And frankly I had something obscure. But because people could read different meanings into it. Well it was not acceptable.
If you think your name fits, you could always present an argument to the GMs. You have the right to at least explain the motives behind choosing whatever name you chose, and they listen to such explanations. If your reasons have true (roleplay!) significance, they may allow it. Otherwise, tough luck.
Ideals are excelent. But don\'t let them obscure a greater vision when building a community. Which is what I suspect planeshift is rather about.
I don\'t think these naming rules are obscuring anything, frankly. It\'s my belief that they are perfect for building just the right, creative, unique, roleplay environment. I also don\'t think that the argument of \"It\'s hard to remember\" works in the slightest - there are plenty, pleeenty of names that seem to \"flow\" and are short of length.
But names etc are perhaps not my strong suit. So sue me if I like to construct names etc from cultural influences, or that have double meanings/entandre.
Those cultural influences do not exist in the Planeshift world, so there would be no reason whatsoever for you to use them. I don\'t really understand why this point would be such a difficulty for many people - Planeshift is its own realm, with its own history, and its own cultures. Whatever OOC cultural references you bring in will be rendered useless IC, and thus they will serve you only in an OOC fashion, which
yes ruins the IC atmosphere.
I really like Planeshif and some of the ideas behind it. But I think being to strict with stuff like this could be the death of it.
Naming rules being the death of Planeshift? I highly doubt that ;) The greatly vast majority of players don\'t seem to have any problems with the current rules, and thus it doesn\'t seem as though they will turn people -away- from the game completely.
Some people have strange notions of what \"plain earth names\" are. Moonunit anyone? Dweezel? And it\'s not just the Zappa family. Some of my black friends and aquaintances have a real penache for whipping up some of the strangest unpronouncable names for no reason.
Then they are clearly not \"plain earth names,\" are they? (Moonunit would never work in PS anyway :P)
It is up to the individual GMs to decide if a name is suitable. I cannot recall if the naming rules are posted somewhere, but I do remember seeing something of the sort around. I will check, unless someone else can bring it up quicker.
If we are going to be this strict with the names there needs to be a name faq on the main site that must be viewed before registering. Stating something like \"no common names. no famous names. no names constructed from real words of any culture anywhere at any time.\" etc.
I agree wholeheartedly on this. I think such rules should be in big bold text within the character creation process itself, in the client. It would prevent a lot of tooth grinding ;)