But that is the crux of the issue. What is a name? Is it arbitrary cultural imperialism to enforce a specific, modern Western idea on an alien world with a vast diversity of traditions over a huge geographical area? Even if we put aside the setting lore that shows naming conventions contrary to ours, I think my argumentation would still be convincing.

The concept of a "real name" is a fluid and fleeting one, not something you can pin down OOC.

This is mostly academic since the DMs are pretty lax and reasonable about enforcement. But I'm not sure how you could justify such a hard line without appealing to personal taste.

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Just wanted to take this moment to remind people that this thread does not refer to titles in general, but specifically to one troubling trend in the whole name game: adding the "of city" to the person's title.

Beyond that, the way things have been are the way they continue to be.

But you're welcome to discuss that to your heart's content as well.

Totally agree with your previous comments on onomatology, Iron. But not with the Forgotten Realms being some alien world. It is teeming with references, culture, gods and other things that come from our world. Common names come prominently from professions and places. Noble names are more abstract. And this is almost a global theme in our world as well as this made-up one. Whether you're saying Joe Profession, Joe of Jake of Blake, Ratjoe, Joe from under the Bridge, they're all similar in that they don't try to give you extra weight or try to convey common knowledge beyond what you're called.

Giving weight is vanity and conveying knowledge is a cop-out, in my opinion. Yes, the line to draw here is very subjective at times, especially when you have a character who identifies so absolutely with an institution that it alters what he would call himself. But, when push comes to shove, why not just be unpretentious and stick to the simple name? You can still add the extra every single time your character is asked what his name is. I'd find it much more gratifying to have it stick that way, rather than to force it down people's eyesockets.

Another angle would be that it's perceived as tacky to be emphatic about title and nobility IC. It's very comfortable to have it set in stone and let the floaty name do the convincing for you.

Yeah, tangent...

Although I've been wondering how this point of view would mess up the Drow especially. I mean.. House allegiances do change. Names are definitely heralds here, and it's definitely less air-tight than being born into nobility and sticking with it for the rest of your life.

Do not go all the way. Faction tags for universally-known factions (or nearly universal) are useful and awesome. They serve a legitimate, indispensible IC RP function that's not replicable through the talk channel.

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Winner of Amia's "Most Ethical Time Traveler" award 2026

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