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Thread: Book title puns

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    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Book title puns

    Is "Dungeon Crawlin' Fools" a pun on something? Or did it come out before the Giant decided to make all the other book titles puns?

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    Default Re: Book title puns

    I'm fairly sure it's just Rich describing the roleplaying genre. It's also the book that was primarily gag-a-day, rather than story.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hurkyl View Post
    Is "Dungeon Crawlin' Fools" a pun on something? Or did it come out before the Giant decided to make all the other book titles puns?
    As near as any of us can tell, it's not a pun on anything. The closest thing that it might reference is "Dungeon Crawling Tools". That is, the tools that one uses when on a "Dungeon Crawl". In this case, the pun would be the referencing the party as a bunch of fools on a Dungeon Crawl.

    Outside of that, the vast board consensus is that Rich didn't start with Cultural Allusions until he released On the Origins of PCs
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    I've seen a few people claim it's a pun on "Bottom Dwellin' Fools" (whatever that may be), but since a Google search on that phrase only returns posts on this forum, I think it's safe to say that it isn't.
    Please write all sarcasm in blue text. All metaphors should be marked in red text and for any split infinitives, please use green. Thank you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son View Post
    I've seen a few people claim it's a pun on "Bottom Dwellin' Fools" (whatever that may be), but since a Google search on that phrase only returns posts on this forum, I think it's safe to say that it isn't.
    Even if you make it "Bottom Dwelling Fools" you will only get six hits (all of them meaningless). Well, it'll be seven once Google caches this page.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Porthos View Post
    Even if you make it "Bottom Dwelling Fools" you will only get six hits (all of them meaningless). Well, it'll be seven once Google caches this page.
    I know, I've tried. And also been met with telling silence whenever I've asked anyone putting that theory forward to explain what exactly "Bottom Dwellin' Fools" is supposed to be.
    Please write all sarcasm in blue text. All metaphors should be marked in red text and for any split infinitives, please use green. Thank you.

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    Default Re: Book title puns

    The name seems familiar, like it should be a pun of something. But I have no idea what of.
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Pretty sure that if it were a pun on something, then somebody would have caught it by now. It's a pretty poor pun if no one in the world gets it.
    Please write all sarcasm in blue text. All metaphors should be marked in red text and for any split infinitives, please use green. Thank you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son View Post
    Pretty sure that if it were a pun on something, then somebody would have caught it by now. It's a pretty poor pun if no one in the world gets it.


    ................or maybe

    THE BOOK IS A NINJA!
    Last edited by Mystic Muse; 2009-10-26 at 02:10 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son View Post
    Pretty sure that if it were a pun on something, then somebody would have caught it by now. It's a pretty poor pun if no one in the world gets it.
    Yeah, it probably isn't a pun. It just... feels like it is. Which could be why everyone is trying to figure out what it means.
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Talking about book title puns, I bought On the Origins of PCs recently and didn't get Redcloak's preface.

    He notes that the title is a pun, but I don't get it.
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Ask this guy
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    Quote Originally Posted by AxeD View Post
    Talking about book title puns, I bought On the Origins of PCs recently and didn't get Redcloak's preface.

    He notes that the title is a pun, but I don't get it.
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    Please write all sarcasm in blue text. All metaphors should be marked in red text and for any split infinitives, please use green. Thank you.

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    Default Re: Book title puns

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    Book 1: Dancin' Fool (I think, maybe?)
    Book 2: No Cure for the Summertime Blues
    Book 3: War and Peace
    Prequel Book 1: On the Origin of Species
    Prequel Book 2: Heart of Darkness


    Any other questions?
    Last edited by Andore Mordre; 2009-10-26 at 08:28 AM.
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Quote Originally Posted by Andore Mordre View Post
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    Book 1: Dancin' Fool (I think, maybe?)
    Book 2: No Cure for the Summertime Blues
    Book 3: War and Peace
    Prequel Book 1: On the Origin of PCs
    Prequel Book 2: Heart of Darkness


    Any other questions?
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    You mean
    "Prequel Book 1: On the Origin of Species" :P
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Quote Originally Posted by SensFan View Post
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    You mean
    "Prequel Book 1: On the Origin of Species" :P
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    Errrr yeah, sorry, editing that...
    Last edited by Andore Mordre; 2009-10-26 at 08:28 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by SensFan View Post
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    You mean
    "Prequel Book 1: On the Origin of Species" :P
    The book is so revolutionary that its title was a reference to itself.
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Before anyone asks...

    Don't Split the Party IS NOT a pun or allusion to any popular work.

    So sayth The Giant.

    It simply is a repeating of the age old advice to adventurers everywhere.

    And one that they never, ever, listen to.
    Last edited by Porthos; 2009-10-26 at 03:13 PM.
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    Ouch! Those are some fairly lame puns! I think I took 1d3 damage from each one!
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    Quote Originally Posted by AxeD View Post
    Ouch! Those are some fairly lame puns! I think I took 1d3 damage from each one!
    Has anybody ever actually ENJOYED a pun? Not the "so hilariously bad it's good" kind of enjoyment, but genuine enjoyment?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Raging Gene Ray View Post
    Has anybody ever actually ENJOYED a pun?
    Yes. The person who made the pun, wathcing the audience squirm and groan.

    That's the whole point of puns.

    Also: 'Dungeon Crawlin' Fools' probably isn't a pun either.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheBST View Post
    Yes. The person who made the pun, wathcing the audience squirm and groan.

    That's the whole point of puns.
    Well, I liked "Origin of the PCs" (The pun...haven't read the book).

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    Quote Originally Posted by Raging Gene Ray View Post
    Has anybody ever actually ENJOYED a pun? Not the "so hilariously bad it's good" kind of enjoyment, but genuine enjoyment?
    Quote Originally Posted by TheBST View Post
    Yes. The person who made the pun, wathcing the audience squirm and groan.

    That's the whole point of puns.
    Are you kidding?? I love puns. Maybe it's the pleasure of seeing the English language being twisted. Maybe it's the joy of seeing a well told joke. Or maybe it's even enjoying the double or triple layers of meaning that a well told pun can deliver. Maybe it's even the knowledge that one can use the pun to torture other people when you repeat it.

    Or maybe it's just down to the fact that some people have different senses of humor than others.

    ...


    Nahhh that couldn't possibly be it.
    Last edited by Porthos; 2009-10-26 at 06:17 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Raging Gene Ray View Post
    Has anybody ever actually ENJOYED a pun? Not the "so hilariously bad it's good" kind of enjoyment, but genuine enjoyment?
    Are you kidding? If the author of the pun has any talent, they're absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately, those kind of people have been at a premium, which is why we've got this whole anti-pun culture.
    For god's sake, let's not forget Shakespeare.

    The last puns I squirmed at were Elan's in 684, but I'm pretty sure that was due to a special effort in characterization on Rich's part.



    ^ Ninja'd because of particular inattentiveness there, but the point stands.
    Last edited by Puns de León; 2009-10-26 at 06:28 PM.
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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Quote Originally Posted by Raging Gene Ray View Post
    Has anybody ever actually ENJOYED a pun? Not the "so hilariously bad it's good" kind of enjoyment, but genuine enjoyment?
    I like puns. I genuinely laughed when my English teacher announced we'd be reading Great Expectations, and said it wasn't everything he'd been hoping for.

    I was the only one who laughed, though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Raging Gene Ray View Post
    Has anybody ever actually ENJOYED a pun? Not the "so hilariously bad it's good" kind of enjoyment, but genuine enjoyment?
    There was a stand-up comedian called Raymond Devos who specialised in puns. His skits would revolves around puns on a theme. I love his stuff, it's wonderful. It's clever, none of the puns ever make you go "ouch", and it's hilarious.
    (Oh, before you look for bits by him, I almost forgot to add it was all in French, so you probably wouldn't get any of it if you don't speak the language).

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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Quote Originally Posted by Porthos View Post
    It simply is a repeating of the age old advice to adventurers everywhere.
    I thought that was advice to DMs.

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    Default Re: Book title puns

    Nah, DMs love it, provided they're sadistic people who like to see the adventurers die in nasty ways.

    So yeah, DMs love it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CheeseMuncher View Post
    I like puns. I genuinely laughed when my English teacher announced we'd be reading Great Expectations, and said it wasn't everything he'd been hoping for.

    I was the only one who laughed, though.
    That's not a pun: he didn't twist the meaning of the words. It's just a play on words.

    That reminds me of a time I was tutoring English; there were three of us assigned a class of thirty students, so each of us got ten students. The assignment was to teach plays on words. I asked every student to write down a pun, and put it in a hat, then I explained the rules of what made a pun distinct from other plays on words.

    I then read aloud all ten submissions to see if any of them met all of the criteria, and wouldn't you know it...

    No pun in ten did.


    That being said, I wish that the Giant used more puns in his titles. The ones that do have puns are hilarious.

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    Default Re: Book title puns

    okay. It's not a pun but here's why "don't split the party." might sound like one. or at least why it might sounds familiar.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUMCIn2swTU
    Last edited by Mystic Muse; 2009-10-27 at 05:16 PM.

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