In the past, we've had specified Patent Titles in the Rules that could
be earned through various mechanisms in the now-repealed Rule 1922.
Examples: Bard (earned if you displayed online poetry or other
"performance" level creative wit). Filthy Bureaucrat (to be awarded to
anyone who is simultaneously electee to 3 offices), and my favorite
though never awarded, Quack, by R1922/5:
(b) Quack, which may be awarded to any Player who has shown
great enthusiasm, persistence, or skill in the production,
distribution, and marketing of panaceas and other patent
medicines.
Now, of course, we've got the "generic" method by which any title
(including the above) can be awarded with the right level of Support.
This came about, in part, with the start of the trend (~2004?) to award
arbitrary Patent Titles via scam proposals, as scam success markers,
which led to lots of one-off titles with no specific qualifications
beyond "we managed a scam", so people started liking unique titles
awarded by spontaneous acclaim.
The question is: is this "generic" method inspiring enough, or should
there be a small collection of "official" titles in the Rules to give
inspiration/specific targets? For more inspiration, here's a list from
the longest (most titles) version of R1922 that I found after a short
inspection:
Rule 1922/36 (Power=1) - ca. November 2009
Defined Regular Patent Titles
The following are Patent Titles:
(a) Scamster, which may be awarded to any Player who has shown
great enthusiasm, persistence, or skill in the perpetrating
of scams. This title may not be declined, retracted, or
revoked.
(b) A Patent Title (non-unique) now will
Be known as "Bard", and granted those with wit.
In order for the Title to be filled,
A level of Support must call for it.
Three players to a fourth may grant this name
If these three write as one, with two Support.
A current Bard may also grant the same,
Provided that a second Bard's a sport.
And so we don't the name of Bard debase,
A Player with three Supporters can conspire
To (from a Bard), this Title to erase:
Or Bard (plus two Bards) make a Bard retire.
But lest we ruin some poor minstrel's fun
No bard will be dis-bard for eir bad pun.
(c) Three Months Long Service, Six Months Long Service, Nine
Months Long Service, Twelve Months Long Service, to be
awarded by the IADoP to any player who has held a
particular Office continuously for the specified duration.
Each of these titles shall be awarded only once per player.
(d) Champion, to be awarded by the Herald to any person who
wins the game, along with a specification (possibly
implicit) of the method of victory. The Herald's monthly
report includes how the player won. A message awarding
Champion to a player constitutes a self-ratifying claim
that the player in question won the game through that
method.
(e) Left in a Huff, to be awarded by the Registrar to any
player who deregistered in a Writ of FAGE.
(f) Elder Lurker, to be awarded to Persons who are true legends
that were involved in Agora in its early days and now
continue to grace us with their presence by lurking on the
lists to occasionally add tidbits of wisdom or insight to
discussions.
(g) Cassandra, to be awarded to any player who noticed a scam,
thought up a way to stop it, warned everyone clearly, and
yet the scam happened anyway due to apathy on the part of
other players.
(h) Missed Congeniality, to be awarded to persons who gain the
ability to make arbitrary changes to Rules with a power
less than 2 by announcement, but lose the ability before
gaining the ability to make such changes to higher-powered
rules.
