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<blockquote data-quote="Starfox" data-source="post: 5116445" data-attributes="member: 2303">Name similarity and duplication, while confusing, can add verisimilitude to a setting or genre. One of the reasons some of the Icelandic Sagas are considered to be about real people is the duplication of names - no author would have dreamed up such a confusing array.That said, I tend to use fairly simple names for my games. Most commoners go by first names only, adding their profession or some distinguishing trait if they need to distinguish themselves further. A stranger would probably address them simply by profession - &quot;maid&quot;, &quot;innkeeper&quot;, &quot;smith&quot; - without bothering to learn individual names. This is particularly likely against your social inferiors. As you advance socially, you might add a title to your name. Families of distinction are named by their origin or holdings. Nobles and members of far-flung merchant houses have true family names, which are often the names of the original holdings of the family - which might by now be completely obsolete and only a name.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Starfox, post: 5116445, member: 2303"] Name similarity and duplication, while confusing, can add verisimilitude to a setting or genre. One of the reasons some of the Icelandic Sagas are considered to be about real people is the duplication of names - no author would have dreamed up such a confusing array. That said, I tend to use fairly simple names for my games. Most commoners go by first names only, adding their profession or some distinguishing trait if they need to distinguish themselves further. A stranger would probably address them simply by profession - "maid", "innkeeper", "smith" - without bothering to learn individual names. This is particularly likely against your social inferiors. As you advance socially, you might add a title to your name. Families of distinction are named by their origin or holdings. Nobles and members of far-flung merchant houses have true family names, which are often the names of the original holdings of the family - which might by now be completely obsolete and only a name. [/QUOTE]

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