In-game Titles: Questions

[Reiloth]

I mean, without other gender indicating nouns available, I guess I will go Master and Mistress and call it a day. Full circle, i'm guessing even these might be inappropriate as they are honorifics, and now (as of today) honorifics are not allowed for Commoners.

From a game design standpoint, I would just open up 'da' and 'di' to be honorifics everyone can use for male and female.

[whitt]

Wow some folks seem really bent on being insulted.

Would there be an appropriate honorific to a Family Member of a Great Merchant House?  Say you don't know the Kuraci's name, but you do recognize the Family signet?  And wanted to introduce yourself, but didn't know if they were a Crafter, Merchant, Crew Leader, or where they fell in the Family pecking order?

So you walk up and say, "Excuse me (honorific/honorificess)?"  Or are they not afforded any additional nicety over another commoner as well?

[BadSkeelz]

I think I've gotten away with using "Merchant" in the past, Capital M. Hopefully it's read as injecting a proper gravitas in to the word, reflecting my PC's knowledge that this is a member of a Great Merchant House and not some rug-squatting bazaar swindler.

Always switched to the proper Job Title once it's known, at least for formal addressing.

[Miradus]

I do find it amusing that we're discussing proper title usage

I find it amusing that -this- was worthy of staff deliberation and action.  Mister and Miss.  Totally srs bizness.  Was breaking the theme.  Hard.  Needed to be nipped on the bud now, before it spread like a plague across the playerbase.

What you might not realize is that just yesterday I told someone in-game to refer to someone else as "Miss" whenever out in public. So maybe it was observed.

I get the fact that it's easier to just post an announcement before it spreads too far. And that's cool.

But what I'd like is a replacement. I can use replacements. Could we have some sort of general thread where everyone posts common phrases in use in the various cities? Like spicers in Red Storm say "Wormshit" as a curse or people from Luir's say something is as "solid as the shield wall" to refer to something old and durable, or trustworthy.

Not using honorifics is a very Allanak-sounding rule when half the game takes place outside of the walls.

[Armaddict]

Not using honorifics is a very Allanak-sounding rule when half the game takes place outside of the walls.

Valid.

I guess people elsewhere also refuse to acknowledge each other unless they know a title already or a name.

[BadSkeelz]

We've had a couple of threads addressing "idioms" specifically. There may be more out there under different keywords.

Idiom
http://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,24312.0.html

Idioms in Zalanthas
http://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,30749.0.html

Zalanthan Idioms
http://gdb.armageddon.org/index.php/topic,48627.0.html

[Akaramu]

I think I've gotten away with using "Merchant" in the past, Capital M. Hopefully it's read as injecting a proper gravitas in to the word, reflecting my PC's knowledge that this is a member of a Great Merchant House and not some rug-squatting bazaar swindler.

Always switched to the proper Job Title once it's known, at least for formal addressing.

I was always under the assumption that 'Merchant', 'Agent' and 'Advisor' are perfectly fine.

Edit to add: 'Overseer' as well.

[Malken]

What would be a proper one to use if you meet a pretty non-descript person and you can't tell their title from what they're wearing/looking like and you want to maintain some civility?

'Hey you' sounds a bit rude..

'Excuse me, sir/ma'am' was a pretty good one for me to use

[Large Hero]

The churlishness and snideness several posters have displayed in this thread has reinforced an opinion I'm becoming more convinced of: the GDB is a community not really worth reading or participating in. It's better to just play the game and pretend people don't act like this.

[Akaramu]

What would be a proper one to use if you meet a pretty non-descript person and you can't tell their title from what they're wearing/looking like and you want to maintain some civility?

'Hey you' sounds a bit rude..

'Excuse me, sir/ma'am' was a pretty good one for me to use

I'd just go with 'excuse me'. Doesn't seem rude without the sir / ma'am added.

[Malken]

What would be a proper one to use if you meet a pretty non-descript person and you can't tell their title from what they're wearing/looking like and you want to maintain some civility?

'Hey you' sounds a bit rude..

'Excuse me, sir/ma'am' was a pretty good one for me to use

I'd just go with 'excuse me'. Doesn't seem rude without the sir / ma'am added.

Oh yeah, duh Guess I'm too polite irl.

By the way, when I'm in the south of the USA, a lot of female cashiers and strangers call me 'honey', maybe you're just playing with a lot of southern Americans heheh

[GithMaster]

The churlishness and snideness several posters have displayed in this thread has reinforced an opinion I'm becoming more convinced of: the GDB is a community not really worth reading or participating in. It's better to just play the game and pretend people don't act like this.

You'd get scolded for not knowing not to call people certain things if you didn't read the gdb though.

[Armaddict]

All of a sudden the stammering, but hard working kid telling the burly mercenary who strides past 'Yessir, I'll get outta the way' in response to his 'Fuck off' is bad roleplay.

Now, as per the documentation, you should be saying 'Yes mercenary' 'Yes human' or 'okay', none of which really sound that great as far as having the same feel.

Unless I'm overthinking it.  Which is the standard response when you throw up documentation about unimportant things that won't matter anyway.

[BadSkeelz]

I think "sir" is still valid, actually. Which is all I would ever need.

[Armaddict]

People were saying earlier that Sir and Ma'am were included in the list.

[Malken]

People were saying earlier that Sir and Ma'am were included in the list.

You can say sir but not Sir.

[BadSkeelz]

People were saying earlier that Sir and Ma'am were included in the list.

From the new documentation,

Words like mister, miss, and madam are not derived from anything in Zalanthas. Master and mistress are only used if a slave must refer to their owner.

From Cayuga's original post:

sir (exceptions being military clans),

So I think you could safely call a Mercenary a sir, since he's in a military clan. >.>

Personally I'm of a mind similar to Large Hero to not worry about the GDB. I'm just going to play the game and let it get sorted out in player complaints or account notes. I trust myself not to use titles egregiously or anachronistically.

[BadSkeelz]

I also think this sums up Cayuga's initial post and GDB reaction pretty well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BUnNfDCVWk

[Armaddict]

So I think you could safely call a Mercenary a sir, since he's in a military clan. >.>

The 'except in military clans' makes the implied argument that it's an official 'real' title rather than an honorific, i.e. you are addressing a superior officer.

That implied argument goes away when it's from someone who is not an inferior in said clan, because that's all 'Sir' is in the first place unless you're referring to knighthood, which is -still- a military hat-tip of respect.  That's no longer allowed by this unless it is an actual title assigned to that person.

[Armaddict]

I also think this sums up Cayuga's initial post and GDB reaction pretty well.

I'd agree, if the original statement was closer to 'I've decided that it's now wrong to drive within eight inches of the double line on the road.'

[Molten Heart]

Could a master of martial arts be called master? Or a caravan master? While they may not be the master of a slave, they are the master of something, and be the reason someone is showing them respect by addressing them as such.

[Malken]

Could a master of martial arts be called master? Or a caravan master? While they may not be the master of a slave, they are the master of something, and be the reason someone is showing them respect by addressing them as such.

Who decides that so and so is a master of martial arts or a caravan master? It's not like there are guilds in-game where you get a certification of sort.

[boog]

I also think this sums up Cayuga's initial post and GDB reaction pretty well.

I'd agree, if the original statement was closer to 'I've decided that it's now wrong to drive within eight inches of the double line on the road.'

I think you really need a GDB break. You're being really ugly for no reason.

[Molten Heart]

Could a master of martial arts be called master? Or a caravan master? While they may not be the master of a slave, they are the master of something, and be the reason someone is showing them respect by addressing them as such.

Who decides that so and so is a master of martial arts or a caravan master? It's not like there are guilds in-game where you get a certification of sort.

To me the term master denotes control or authority. So if someone is in control of or authority over something, that would make them a master.

[Akaramu]

[notserious]It's okay to call your mudsex partner master if you're into BDSM![/notserious]