Settlement & Faction Names

A culture can name its towns and its factions. Both use the same list format.

Settlement Names

data/<namespace>/settlement_name/<name>.json

A culture names its list with settlement_names:

"settlement_names": "examplepack:fisherfolk"

When Townstead Uses It

When a village is founded with a founding profile, Townstead gives it a name from the list of the founding culture:

• A village whose name is already in the list keeps it.
• A player who founds a village with a Charter chooses the name, and the list is not used.
• A village of a culture with no list keeps its MCA name.

The List Format

A list has whole names, patterns built from parts, or both.

{
  "schema": "townstead:settlement_name/v1",
  "names": ["Gullhaven", "Netley"],
  "parts": {
    "first": ["Gull", "Salt", "Tide", "Kelp"],
    "second": { "haven": 3, "mouth": 2, "wick": 1 }
  },
  "patterns": {
    "{first}{second}": 4,
    "Port {first}": 1
  }
}

Field	Description
schema	Must be townstead:settlement_name/v1.
names	Whole names. Each one is as likely as a pattern with weight 1.
parts	Named lists of parts. Each list is an array, or an object that maps a part to a weight.
patterns	Templates that put parts in braces, such as {first}{second}. An array gives every pattern weight 1. An object maps each pattern to a whole-number weight.

• Pattern weights and part weights count as their square root, as in MCA name files.
• A pattern that names a part that parts does not define is ignored.
• A list with no usable name or pattern does not load.

With the example, Townstead picks “Gullhaven” or “Netley”, or builds a name such as “Saltmouth” or “Port Tide”. Patterns let a short file make many names. A list with a few dozen patterns, such as {first} de {second} and San {saint}, can make thousands of names.

Faction Names

data/<namespace>/faction_name/<name>.json

A culture names its list with faction_names:

"faction_names": "examplepack:fisherfolk"

The file has the same fields as a settlement-name list, with the schema townstead:faction_name/v1.

A faction-name list gives the base name of a faction, such as “Saltmouth”. The faction’s kind, its form of government, puts the base name into one of its own patterns. For example, a merchant republic can have patterns such as “Free Port of {name}” and “Republic of {name}”. A faction kind can also bring its own faction-name list, which replaces the culture’s.

Townstead names a faction once, when it is founded. A faction keeps its name when the government or the village’s culture changes. A player who founds a faction with a Charter chooses the name, and the list gives suggestions.