itch.io

Ok, so I think I've come up a game which is played using many bookmarks, is that against the aim and ideals of the Jam?
Should I be aiming for a micro game that fits on a bookmark, more than a game using bookmarks?

Thank you so much :)

Does anyone know where I could find some open source art of some celtic looking heroes. Ideally more traditional art. Modern stuff is fine too, but I can't really afford to pay for it to include it in a jam game. :P

I think part of the reason it doesn't get recognised as easily is that unlike other systems for grouping games (say d20 or PBTA) it has a much less mechanical through line, and much more of a thematic and ideological one.
I appreciate this write up, as I think it helps codify what people mean when they use it, and should help it become recognised as a thing by more people.

Name lists generally serve a couple of functions. In less mundane settings they help give a sense of the sort of naming conventions and sounds that are common in a culture. They're also used to provide name suggestions for players who struggle to invent their own (some people really struggle to pick names).

As you've noted, creating the list is also an opportunity to imply things about that group. If you add more names from a certain culture or gender, you're implying (intentionally or not) a bias within that group. Unless I have a reason not to, I try to make my name list contain equal amount of Gender Neutral, Female and Male names, ordered first by how they fall into those 3 sets, and then alphabetically within those sets.

One weird problem I've encountered with Powered by the Apocalypse system is name lists not ending in a line like "or create  your own", since they tend to be prefaced with "Choose One:" this means that new players sometimes think they must use one of the names listed, which I'm personally not fan of.

I also do my best to use names from many different cultures unless there's a pressing reason not to. You don't have to worry about getting every major culture, once you've got enough diversity it becomes clear to the readers that people from anywhere could be a part of that group, and it's essentially indirect permission to use names from whichever culture suits them.

However, I frequently try to imply things in my name lists, in cyberpunk the name list will suggest the kinds of slang and nicknames people use. In fantasy settings it might be the kind of phonemes used by that culture, or rarely an implied gender bias (I avoid doing this unless it feels very correct/necessary, as the last thing I want to do is wind up signalling to someone of a specific gender that a playbook or class isn't for them).

I'm also personally very prone to looking up the meaning of names, and using names that relate to whatever the playbook/class/culture is or cares about. None of my players has ever noticed that, and its a thing I do mostly for my own satisfaction of having a symbolic theme.