Dungeon Fantasy party compositions

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I use collaborative design exclusively, so if a player decides that a name exists and makes sense in the setting, then it is so.

Everyone has their own style, of course. Personally, I couldn't abide playing in a setting where entire cultures spring into existence, regardless of surrounding geography, economic conditions and neighbouring cultures, by a throw-away decision to pilfer a fictional name for a character. It seems to have a very high risk of becoming a silly hodge-podge, with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in and a coherent history impossible to come up with.

Originally Posted by Kromm

A name is just a label, and in infinite worlds, it isn't especially unlikely that an infinity of completely unrelated people could by dint of large numbers share a name.

Well, no, not as such.* However, names don't exist in a vacuum. If a given name exists, it brings with it a culture and language. Which is not a problem in a world that is not yet defined and relies on players to fill out the gaps, but is jarring and difficult when the world is defined, complete with cultural naming patterns that are quite different from what the player proposes.

*Though cases when not only the PC, but also his Allies or Dependants are taken straight from the same fictional source increase the unlikelihood considerably.

Originally Posted by Kromm

I should add that none of the names I listed provoked even a snicker in actual play . . . people were aware of what I just said and simply took unusual names in stride. The only forbidden name in my group is "Boba Fett," owing to a certain (non-Star Wars, gaming-related) video that I shouldn't link here – and note that it's forbidden by consensus, not by GM fiat.

My experience has been that 'unusual'* names not only occasion comment by other players, they tend to ruin my motivation for GMing. I don't want to spend time detailing a world on which parties composed of Peter Pan the barbarian, Tinkerbell the knight or Dong McWeiner and his lovable crew of misfits boldly seek adventure.

Furthermore, I find that a PC name that is self-consciously silly or flat-out breaks the fourth wall tends to be a huge warning sign that the player in question is not prepared to roleplay anything beyond an impulsive murder hobo in a vaguely defined world. After all, if he doesn't take his PC seriously, why should he take the setting seriously?

*Well, a more accurate term would be 'deliberately silly'.