"Do Funny Names for Characters Annoy You?" Topic

Writing in Battlegames magazine, Mike Siggins applauds the latest Astounding Adventures scenario book, except for one thing….

I have to say I didn't like the pun character names in this one – Wai Li Gai and Dahji Fellah – they might be funny the first time (or, indeed might not), but I find the thirtieth instance is likely to grate.

Are you bothered by pun or funny names for wargaming characters?

I don't mind them but Chester Lord Numnutz, Admiral of the Red, detests them.

no

Depends. Phat Daddy and Tooka Dump never grow old for me. Those mentioned above would drive me nuts in two seconds. As Voltaire once said, "Dying is easy; creating a good pun is hard."

I dunno. Yerbouti is so far populated with Interim President General Robert Aygotcha, interim chief of the military Colonel Gnu Gobangbang, Finance Minister Shomy da'Muny and it's currency is the pokah t'ship. I'll let you know if I get tired of them.

After calling an Elf Bow Job I can't really complain about anything.

Nova Caledonia is full of McCritters, McBans, McJuarezes, and McBhutalesies to name a few!
I'll abide by your decision on it.

The good ones I don't mind, the bad ones smell like the people who wrote them.

Depends on context to me. In an obviously tongue-in-cheek setting like Bongolesia, they're fine. But in a more serious setting, they seem out of place.

Yes.

Only when I didn't think of them first.

Yes, what Big Guy said.

Yes.

Not as much as poll suggestions do.

Allen

Yes, but I don't lose sleep over it.

Battletech did this a bit in their background (such as House Master Ty Wu Non…funny until the plot makes him a "now appearing" character in the fiction…and promptly dumps you out of suspension-of-disbelief).

Damon.

I use them on my charactors so no .

No

It depends if I think they're clever or just plain stupid… the silly names GW uses for its game places/characters doesn't usually bug me… but a lot of the character names I see in World Of Warcraft are just lame and kind of annoying.

No

Yes!

signed Sir Puffing Cheeks Fertbuoy

Yes.

I don't mind reading them, but if I have to say the names out loud (say, when reading a Children's book full of pun names) it gets old in a big hurry.

Yup.

Of course when I am GMing the solution is easy… they quickly die. Usually the player is warned at the point of character creation. I also have little patience for characters created for comic relief.

Hate them.

Wow Mike! You're more harsh than I ever was.

For a guy who named his grail quest knight Sir Cumcision of Forskyne…

It depends on the setting, really.

Pedrobear for the win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Though Paul's Bods blog has some funny ones too.

Yep, it's Justin Thyme to Bea Smart & just say no to those hussies Rose Hipps, Anita Mann & Helen Bedde!

Not so much if it's not over the top and around friends. The last RPG character I had in Warhammer Fantasy RPG was Named Ontos McFlargan. Ontos for the M50 Ontos, funny name for a funny vehicle. Currently I would like to play a Drow Bard named 50 Copper.

Sometimes.
Depends if they are clever or crude.

Juan Kerr and Juan King seem especially childish & crude.

Splint Plywood does not annoy me, sounds like a cheesey hero name which is ok.

Angel Barracks,

When Wayne was a popular boys name, I actually taught a Wayne King and a Wayne Kerr … perhaps their parents were childish & crude … or just unaware what a burden they were putting on their sons.

I use lots of puns or near puns in my games for people and places. For a full(-ish) list, have a look at link ,

It's just another 'whooooa, check me out, I'm mad, me'
teed-fest, like a lot of the fat Lardies 'wacky' rule titles. Just sad.

John

When I spent a year at IBM the quality control lab had equipment made by Wayne Kerr: the company is still going 30 years or so later: waynekerrtest.com

I don't mind clever names: St John Burnham is my favourite (but you need to know the quirks of pronouncing English names such as Beauchamp)

Lt. Pine-Coffin was a real pwerson, there were several members of this family serving in the British Army in the early 20th Century.

Then again, some parents need a severe speaking to – one of the top students at my old high school was Peter Ennis – forever immortalised on the school Honours board as P Ennis.

My all-time favourite has to be my mate Reiner's D&D Druid: Bernie Whickerman.

Bernie Whickerman

LOL that is funny.

No,I like them it's all part of the fun.

I wasn't over the moon when I GMed an intro game of a flashy new ruleset and the characters were given names like 'Fungal Rimjob'. Bit of a one-fingered salute to the expense, effort and enthusiasm I put into the thing. It don't even resemble anything like wit, at the very least…

It's just another 'whooooa, check me out, I'm mad, me'
teed-fest

Ayup!

Now I'm a bit more sympathetic to the other, more 'stuffy' group I game with. And very tempted to take a leaf out of Mweaver's book.

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Warren B.
minisculpture.co.uk

I wasn't over the moon when I GMed an intro game of a flashy new ruleset and the characters were given names like 'Fungal Rimjob'. Bit of a one-fingered salute to the expense, effort and enthusiasm I put into the thing. It don't even resemble anything like wit, at the very least…

Indeed, if playing a serious game then take it seriously.
If playing Paranoia however…

People that pick names like that are not roleplayers but dice-rollers methinks.

You should have just had every NPC ignore him or call him names, or ask for an explanation as to why he does not change his name, ask him why his parents hated him so much.
Have idiot thug NPCs pick fights as he has a stupid name.
Humilate him and make him realise what playing a role actually means.

if playing a serious game then take it seriously.

Weeell… I say expense and effort, but it was a quick, one-off intro game of Gutshot with a book, printouts and a handful of minis. But by the same token there was enough rootin' and tootin' in the game itself that the last thing it needed was an inner 13-year-old shouting 'boogers!' at it.

People that pick names like that are not roleplayers but dice-rollers methinks.

I think that was part of the problem. Character sheets seem to have an odd effect on people more used to army rosters.

You should have just had every NPC ignore him or call him names

And that would have every PC ignore me and call me names. I know I'm being stuffy myself, but, well, screw it. I'd rather be stuffy than draw out action chits that look like shredded pieces of Rik Mayall's rejected scripts.

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Warren B.
minisculpture.co.uk

Depends on the context, and on how grumpy I'm feeling at the time.

Fighting 15s: singe and burn 'em!! LOL! That's great!

No, they don't bother me said Ace From Outer Space.

I like them.

Just to take a wild leap away from my normal equivocal position – it all depends…

My current D&D character is a dwarf from a family of gemcutters named Krakarok. That answer the question?

Yes.

Depends on the context. A serious historical game, then I like serious names. A silly game then silly names are part of the fun. Rude & crude gets old fast.

although last game (Romans vs. Germans) one Roman commander kept blowing his command rolls so we started calling him 'Numpticus'.

If it's a silly game then I don't mind, but if the game is meant to be more serious I don't like it.

I can see why people do it. Foreign names sound funny already (I once worked with a Mr. Dong) so if it's gobbledygook to begin with, why not?

A silly game then silly names are part of the fun. Rude & crude gets old fast.

Third and last post here: I like silly or goofy names at times. Nacho and Cletus McGraw would raise a smile, but wouldn't jar you out of the game. But the first example I gave, not so much.

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Warren B.
minisculpture.co.uk