.

It also sounds kind flat compared to Battlemaster, but I guess I'm partial to the name already.

I have nothing better to suggest though, so I suppose my opinion on that only goes so far.

Blood has the double signification of blood lines and nobility, and of battle and bloodshed. And power, well, speaks for itself.

[Telrunya]

When I see a game with 'Blood' in its name, I'm going to totally think about lots of fighting, in the bad kind of the word. The 'Power' just accentuates it, making me believe its all about who's the most powerful, and there's no mercy for newer people. I would totally not play a game called 'Blood&Power' if only looking at the name, as I expect it to be one of the many games out there (Build your own City, build tonnes of troops, farm the weaker players). The name is the first impression of a game, and only a short description can save you from a bad impression on that front (Which means 'Not worth checking out'). I must concur with Ender's interpretation there.

For example, Unbridled Ambitions and perhaps even Coat of Arms has a much more intriguing feel to it, and makes me believe it's not just your average game. Maybe something with Politics or Teamwork (And not the 'big alliance rolls everything' kind, but the 'you're part of a team' kind) otherwise. I'd say you need a name that makes clear there's more to it then just beating up everyone else, which is what most games seem to revolve around. In Battlemaster (the game), the fighting is not so much about battles either, but about war.

[JPierreD]

How about Blood and Ambition?

[Ender]

Blood has the double signification of blood lines and nobility, and of battle and bloodshed. And power, well, speaks for itself.

I get that interpretation, which does speak more for the game, but if someone introduced a person to the game with that title and minimum description or they saw an advert for it somewhere, I doubt the first thing most people would make that connection.

[Norrel]

Anything with blood in it (with the exception of outright saying "bloodlines") just sounds too cliche for me. Sure, players who already play the game will get the cleverness behind it, but that's irrelevant. From an outside perspective it just sounds silly and doesn't describe what the game's about. Something about intrigue, vassalization, complex feudal dynamics etc should be in the name so we can actually hint at it being something more than constant warfare.

[Longmane]

I would be perfect if the name could be made encompass all, or at least most, of the choices on offer in how to attempt advance in it, insomuch as not just by feat of arms as a warrior but also by the power of mite, quill and gold as priests, bureaucrats and traders ect

[Nosferatus]

I would be perfect if the name could be made encompass all, or at least most, of the choices on offer in how to attempt advance in it, insomuch as not just by feat of arms as a warrior but also by the power of mite, quill and gold as priests, bureaucrats and traders ect

What about 'Classes, Traits(or Skills) and Titles?'

[Anaris]

I would be perfect if the name could be made encompass all, or at least most, of the choices on offer in how to attempt advance in it, insomuch as not just by feat of arms as a warrior but also by the power of mite, quill and gold as priests, bureaucrats and traders ect

I don't think that's possible with a name that also makes people want to play it, instead of making them go, "Huh? Is that the name of the game, or just the long-form description? So what's the name??"

[Chenier]

Sword & Pen? :P

[fodder]

seriously... snakes and ladders is really apt description of the game. snakes... the intrigue stuff.. ladder.. going up the hierarchy.

obviously.. no one will have a clue just looking at the title..

maybe... subtitle of "A game of medieval snakes and ladders"?  XD

[Norrel]

Lord's Chess / King's Chess
The Lord's Game

Something more game-y would maybe make people think about the higher politics in the same way that "game of thrones" encapsulates the same vibe.

[Eldargard]

Something that indicates the open ended nature of BM would be good. There is no one condition for winning. No ladders or such. One person might consider creation of a successful religion success, another attaining ruler ship of a country, yet another might focus on family wealth or prestige. For some it is all about diplomatic and others like simple battles and strategic wars. The problem is finding that encompasses all of these possible styles of play. Honestly, I feel that BattleMaster is no longer a fitting title for the game. The frequency of battles per character is quite low compared to what I remember back when the war islands still existed (no, I am not using the war islands themselves as as a point of comparison and, yes, I am sure my memory is hazed and tinted pink in this regard). I love how the game has developed but it is a different game in my opinion.

[Kwanstein]

Kings and Pawns
Long Live the King
Dynastic Disputes
Aristocratic Altercations
Dawn of an Old Age
Era of Nobility

[Lychaon]

After going through this again, and looking up some things via Google, here's a list of likely names that seem to not belong to a game or such like already.
Why "likely"? Because I might be working on a side-project that is in need of a name. So tell me which ones you like for a game like BattleMaster, but with more freedom, and a larger scale:

   
• Unbridled Ambitions
• Coat of Arms
• Border Princes
• Blood & Power
• Crowns of Legend

Stop the brainstorm! May the referendum begin  ;D

Personally, I'd choose Unbridled Ambitions or Coat of Arms. They sound different from all those average strategy games, and make some emphasis on the diplomatic side of the game. And can't deny they're classy  ;)

[Kwanstein]

One thing that I think should be mentioned is that video game titles typically reference their settings or characters rather than their gameplay mechanics. For examples:
Fallout
Halo
Mario
Zelda

Others don't even bother doing that and just have cool sounding names:
Doom
Quake

In fact I can think of very few games that try fitting mechanical descriptions/relevance into their titles. I'd assume that the reason for this is because names are best at being catchy and thematic, and that when it comes to demonstrating gameplay mechanics names are simply too short and rigid to aptly describe anything.