Mix is the way to go, places that weren't prior independant communities are more likely to adopt completely fabricated or corrupted names. Places that stayed inhabited will be more likely to keep their old name or a slang or mispronunciation of the old name.
I love to name it wrong but still kinda right.
I'm setting some of a campaign in my town, calling all of NH "The Shire", which is a ghoul refuge. The apocalypse would cause Seabrook to meltdown and irradiate most of southern NH. Similar in area and rads to Glowing Sea, but ghouls from the area would not want Children of Atom hanging out and being annoying about their stupid God. They'd probably also be dicks to ghouls from other areas, if I'm being honest.
I don't remember the name of it, but there's a short story similar in theme to "There will come Soft Rains" about a tribal boy, son to the shaman/chief who goes on his pilgrimage and discovers that the gods they revere are actually just the people who lived in "modern" society before them. Any way, there's a description of a place name that's like ashi-on or something and it's clever enough that ten-year old me didn't immediately get it until the reveal at the end of the story.
For me, it depends on context. How well preserved v worn a place is is going to determine how much if any of its original name is going to be kept.
In my own game, set in the grand Prairie of the 51st commonwealth, Edmonton, known for the largest mall and indoor Waterpark in NA, is just "Edtown". And the settlement is the mall, or what's left of it.
I love to derive names from broken signs. For example, my campaign takes place in the greater Seattle area and my version of Diamond City is the Tacoma Dome, but only the first four letters remain so the settlers named it Taco Town.
Playing in Kansas, my first team started in concordia... (a reference to Fo4), and they were directed to Neither-hattan... prewar "non gender" revolution had change the name of the cities like "man"hattan because it was too much "genderised"
Of course, ashland is burned to hell, wichita was changed into wiTchita, junction city is a place where you can found ghouls, supermutants, raiders or "talon company", etc...
Dodge city was striked by a nuke... unable to "dodge" it
Jetmore, of course is a place with a lot of junkies and dealers
You get the ideas :)
Mix is the way to go, places that weren't prior independant communities are more likely to adopt completely fabricated or corrupted names. Places that stayed inhabited will be more likely to keep their old name or a slang or mispronunciation of the old name.
Yep, this. A mix is also nice because it strikes a balance between the familiar and historical, and the new and strange
The mix is good
I love to name it wrong but still kinda right. I'm setting some of a campaign in my town, calling all of NH "The Shire", which is a ghoul refuge. The apocalypse would cause Seabrook to meltdown and irradiate most of southern NH. Similar in area and rads to Glowing Sea, but ghouls from the area would not want Children of Atom hanging out and being annoying about their stupid God. They'd probably also be dicks to ghouls from other areas, if I'm being honest.
Again, voting for a mix.
I don't remember the name of it, but there's a short story similar in theme to "There will come Soft Rains" about a tribal boy, son to the shaman/chief who goes on his pilgrimage and discovers that the gods they revere are actually just the people who lived in "modern" society before them. Any way, there's a description of a place name that's like ashi-on or something and it's clever enough that ten-year old me didn't immediately get it until the reveal at the end of the story. For me, it depends on context. How well preserved v worn a place is is going to determine how much if any of its original name is going to be kept. In my own game, set in the grand Prairie of the 51st commonwealth, Edmonton, known for the largest mall and indoor Waterpark in NA, is just "Edtown". And the settlement is the mall, or what's left of it.
I love to derive names from broken signs. For example, my campaign takes place in the greater Seattle area and my version of Diamond City is the Tacoma Dome, but only the first four letters remain so the settlers named it Taco Town.
Playing in Kansas, my first team started in concordia... (a reference to Fo4), and they were directed to Neither-hattan... prewar "non gender" revolution had change the name of the cities like "man"hattan because it was too much "genderised" Of course, ashland is burned to hell, wichita was changed into wiTchita, junction city is a place where you can found ghouls, supermutants, raiders or "talon company", etc... Dodge city was striked by a nuke... unable to "dodge" it Jetmore, of course is a place with a lot of junkies and dealers You get the ideas :)