Juspera's Good Ole GS4 Page / Roleplaying
Naming Your Character: Make It Memorable
January 1, 2020 | Juspera's Player
This is the third and final of a series of essays on naming your character. This time, I want to talk about how to craft a name that stands out and is easy for other players to remember while also being difficult for them to mangle. Unfortunately, GemStone has been around for 31 years now, and I can recall only one name purge during that time. This means it's harder than ever to create a unique and memorable name for your character -- however, it's far from impossible.
What makes a name unique and memorable?
It's short- or medium-length
Obviously, there are some great long names out there, and if that's what you're envisioning for your character, I say go for it. A name like Dellavalondria can be beautiful, and something like Krithkashkhor does a great job of conveying "dark and harsh." However, no one can deny that, all other things being equal, names that the eye can take in at a glance are much easier to absorb, remember, and repeat. Some examples include Uldwin, Meywen, Runks, and Phlosis.
It's spelled intuitively
Since most of us have been reading English for decades, our brains have an idea of what order letters are supposed to go in, and names will feel "wrong" if that order is off. When you're trying out name alternatives in the character manager, watch out for names like Drutehrford or Bullraor, which not only look like misspellings but may leave other players confused about how the name is supposed to be pronounced; the brain tries to turn them into the expected "Drutherford" and "Bullroar," which they are not.
It's easy to figure out how it's pronounced
There's no rule saying that people have to be able to figure out how your character's name should be pronounced. However, words are easier to remember when we're able to say them in our heads. Additionally, you might enjoy knowing that other players have the same idea of how your character's name is pronounced as you do. This is especially important when all or part of your character's name is similar to an already-existing word in English. For an example, take the name Vilevar. If you'd meant for this name to be pronounced "VILL - eh - var," the idea that other players may be pronouncing it "VILE - var" in their heads, and possibly making assumptions about your character because of it, is probably not a welcome one. The name Villivar would be better in this case. When deciding on a name, think of all the ways it could be pronounced, and decide if others are likely to have a different take on it than the one you wish them to have.
It doesn't look like a "second choice" name
So many names in GemStone were clearly not the player's first choice. How can we tell? They've got doubled letters or extra Hs or Es in places that don't make sense, or are perhaps conspicuously missing a vowel where there ought to be one. These are names like Sephirroth, Lheonardo, Guenivverre, Crstal, etc. Choosing such a name is like wearing a sign that says "I didn't get the name I wanted" for the rest of your character's life. (Never mind that, often, these names are derived from popular book or movie character names and thus would be out-of-character for GS.)
If you can't get the name you want, avoid jamming "extra" letters or Hs in like the plague. Instead, change letters to create something unique. If your desired name Greshnor is unavailable, avoid Greshnorr and go for something like Grishnor or Greshvor instead. If you can't get Evandriel, go for Evyndriel or Evantriel rather than Evanndriel. Martos can become Marxos instead of Mahrtos.
When coming up with names for my characters, before I ever enter the character manager, I write down the name I want. Then I come up with several acceptable alternatives and put them in order in terms of how much I like them. Once I get to the naming part of character creation, I simply try one name after another until I get one that's available. This prevents me getting impatient and settling for something I don't really want in order to get out of the "mangler" and into the game.
Before I conclude this essay, I have a couple final tips for choosing your character's name. They may not help you be memorable, but they'll at least keep you from tearing your hair out.
Be sure the name's obvious nicknames, if any, are acceptable to you
Typing is hard, and people like to use nicknames. This may become uncomfortable if your character's name is something like Cudinius, or Assantra, or Gaylforce, so it's something to think about. This advice goes double for long names, because if your character is named Deztruvenerabla, no one is going to want to type that out; be prepared to be called "Dez" or "Dezy" by half the people in the game. Likewise for difficult-to-pronounce names like Zpryzhka.
Be sure it doesn't start with the same letters as a common type of creature
If your character's name starts with "Gol," "Orc," or "Tro," you're going to have to be careful out there (See this page and sort by family to get an idea of exactly how much danger you're in.) Also, unless you enjoy close contact with strangers, you might want to skip names that start with "Am"; just sayin'.
Happy naming!
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