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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Shannon@*****.co.za (Shannon Buys)
Subject: NPC dialects, language and accents
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 15:39:56 +0200
There have been a lot of threads on 'personalising' NPC's and making them
more real to players. However I've been wondering if anyone has worked out
or reflected on any sort of 'underground' dialect or city speak. Everyone
knows that the use of slang and the different accents prevalent in a culture
will change it's way of talking, often to be incomprehensable to people who
speak the same language.

One of my friends (PsychoMIME on this board) ran a Planescape game for 4
years, after which his players could understand HIS version of 'Sigil city
speak' to the point where it was practically incomprehensable to
un-initiated english speaking players. Anyone ever done this or toyed with
the idea for creating their own Seattle underground speak? I personally
have a lot of difficulty with accents. I'm just not cut out for it, and as
a result I compensate with nervous twitches, figures of speach and other
ways to make my NPC's unique. Anyone got any advice on doing accents or
working around this?
Message no. 2
From: loneeagle@********.co.uk (Lone Eagle)
Subject: NPC dialects, language and accents
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 23:59:40 +0000
At 01:39 PM 11/2/2003, you wrote:
>There have been a lot of threads on 'personalising' NPC's and making them
>more real to players. However I've been wondering if anyone has worked out
>or reflected on any sort of 'underground' dialect or city speak. Everyone
>knows that the use of slang and the different accents prevalent in a culture
>will change it's way of talking, often to be incomprehensable to people who
>speak the same language.
>
>One of my friends (PsychoMIME on this board) ran a Planescape game for 4
>years, after which his players could understand HIS version of 'Sigil city
>speak' to the point where it was practically incomprehensable to
>un-initiated english speaking players. Anyone ever done this or toyed with
>the idea for creating their own Seattle underground speak? I personally
>have a lot of difficulty with accents. I'm just not cut out for it, and as
>a result I compensate with nervous twitches, figures of speach and other
>ways to make my NPC's unique. Anyone got any advice on doing accents or
>working around this?

I have a talent for accents but I agree, in Planescape the ability to
translate instantaneously is a major bonus, all I can suggest is that you
grab a "comprehensive" cityspeak "dictionary" like this one:

http://www.intercom.net/user/logan1/glossary.htm

and use it heavily.


--
Lone Eagle
"Hold up lads, I got an idea."

www.wyrmtalk.co.uk - Please be patient, this site is under construction

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