Culture based character names

[Dainiuskinas]

For me, while trying to roleplay, the most basic step is to remember the names of important characters like vassals, wife, children and not mix them up.

I happen to know two languages: Lithuanian and English, so I am familiar with the names of those cultures. It gets harder with other European cultures like French or German, though I still have some familiarity with the names if nothing else. What's really tough for me is non-European names, especially the Indian ones. I just can't roleplay properly as those characters because those names are very unfamiliar to me.

I know that everyone needs to have a proper name for their culture but does anyone have any suggestions for how I can keep track of people with unfamiliar names?

 

[prismaticmarcus]

remember their faces

 

[Rokh]

If you divide a complicated name into syllables, you might find out it's not as complicated as you initially thought. Most of the difficulty comes from vowels and consonants that are different or non-existant in English, but given how much trouble CK2 has with extra symbols, most names are greatly simplified.



By the way, you don't need to go too far away for difficult-to-pronounce names. I have a lot of trouble myself imagining how Irish names are supposed to sound like.

 

[Castimirr]

For kids I sometimes just randomize the name until I get something I can work with, then those shorter ones tend to become family names.

 

[Karlingid]

If you divide a complicated name into syllables, you might find out it's not as complicated as you initially thought. Most of the difficulty comes from vowels and consonants that are different or non-existant in English, but given how much trouble CK2 has with extra symbols, most names are greatly simplified.



By the way, you don't need to go too far away for difficult-to-pronounce names. I have a lot of trouble myself imagining how Irish names are supposed to sound like.

Good ol Eoghan got nabbed by a Bahn Sidhe the other night, what a sioam, seemed like a mharri ged thair

thanks for that, Gaelic

 

[Rokh]

Good ol Eoghan got nabbed by a Bahn Sidhe the other night, what a sioam, seemed like a mharri ged thair

thanks for that, Gaelic

Yeah. I mean, I'm usually the first one to complain about the English writing system, but Celtic languages are on a whole other level.

 

[WJS]

Part of it comes down to familiarization. I've got a game where I started as the Meshchera tribe in 867 near Moscow. They're one of the Volga Finns, so their names look little like what I'm used to, and dealing with Vechkas and his three sons Deryab, Velmayka, and Malyy took a bit. But honestly, just spending a little time getting to know the names, or even doing a little online research about what the names mean (doesn't help as much with the Meshchera) can help to let you understand them and use them.

If anything, the big problem is that the names tend to repeat quickly, so I can't be sure if this lowborn commander Tyushtyan is the same as a lowborn Tyushtyan I meet a decade later.

Sometimes, though, I'll still tweak a name as I prefer (Dergun becomes Dergan, or the like).

 

[Dolin]

Good luck remembering all those names once (if) you ever become king or emperor.

Courtiers and vassals come and go, every single day.

 

[Semigall]

I remember the names approximately, worked so far.

 

[VoodooEconomist]

remember their faces

Great, now I have the "Orange is the New Black"-theme stuck in my head for the rest of the day...

 

[Xenrek]

If you divide a complicated name into syllables, you might find out it's not as complicated as you initially thought. Most of the difficulty comes from vowels and consonants that are different or non-existant in English, but given how much trouble CK2 has with extra symbols, most names are greatly simplified.



By the way, you don't need to go too far away for difficult-to-pronounce names. I have a lot of trouble myself imagining how Irish names are supposed to sound like.

Irish? Irish is nothing

Try welsh and that spilled-scrabble-board of a language.

Like, I love the welsh, they have some fantastic cheeses, but man 5 consonants should never be standing in a row

 

[Castimirr]

Irish? Irish is nothing

Try welsh and that spilled-scrabble-board of a language.

Like, I love the welsh, they have some fantastic cheeses, but man 5 consonants should never be standing in a row

I have joked that the secret is they write words by listing all the letters you don't use rather than the ones you do.

 

[WJS]

5 consonants should never be standing in a row

Some languages have their strengths.