ACK.
While it _indeed_ may be sensible to think about names like \"Quick Bunny\" as opposed to the western-traditional names (most of which also have meanings, btw.), PS still needs to define whether or not this is cultural heritage of one or more of the races of PS. If, for whatever strange reason, the devs decide that Krans talk 1337, then their names will be 1337killah and the like. If the dwarven races call themselves like \"Dances with Wolves\", then so it will be. However, unless such an unconventional background has been explicitely set by the rule department, general, i.e. conventional \"fantasy\" (as in \"genre\", not as in \"what one can make up\"
) names are to be used exclusively.
As for spelling out numbers (like Henry the third), I\'d still like roman numbers but it\'s not a must. Still, these things would need approval IMO, because the numbers must stay low (no Henry the threehundredfourth).
@ ajdaha: Surnames are in already, btw.
@ the apostrophs: I like them, but one (or at most two) per name should be enough. Still, they are only acceptable if the race\'s background has them (like drow names: Drizzt Do\'Urden).
On the same subject: other characters that are contained in other languages (like umlauts) are a bad thing, because they are prone to be displayed improperly and also can\'t be typed in by most ppl., thus reducing the RP opportunities and general convenience. Furthermore, by being mostly unknown, their pronounciation isn\'t clear to everybody, which is bad because if you\'d _hear_ it, you\'d make up other combinations for it in your mind, but you _read_ it so you can\'t do that. So unless explicitely approved by the race descriptions, they should not be allowed, either.
@ ESB: I might agree to one or even several of your points until you write this:
Let me put it this way, it\'s like a hispanic person expressing hatered toward african american\'s. But what the Hispanic person doesn\'t relize is that he/she is contributing to the very foundation of racisim. That AND it\'s like trying to explain all of this to a kkk member at the same time....
You are stating that by censoring names we are racists, and similar to the kkk? Thank you, you argue along the lines of FESFES & Co, I wonder if the connection goes deeper...
So here I post, in my positions of Head Name-Nazi, Supreme Censor Of Names and High Inquisitor:
the
Decree Of Names:
\"
Names must
- not be obscene
- not be taken from any even slightly popular character
- not contain arabian numbers or any other characters not contained in the english alphabet unless explicitely allowed by the cultural background of the character\'s (regardless of player\'s) race
- fit the PS setting
- not be composed of english words unless explicitely allowed by the cultural background of the character\'s (regardless of player\'s) race
- not be composed to mimic english words if spoken
- constructed to be pronouncible unless explicitely allowed by the cultural background of the character\'s (regardless of player\'s) race
\"
In my position as forum member I post:
Of course freedom is important, _but_ still it needs to be limited. This is because if one persons freedoms are too broad they inevitably reduce the freedom of somebody else. In this case, by granting the freedom of inappropriate names you are taking away the freedom of creating a consistent RP environment. Of course, you need to balance, but as PS is supposed to be a RPG as opposed to a forum, the freedom of consistent RP is more important than the freedom of naming.
