Unearthed Mundana: Exotic Royalty
This article was first broadcast in Episode Forty-Two on 26th September 2018. Ryu: I’m so sick of kings and queens Lennon: No European vacation for you then? Ryu: No, I mean, I don’t mind them as people but every campaign you run into the land is ruled over by “king” this or “queen” that. Even when we were running through this jungle of sentient monkey-lizards they ended up being led by “Duke Longtail.” It was kind of disappointing. Ostron: Oh, well, a little bit of linguistic modification is in order then. Along with scenery and inhabitants, names have a huge impact on immersion and characters’ sense of displacement. Characters are more quickly put at ease if they wander into town and see an “Inn” sign hanging outside of a building; they automatically know where to go for food, lodging, and possibly local rumors. But if characters are well off the beaten path, it’s sometimes helpful…