Character name issues with a player

[War_lord]

Because you have the final say so on what is the right way to role play?

If you're the DM, you've given your world pitch, everyone has agreed to the tone you wish to establish, and a single player has decided to give their character an obvious gag name. You have the right, the duty to tell them to knock it off.

[Knaight]

Some people playing D&D are trying to evoke the mood of a fantasy world -- eerie, mysterious, and unearthly. Others like to make a constant string of modern cultural references as jokes.

The brute fact is that if you have one of the second kind of players then you will never successfully set an unearthly and mysterious mood.

On the bright side, these groups overlap a bit, so you might be able to switch someone in the overlap from one mode to another. For instance, when I had a group made entirely of the second kind of player decide to pick dumb food references for all character names (Vanilla Ice*, Hanky Cheeseburger, Chun Lo Mein), I ended up doing the same thing for every NPC in the game. This also helped disguise my incredibly obvious references, because nobody would know Steak Tartare was Gawain.

*Which, yes, is a rapper. Technically.

Because you have the final say so on what is the right way to role play?

No. You do however have a reasonable position representing the general attitude of your local group to a member of your local group who is playing a style at odds with the dominant style and thus being disruptive. What the styles involved actually are are irrelevant.

For instance, when every one of my players at a particular game decided it would be fun to name their characters stupid food puns, I got that message and swapped styles to accommodate.

[Mr Beer]

Generally I wouldn't care because I don't run games where I'm taking myself too seriously. I'd refer to the PC by whichever name I wanted (probably 'Quiche'). If they used their absurd monicker with NPCs, they would react accordingly e.g. the Jolly Gnomes of Bucolic Wood would laugh merrily, Duke Paranoid of Darkcastle would be enraged by this obvious mockery etc. So there might be some in-game adverse effects, but that's about it.

If I was shooting for a particularly gritty or dark campaign I'd ask them to come up with a less idiotic name because it ruins the mood.

[Sir Chuckles]

In my current Dungeon World campaign, the party is made up of Raibert of Shetland, Kandi, Kyle, and Justin Thyme. I once played (PF) a Halfling Medium on the run from the law after being falsely accused of crimes based on racial profiling. Sayleem Troile - Small Medium at Large.

Just ask them to tone it down if it really, really bothers or disrupts you. I genuinely mean disrupt. If you can call Thalia Thalia or Quiche just by that one name or any of the others with a nickname, you is it really a problem?
Unless they try to insert their name into every scene, it probably isn't.

[ross]

Because you have the final say so on what is the right way to role play?

You're damn right if somebody comes into my house and eats my food I'm gonna tell them what is and isn't allowed if they wanna stick around, it's that or they can start paying rent

@OP, does she also shop at hot topic and think rick and morty and invader zim are good shows? Easiest solution is change the day you guys meet up and "forget" to tell her

[FabulousFizban]

does she also shop at hot topic and think rick and morty and invader zim are good shows? Easiest solution is change the day you guys meet up and "forget" to tell her

HEY! a pony should know better than to bash another person's fandom. We should be proponents of the new sincerity, not internet trolls.

Next you'll say you don't like Steven Universe, yeash :p

[Guizonde]

HEY! a pony should know better than to bash another person's fandom. We should be proponents of the new sincerity, not internet trolls.

Next you'll say you don't like Steven Universe, yeash :p

not one to mock fandoms, but i think you missed your mark there. shopping at hot topic and loving invader zim were code-words back in the day for what is now called an edgelord or a mall goth. basically your average stereotypical rebellious teenager.

oh, and for posterity, ross is wrong on that count: don't ever abandon a player like that over something so trivial. what are you trying to do? make somebody rage-quit pen and paper??

also, what the hell is the "new sincerity"?

[Joe the Rat]

Great player, odd names. Characters include a tabaxi, and an elf raised by gnomes. She's a Loony, isn't she?


If she's being funny, work on getting in theme - Eggbake Noodlespinner is more Gnomish.
If she's dead serious on the names, and it really breaks mood, you go with nicknames. Eggsy or Noodles, fr'ex.
If she's really that bad with naming, work with her.

The critical thing about joke characters is that unless you are in a one-shot, they need to have a life beyond the one-liner.
Also, Eggsy should have a relationship with food - I recommend either being something of a chef, gourmand, or being an anime-ingly bad cook.

[Guizonde]

Great player, odd names. Characters include a tabaxi, and an elf raised by gnomes. She's a Loony, isn't she?


If she's being funny, work on getting in theme - Eggbake Noodlespinner is more Gnomish.
If she's dead serious on the names, and it really breaks mood, you go with nicknames. Eggsy or Noodles, fr'ex.
If she's really that bad with naming, work with her.

The critical thing about joke characters is that unless you are in a one-shot, they need to have a life beyond the one-liner.
Also, Eggsy should have a relationship with food - I recommend either being something of a chef, gourmand, or being an anime-ingly bad cook.

that's the trick isn't it? going from "joke character" to "lethal joke character". my looniest character, edward was the best fighter of the team. hell, her nickname became "attack dog" due to being a total sociopath raised in a culture of problem solving by expediency (the clan's name was mcsubtle, and the rest of the clan were renowned for their strength and combat prowess). the silly name was two-fold: a girl named edward always raises eyebrows, and her middle name lucifer is latin for "bringer of light". she was a very skilled electrician and solved a lot of problems that way too.

i did talk to the team and dm about that character. she was of genius-level intellect, but would have been considered chaotic evil to anything but children. an evil genius with the emotional maturity of an 8 year old is not something to drop on an unsuspecting team. oh, and she may've accidentally committed genocide just because it solved a problem. that's the problem with airlocks, isn't it?

back to op's problem, roll with it but do tell your player that she throws you curve balls with her naming. you guys might find common ground on which to make her characters truly memorable beyond the silly names.

... and look at belkar: profession (gourmet chef) is always awesome. a friend had a tribal named oak (don't ask) that took "tribal cooking lessons". we never starved thanks to that: fox, rat, alligator, moss, reeds, humans... it all tastes awesome when you make a gumbo out of it.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

This guy I've gamed with on and off for a few decades always seems to name his characters ridiculously - so we tend to GM the NPCs reacting to his ridiculous names with disbelief, spit-takes and - frankly - ridicule.

He: "I am Heppity Blomflart, gnomish chef and druid."
NPC: *spits out drink* "Heppity What?!"
He: "Blomflart."
NPC: "Heppity Blomflart?!" *laughs*
He: "Oh, you've heard of me? Good! Now, about this quest..."

It works okay if the world reacts.

[Mutazoia]

This guy I've gamed with on and off for a few decades always seems to name his characters ridiculously - so we tend to GM the NPCs reacting to his ridiculous names with disbelief, spit-takes and - frankly - ridicule.

He: "I am Heppity Blomflart, gnomish chef and druid."
NPC: *spits out drink* "Heppity What?!"
He: "Blomflart."
NPC: "Heppity Blomflart?!" *laughs*
He: "Oh, you've heard of me? Good! Now, about this quest..."

It works okay if the world reacts.

Slartibartfast: You must come with me.

Arthur Dent: Who are you?

Slartibartfast: What? No. My name's not important. You must come with me, or you'll be late.

Arthur Dent: Late for what?

Slartibartfast: Well, um, what's your name, Earthman?

Arthur Dent: Dent. Arthur Dent.

Slartibartfast: Well, late as in *the late* Dentarthurdent. It's a sort of threat. You see?

Arthur Dent: No.

Slartibartfast: Your friends are safe, you can trust me.

Arthur Dent: Trust a man who won't even tell me his name?

Slartibartfast: Well, um, my name is, um, it's

[hurriedly]

Slartibartfast: Slartibartfast.

Arthur Dent: What?

Slartibartfast: I *said* it wasn't important.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Slartibartfast: You must come with me.

Arthur Dent: Who are you?

Slartibartfast: What? No. My name's not important. You must come with me, or you'll be late.

Arthur Dent: Late for what?

Slartibartfast: Well, um, what's your name, Earthman?

Arthur Dent: Dent. Arthur Dent.

Slartibartfast: Well, late as in *the late* Dentarthurdent. It's a sort of threat. You see?

Arthur Dent: No.

Slartibartfast: Your friends are safe, you can trust me.

Arthur Dent: Trust a man who won't even tell me his name?

Slartibartfast: Well, um, my name is, um, it's

[hurriedly]

Slartibartfast: Slartibartfast.

Arthur Dent: What?

Slartibartfast: I *said* it wasn't important.

Yeah, I'm sure Mr Blomflart was in part influenced by Slartibartfast - but this isn't his first offence! We've had Houdja Nikabolokov, Lancenotalot (a wizard), Brutal Deluxe...

Of course, this sort of thing goes back to the early days of D&D - Melf was reportedly so named because his player just shunted his gender "M" and his race "Elf" together to form his name.

[kyoryu]

Yeah, I'm sure Mr Blomflart was in part influenced by Slartibartfast - but this isn't his first offence! We've had Houdja Nikabolokov, Lancenotalot (a wizard), Brutal Deluxe...

Of course, this sort of thing goes back to the early days of D&D - Melf was reportedly so named because his player just shunted his gender "M" and his race "Elf" together to form his name.

And Tenser (of the Floating Disc) was an anagram of his player, Ernest's name.

[ross]

HEY! a pony should know better than to bash another person's fandom. We should be proponents of the new sincerity, not internet trolls.

Next you'll say you don't like Steven Universe, yeash :p

Eh, it's a matter of taste, and some people's taste is better than others'; also zim and rick are objectively bad

[Mutazoia]

Eh, it's a matter of taste, and some people's taste is better than others'; also zim and rick are objectively bad

I dunno....I did rather like the orbital strike water balloon.....

[ross]

I dunno....I did rather like the orbital strike water balloon.....

Unfortunate.

[Mutazoia]

Unfortunate.

That's what she said.

[ross]

That's what she said.

Yeah, right before she divorced me and ran off with my best friend! lol!!!!!

[Davrix]

As others have said don't worry to much. Just make sure there is a Bard around or have a NPC bard around the parties favorite taven to offer friendly nicknames.

I had a player call his Tabxi Coleen Cogstorm, our bard simply calls her clawleena and its stuck ever sense, not to mention he nicknamed our super serious honor bout / samurai cleric Happy which has been no end of amusement at the table for me.

[ross]

How have people not figured out that no one cares about their characters by now? Why spend hours coming up with some dumb name that no one's going to use or remember anyway? My last couple were Lindsey, Sam, Ashley, Julie, Sharon. Random picks from census. Surprise, it made no difference to the game!

[N810]

If the player in question is truly terrible at coming up with names...
Maybe a Random name generator could help...
http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/
I found that rather nice one recently.


Ps. we are currently dealing with a player that lacks even a basic imagination. :/

[Keltest]

How have people not figured out that no one cares about their characters by now? Why spend hours coming up with some dumb name that no one's going to use or remember anyway? My last couple were Lindsey, Sam, Ashley, Julie, Sharon. Random picks from census. Surprise, it made no difference to the game!

Quite obviously people do care though. The fact that this thread exists should be evidence of that.

[ross]

Yes, the kind of people who unironically use apostrophes in character names and are surprised when other people roll their eyes care. Not too worried.

[Davrix]

How have people not figured out that no one cares about their characters by now? Why spend hours coming up with some dumb name that no one's going to use or remember anyway? My last couple were Lindsey, Sam, Ashley, Julie, Sharon. Random picks from census. Surprise, it made no difference to the game!

Actually many do care but maybe this thread isn't for you if that's how you feel. Being spiteful dosn't offer any advice for the OP question.

Me personally I take great care in naming all my characters because they are personal to me. Doesn't matter if no one else thinks so, it only has to matter to me.

[ross]

{scrubbed}

[D+1]

I had a halfling thief PC once whom I named Baron Fyzo Jet Danoran Szpatch Treenofferbodiddity because at the time I was just being a goof. He wound up being called "The Duck" by all the other PC's (exactly why is a bit of a story) - which only served me right.

I'd say the best advice to the OP is to simply announce prior to ANYONE creating a character for your next campaign - "Please come up with a name for your characters that everyone can take reasonably seriously. A character with a "joke" name like Biggus Dickus or Incontinentia is funny the first time you hear it, but it is FAR, FAR too easy to never be able to take anything about the game serious when you keep hearing character names like that. It is not an unfair imposition to ask that characters be given names that fit the general tone that the game is supposed to have. We're playing D&D, not Toon."

[Jay R]

How have people not figured out that no one cares about their characters by now?

*I* care about my character. So do my DMs.

Why spend hours coming up with some dumb name that no one's going to use or remember anyway? My last couple were Lindsey, Sam, Ashley, Julie, Sharon. Random picks from census. Surprise, it made no difference to the game!

By contrast, my last characters were:

A Welsh-style bard named Gwydion.
An elf who knew nothing of elves, with the Pini-style name Treewalker, who eventually learned about elven culture, and changed his name to Ornrandir ("Treewalker" in elvish),
An Egyptian prince named Pteppicymon,
A Nordic-styled Fighter/Ranger named Gustav.

Their names added to the game's flavor, helped me stay in character, and helped the rest of the party understand their background.

[Guizonde]

*I* care about my character. So do my DMs.



By contrast, my last characters were:

A Welsh-style bard named Gwydion.
An elf who knew nothing of elves, with the Pini-style name Treewalker, who eventually learned about elven culture, and changed his name to Ornrandir ("Treewalker" in elvish),
An Egyptian prince named Pteppicymon,
A Nordic-styled Fighter/Ranger named Gustav.

Their names added to the game's flavor, helped me stay in character, and helped the rest of the party understand their background.

my dm dropped on me a few hours ago:

"i'd call you hellwalker [in english], but for your habit of jumping into combat." an obvious DOOM reference, if you'll excuse the caps-lock. the fact that he butchered the pronunciation with his parisian accent is notwithstanding. my dm cares about raymond, especially due to the fact that without my beatstick, half my team would have been wiped by his ambush earlier tonight. the name may be silly due to its length, but its working nickname is kind of credible in that universe (a noble-born soldier from an obvious occitan-inspired world).

even if the name is silly, the deeds of the character outweigh the silliness of the name. shall we talk about the webcomic called a "hannah is not a boy's name"?

also, jay r, you take naming even more seriously than i do, and i sometimes take hours to think up the perfect thorn in my dm's thigh and sense of humor. kudos.

[ross]

*I* care about my character. So do my DMs.



By contrast, my last characters were:

A Welsh-style bard named Gwydion.
An elf who knew nothing of elves, with the Pini-style name Treewalker, who eventually learned about elven culture, and changed his name to Ornrandir ("Treewalker" in elvish),
An Egyptian prince named Pteppicymon,
A Nordic-styled Fighter/Ranger named Gustav.

Their names added to the game's flavor, helped me stay in character, and helped the rest of the party understand their background.

lol, yikes

[Knaight]

How have people not figured out that no one cares about their characters by now? Why spend hours coming up with some dumb name that no one's going to use or remember anyway? My last couple were Lindsey, Sam, Ashley, Julie, Sharon. Random picks from census. Surprise, it made no difference to the game!

Is there some definition of "hours" I'm unfamiliar with, or is this whole point just completely specious? Checking a census is no faster than checking any of numerous name lists, and significantly slower than sticking a few linguistically fitting syllables together or remembering an existing name.