Historical Importance...D&D

[jester47]

Hey Gary,

I know you are busy and all, and I don't want to turn this into the ask gary XXII thread, but what were some of the other names on the list? Could we have had Fighters and Dragons? Were there any absurd combinations...

Aaron.

 

[Piratecat]

I got humorous revenge by naming his sage Herb, and naming his mage Otto, role-playing him as a clownish sort who loved to be jovial and when introducing himself, literally sing, "Otto is my name, magic is my game," as he danced in lively fashion. That led to the spell Otto's Irrestable Dance. He would also jest, "Otto spelled backwards is...OTTO! Ho-ho-ho! But spelled inside out it is TOOT!!!"

That's absolutely hilarious.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

According to Gary, that was Rob Kuntz's doing.

Actually, I didn't notice "Yrag" at the end of the list. that name is of my creation, and I don't think it sily in the least...mearly unimaginative. Most really silly names for characters are given to elf PCs by gamers attempting to be artistic. My reason for using Yrag as a name is forthright. I was eager to get to the game play and didn't care a whit about the character's appellation.

Later, when I created a mage I had larger plans than immediate action, so I thought carefully before naming him Mordenkainen, a suitable name for a wizard, I believe, and one that harkens to Finnish mythology and the mighty Vainomoinen

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

That's absolutely hilarious.

Hi Piratecat,

Heh-heh-heh!

Rob was not so amused, though, and that made it even funnier.

I assume you know the story about how Herb was going to enable Robilar to get to the moon...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Azlan]

Here I thought all D&D history buffs knew the story behind those names, that, as Henry mentioned, Rob Kuntz, my DM, saddled me with them.

How interesting! Nowadays, players would tar and feather a DM if he tried saddling their characters with names of his own devising. The naming of one's player character has become a personal, almost sacred thing.

My success with adventures, employing henchmen, playing them as principle PC frequently, annoyed him a good deal. That I forged ahead with equinimity despite that rankled him more for a time I got humorous revenge by naming his sage Herb, and naming his mage Otto, role-playing him as a clownish sort who loved to be jovial and when introducing himself, literally sing, "Otto is my name, magic is my game," as he danced in lively fashion. That led to the spell Otto's Irrestable Dance. He would also jest, "Otto spelled backwards is...OTTO! Ho-ho-ho! But spelled inside out it is TOOT!!!"

Thanks for the anecdotes, Gary. I am a D&D history buff (at least, I try to be), but this was the first time I heard about that -- and straight from G. Gygax himself, no less.

 

[Pseudonym]

Most really silly names for characters are given to elf PCs by gamers attempting to be artistic.

Cheers,
Gary

Sage wisdom to be sure. I think I'll make that my new signature line.

 

[Azlan]

Actually, I didn't notice "Yrag" at the end of the list. that name is of my creation, and I don't think it sily in the least...mearly unimaginative.

Individually, the names on that list weren't really silly. But taken as a whole, they were. Or at least I thought so.

Then again, none of those names were truly as silly as Will Attackit (a fighter), Gluteous Maximus (a magic user), or Sir Ranrap (a paladin); names which I've seen in actual use, back during my early days with AD&D.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

How interesting! Nowadays, players would tar and feather a DM if he tried saddling their characters with names of his own devising. The naming of one's player character has become a personal, almost sacred thing.



...

Heh, Azlan,

That being the case, I suggest that today's players are taking the game, and themselves, far too seriously!

Furthermore, if a GM is a fine one, providing excellent entertainment to the players, the latter had better cut him such slack, or he might just dump the lot and find a new group that were not humorless

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Individually, the names on that list weren't really silly. But taken as a whole, they were. Or at least I thought so.

Then again, none of those names were truly as silly as Will Attackit (a fighter), Gluteous Maximus (a magic user), or Sir Ranrap (a paladin); names which I've seen in actual use, back during my early days with AD&D.

Well Azlan...

We have to stop meeting like this!

Seriously, what you note is on target. Bigby isn't heroic or evocative of a magic-user, but it isn't really silly. When you have a host of PCs with "igby" endings to their names, though, it is rather silly sounding and an irritation. I had Bigby, Rigby, Zigby, Nigby, Digby, and Sigby Grigbyson--not to mention Mordenkainen's two red dragons Gorkie and Porkie. I was sufficiently annoyed that when I recruited three low-level magic-users that I specified that they be named Louie, Hughie, and Dewey. That finally broke the name game being played.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Azlan]

That being the case, I suggest that today's players are taking the game, and themselves, far too seriously!

Dear Mr. Gary Gygax,

Obviously you haven't heard of role-playing.