(A follow up to The Story Behind the Name “Crowns & Towns” article.)
Before Crowns & Towns became the final name, there was a long list of contenders.
Some were strong.
Some were memorable.
Some even sounded right at first.
But none of them fully captured what the game actually was.
THE PROBLEM WITH MOST NAMES
Many of the early names focused on just one part of the system.
Crowncraft emphasized building.
Kingscraft leaned into royalty.
Township focused on development.
Knights and Nobles suggested characters and hierarchy.
Each of these highlighted something real.
But each of them also left something out.
And that was the problem.
WHAT THE NAME NEEDED TO DO
The game isn’t about a single idea.
It’s about relationships.
Crowns depend on knights.
Knights depend on towns.
Towns depend on farms.
The entire system is built on connection and balance.
The name needed to reflect that.
Not just one piece…
but the structure as a whole.
WHY “CROWNS & TOWNS” WORKED
Crowns & Towns stood out because it did something simple and powerful.
It named two parts of the system…
and implied everything in between.
It didn’t try to say everything.
It let the system speak for itself.
It also had qualities that the other names didn’t:
Clear and descriptive
Easy to remember
Distinctive and searchable
Approachable for both casual and strategy players
It felt complete.
THE SOUND OF THE NAME
There was another subtle factor.
When spoken out loud, Crowns & Towns has a natural rhythm.
It flows easily.
And interestingly, it almost sounds like a single word:
“Kraussentauns”
That gives it a slightly mythical or place-like quality,
as if it could be the name of a world, not just a game.
That kind of memorability matters.
THE FINAL DECISION
In the end, the decision wasn’t about picking the most creative name.
It was about choosing the one that fit the system best.
The one that felt aligned.
The one that represented the game without needing explanation.
Crowns & Towns did that.
And once it was chosen, everything else started to fall into place.
A NAME THAT SUPPORTS THE SYSTEM
Just like the game itself, the name works because of balance.
Two elements.
Clearly defined.
Connected by implication.
Nothing extra.
Nothing missing.
And that’s why it stuck.
(Side Note: Crowncraft became the C# engine I wrote that generates the puzzles and solves them. Which I think is the perfect name for it. 😉)