Re: A proper name for malkioni religious buildings

From: David Scott <sciencefish_at_ZzyPBg2vYTkECJ8tQAviw8Bn8lNy6ZFy4SEpQTIKfKMooj9VFW0jyvz5wYvvO7jc>
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:57:08 +0100


On 28 Mar 2012, at 11:54, Nick Eden <nick_at_vJVOPhGy4evAthU8i2qHTE3yt8X2rn4OmLtCacR6nB_rfActNk5UkeuIDUJZKEgKPSNcx_nvQUJczXxRQuHrhws.yahoo.invalid> wrote:
> No, Minster, not Minister. Only the one I.
>
> A Minster is a church/cathedral associated (or formerly associated)
> with a monastry, generally in the North of England.
>

I've always liked the idea of keeping the language in RPGs simple. It means that players aren't wondering what you are talking about especially if English is not their first language. Andre mistaking one word for another very similar one is an excellent example (and prime minster was an excellent pun).

I like glossaries in game books as often they let you use a local word to add colour to a game, like fyrd, weregeld, huscarl, etc. As Nick points out, a minster is generally in the north of England, which leads me onto the names for things will vary depending on the local dialect and language. In the North of the UK, many would have no problem understanding what a kirk was, but in the south I suspect many would scratch their heads. Temple is a great generic word for fantasy games and most would have no problem understanding its use. I for one don't want to see Glorantha go down the LotR or Klingon language route, I already have enough trouble remembering which Dara happen god is which in GRoY.

If you want to add local colour to your games it's easy to do so, most computers have easy access to a thesaurus, and finding a colourful name with that is relatively easy for most people. I've always thought that temenos was a great name for a malkioni temple, I suspect though it may leave my players confused.

Don't the malkioni castes have different dialects? each caste may have a different word for temple.



David

David Scott. Mac & PC Computer Support.
30 Alfred Road, Acton, W3 6LH.
020-8150-9716 / 07956-589433
http://www.davidscott.org.uk/

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