I’m seeking guidance on a question related to my current project. I’m working on a crowdfunding campaign for a roleplaying game. For the sake of example, let’s call it Mordor: The Roleplaying Game. On the campaign page, I’ve used the full title, but I would like to start referring to it in short form as Mordor RPG, in sentences such as: “In Mordor RPG, you battle monsters and complete quests.”

A native English speaker pointed out that using the title this way might feel non-standard or awkward to potential readers unless I add the definite article—i.e., The Mordor RPG. However, other native speakers I consulted found that phrasing clunky.

Since I’m following the Chicago Manual of Style, I looked for guidance there. While some general inferences can be drawn, I couldn’t find an exact example supporting the use of Mordor RPG without “the.”

I’ve noticed some variation online: e.g., the crowdfunding campaign for the Cosmere roleplaying game consistently uses the Cosmere RPG, whereas Avatar: The Roleplaying Game is sometimes shortened to Avatar: The RPG.

(Edited: I have only found Stalker RPG as an example of a short-form title for Stalker: The Sci-Fi Roleplaying Game. However, although it is very well written, its authors are Finnish and not native English speakers, which might weaken the argument for some. Super Mario RPG might also point at this kind of usage, but it is actually the full title of the game, not a short-form one.)

To offer some food for thought, I can't imagine someone talking about the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by saying, 'I played the Zelda BOTW today.'

Thank you very much for your assistance!

I’m seeking guidance on a question related to my current project. I’m working on a crowdfunding campaign for a roleplaying game. For the sake of example, let’s call it Mordor: The Roleplaying Game. On the campaign page, I’ve used the full title, but I would like to start referring to it in short form as Mordor RPG, in sentences such as: “In Mordor RPG, you battle monsters and complete quests.”

A native English speaker pointed out that using the title this way might feel non-standard or awkward to potential readers unless I add the definite article—i.e., The Mordor RPG. However, other native speakers I consulted found that phrasing clunky.

Since I’m following the Chicago Manual of Style, I looked for guidance there. While some general inferences can be drawn, I couldn’t find an exact example supporting the use of Mordor RPG without “the.”

I’ve noticed some variation online: e.g., the crowdfunding campaign for the Cosmere roleplaying game consistently uses the Cosmere RPG, whereas Avatar: The Roleplaying Game is sometimes shortened to Avatar: The RPG.

(Edited: I have only found Stalker RPG as an example of a short-form title for Stalker: The Sci-Fi Roleplaying Game. However, although it is very well written, its authors are Finnish and not native English speakers, which might weaken the argument for some. Super Mario RPG might also point at this kind of usage, but it is actually the full title of the game, not a short-form one.)

(Edited: One other example would be the 1986 Ghostbusters roleplaying game, which is often referred to as Ghostbusters RPG.)

To offer some food for thought, I can't imagine someone talking about the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by saying, 'I played the Zelda BOTW today.'

Thank you very much for your assistance!

I’m seeking guidance on a question related to my current project. I’m working on a crowdfunding campaign for a roleplaying game. For the sake of example, let’s call it Mordor: The Roleplaying Game. On the campaign page, I’ve used the full title, but I would like to start referring to it in short form as Mordor RPG, in sentences such as: “In Mordor RPG, you battle monsters and complete quests.”

A native English speaker pointed out that using the title this way might feel non-standard or awkward to potential readers unless I add the definite article—i.e., The Mordor RPG. However, other native speakers I consulted found that phrasing clunky.

Since I’m following the Chicago Manual of Style, I looked for guidance there. While some general inferences can be drawn, I couldn’t find an exact example supporting the use of Mordor RPG without “the.”

I’ve noticed some variation online: e.g., the crowdfunding campaign for the Cosmere roleplaying game consistently uses the Cosmere RPG, whereas Avatar: The Roleplaying Game is sometimes shortened to Avatar: The RPG. However, I haven’t found examples of a short-form title like X RPG used without the article.

To offer some food for thought, I can't imagine someone talking about the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by saying, 'I played the Zelda BOTW today.'

Thank you very much for your assistance!

I’m seeking guidance on a question related to my current project. I’m working on a crowdfunding campaign for a roleplaying game. For the sake of example, let’s call it Mordor: The Roleplaying Game. On the campaign page, I’ve used the full title, but I would like to start referring to it in short form as Mordor RPG, in sentences such as: “In Mordor RPG, you battle monsters and complete quests.”

A native English speaker pointed out that using the title this way might feel non-standard or awkward to potential readers unless I add the definite article—i.e., The Mordor RPG. However, other native speakers I consulted found that phrasing clunky.

Since I’m following the Chicago Manual of Style, I looked for guidance there. While some general inferences can be drawn, I couldn’t find an exact example supporting the use of Mordor RPG without “the.”

I’ve noticed some variation online: e.g., the crowdfunding campaign for the Cosmere roleplaying game consistently uses the Cosmere RPG, whereas Avatar: The Roleplaying Game is sometimes shortened to Avatar: The RPG.

(Edited: I have only found Stalker RPG as an example of a short-form title for Stalker: The Sci-Fi Roleplaying Game. However, although it is very well written, its authors are Finnish and not native English speakers, which might weaken the argument for some. Super Mario RPG might also point at this kind of usage, but it is actually the full title of the game, not a short-form one.)

To offer some food for thought, I can't imagine someone talking about the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by saying, 'I played the Zelda BOTW today.'

Thank you very much for your assistance!