#Orcslayer

[homunculus-argument]

I love these stupid fucking books.

[vintagerpg]

Orclsayer (1985) is where the pre-release of the GURPS combat system of Man-to-Man suddenly feels perilous to me. It is branded as a GURPS product, but also as “a combat supplement for Man to Man,” as if M2M was it’s own thing. Glad they got the branding sorted out before it became a real confusing issue.

Anywho, I am not sure what to call Orcslayer. I would not call it a combat supplement, actually — that implies to me that there are new combat rules. It introduces Yrth, a campaign setting that would later be expanded on in GURPS Fantasy, but it really isn’t a setting book — you just get some bare bones sketching of a locality and its politics and factions. Most of the book is dedicated to nine combat scenarios linked by roleplaying vignettes. These aren’t nearly robust enough to constitute a “campaign” and they don’t really feel like what I’d call an adventure, though I suppose that is the closest to what it is in form. I like the formatting, actually, with the roleplaying interludes clearly framed out before and after the equally clearly presented tactical battles. There is a lot of advice on how to run the battles effectively and most of them have interesting criteria and special rules that make them all feel different and exciting. I enjoy how linear the whole thing is, and how the writing acknowledges it but advising the GM to pretend to roll for things like NPC reactions that are preordained.

Excellent David Martin cover, too. I feel like he was really practicing his Frazetta-style butts for this one.

[calatianlinguist]

Thank you so much for this deep dive!

This is also a great idea to keep in mind if you are making up a culture, or even (spirits forbid) a language: How do names get formed, assigned, and passed on?

What sort of names do your people have? We'll assume people have some form of identifier that equates to a given name, but what other sorts of names do they have? Are any of these adopted from other cultures?

Honor Names: These are names earned for doing things, usually notable things. "Orcslayer" or "Bloody" or "Healing Hand" could be apply as honor names. If you have legendary named weapons, they probably have honor names, but people can earn these honors too!

Surnames: These are names handed down over generations, but take many forms. Not every culture will have surnames, but if they do, the simplest surname patterns are probably these: - Patronyms & Matronyms: names of one's parents, such as Robert Russell, short for "Robert, the son of Russell." For added points, decide if men and women have different patterns for these surnames. - Professional Titles: Grace Weaver being "Grace, the weaver" - Where one lives locally: Joseph Bank, "Joseph from the riverbank" - One's Hometown: Nancy Warwick, "Nancy from Warwick"

Religious & Ritual Names: These names are assigned or chosen during some ritual or other. How well known is an individual's name within such a tradition? Is it a secret to everybody except the one(s) who revealed or gave the name, and the one who bears it? Is it a new replacement for their previous name?

Outsider Names: Some cultures make a habit of having a private legal name, but allowing people to freely use a personally chosen name in everyday life. These names could be almost anything, from a nickname to any word, to just a set of sounds they like.

Nicknames: Speaking of nicknames, a lot of cultures have these, and they can be formed in various ways -- including some of the ways above. If a character has a nickname, what does it mean to them? Who do they accept using it? Do they have multiple nicknames for different people or groups to use? Do they have a preference for one or another or even none?

Naming International POC Characters: Do Your Research.

This post is part of a double feature for the same ask. First check out Mod Colette's answer to OP's original question at: A Careful Balance: Portraying a Black Character's Relationship with their Hair. Below are notes on character naming from Mod Rina.

~ ~ ~

@writingraccoon said:

My character is black in a dungeons and dragons-like fantasy world. His name is Kazuki Haile (pronounced hay-lee), and his mother is this world's equivalent of Japanese, which is where his first name is from, while his father is this world's equivalent of Ethiopian, which is where his last name is from. He looks much more like his father, and has hair type 4a. [...]

Hold on a sec.

Haile (pronounced hay-lee), [...] [H]is father is this world’s equivalent of Ethiopian, which is where his last name is from. 

OP, where did you get this name? Behindthename.com, perhaps?

Note how it says, “Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. Check marks indicate the level to which a name has been verified.” Do you see any check marks, OP?��

What language is this, by the way? If we only count official languages, Ethiopia has 5: Afar, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, & Tigrinya. If we count everything native to that region? Over 90 languages. And I haven't even mentioned the dormant/extinct ones. Do you know which language this name comes from? Have you determined Kazuki’s father’s ethnic group, religion, and language(s)? Do you know just how ethnically diverse Ethiopia is? 

~ ~ ~

To All Looking for Character Names on the Internet:

Skip the name aggregators and baby name lists. They often do not cite their sources, even if they’re pulling from credible ones, and often copy each other. 

If you still wish to use a name website, find a second source that isn’t a name website. 

Find at least one real life individual, living or dead, who has this given name or surname. Try Wikipedia’s lists of notable individuals under "List of [ethnicity] people." You can even try searching Facebook! Pay attention to when these people were born for chronological accuracy/believability. 

Make sure you know the language the name comes from, and the ethnicity/culture/religion it’s associated with. 

Make sure you understand the naming practices of that culture—how many names, where they come from, name order, and other conventions. 

Make sure you have the correct pronunciation of the name. Don’t always trust Wikipedia or American pronunciation guides on Youtube. Try to find a native speaker or language lesson source, or review the phonology & orthography and parse out the string one phoneme at a time. 

Suggestions for web sources:

Wikipedia! Look for: “List of [language] [masculine/feminine] given names,” “List of most common [language] family names,” “List of most common surnames in [continent],” and "List of [ethnicity] people."  

Census data! Harder to find due to language barriers & what governments make public, but these can really nail period accuracy. This may sound obvious, but look at the year of the character's birth, not the year your story takes place. 

Forums and Reddit. No really. Multicultural couples and expats will often ask around for what to name their children. There’s also r/namenerds, where so many folks have shared names in their language that they now have “International Name Threads.” These are all great first-hand sources for name connotations—what’s trendy vs. old-fashioned, preppy vs. nerdy, or classic vs. overused vs. obscure. 

~ ~ ~

Luckily for OP, I got very curious and did some research. More on Ethiopian & Eritrean naming, plus mixed/intercultural naming and my recommendations for this character, under the cut. It's really interesting, I promise!

Ethiopian and Eritrean Naming Practices

Haile (IPA: /həjlə/ roughly “hy-luh.” Both a & e are /ə/, a central “uh” sound) is a phrase meaning “power of” in Ge’ez, sometimes known as Classical Ethiopic, which is an extinct/dormant Semitic language that is now used as a liturgical language in Ethiopian churches (think of how Latin & Sanskrit are used today). So it's a religious name, and was likely popularized by the regnal name of the last emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie (“Power of the Trinity”). Ironically, for these reasons it is about as nationalistically “Ethiopian” as a name can get.

Haile is one of the most common “surnames” ever in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Why was that in quotes? Because Ethiopians and Eritreans don’t have surnames. Historically, when they needed to distinguish themselves from others with the same given name, they affixed their father’s given name, and then sometimes their grandfather’s. In modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, their given name is followed by a parent’s (usually father’s) name. First-generation diaspora abroad may solidify this name into a legal “surname” which is then consistently passed down to subsequent generations.

Intercultural Marriages and Naming

This means that Kazuki’s parents will have to figure out if there will be a “surname” going forward, and who it applies to. Your easiest and most likely option is that Kazuki’s dad would have chosen to make his second name (Kazuki’s grandpa’s name) the legal “surname.” The mom would have taken this name upon marriage, and Kazuki would inherit it also. Either moving abroad or the circumstances of the intercultural marriage would have motivated this. Thus “Haile” would be grandpa’s name, and Kazuki wouldn’t be taking his “surname” from his dad. This prevents the mom & Kazuki from having different “surnames.” But you will have to understand and explain where the names came from and the decisions dad made to get there. Otherwise, this will ring culturally hollow and indicate a lack of research.

Typically intercultural parents try to

come up with a first name that is pronounceable in both languages,

go with a name that is the dominant language of where they live, or

compromise and pick one parent’s language, depending on the circumstances.

Option 1 and possibly 3 requires figuring out which language is the father’s first language. Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned national ubiquity of Haile, you will have to start from scratch here and figure out his ethnic group, religion (most are Ethiopian Orthodox and some Sunni Muslim), and language(s). 

But then again, writing these characters knowledgeably and respectfully also requires figuring out that information anyway.

~ ~ ~

Names and naming practices are so, so diverse. Do research into the culture and language before picking a name, and never go with only one source.

~ Mod Rina

[veldrune]

Warcraft Lore behind Arthas return to Northrend in Warcraft 3

Frozen Throne Seizures

Several months after Archimonde's defeat, Arthas experienced painful seizures that coincided with the weakening of the Lich King's power. During a battle against human refugees led by the paladins Halahk the Lifebringer, Magroth the Defender, and Dagren the Orcslayer, Arthas had a debilitating seizure. Despite his diminished powers, he fought on until all the humans were killed, driven by the Lich King's urgent call.

Betrayal and Revenge

The Lich King's weakening control allowed the dreadlords, left behind by Archimonde to oversee the Scourge, to plot against Arthas. As Arthas battled their forces in the capital city, he received visions warning him of betrayal. Sylvanas, now free from the Lich King's control, attempted to exact her revenge on Arthas. However, she was thwarted by Kel'Thuzad, who stepped in and chased her off with his forces.

Return to Northrend

The Lich King's mental cries pierced Arthas' mind, urging him to return to Northrend and protect the Frozen Throne from demonic forces, later revealed to be Illidan and the naga. Arthas immediately prepared his fleet and set sail, leaving Kel'Thuzad behind to watch over Lordaeron.

Trials in the Frozen North

Upon arriving in Northrend, Arthas faced vengeful blood elves led by Kael'thas. Alongside Anub'arak, he battled through nerubian survivors, faceless ones, and the powerful forgotten one in the ruins of Azjol-Nerub before reaching the surface.

After forcing their way past the horrors of the dark catacombs of Azjol-Nerub, Arthas and Anub'arak rendezvoused with their army at the peak of Icecrown Glacier, with the intention of claiming the Frozen Throne in the name of Ner'zhul. They were dismayed to find that Illidan's forces had already arrived, were well entrenched around the pinnacle of ice which contained the Lich King, and were poised to claim the four Icecrown Obelisks which when activated would open the prison.

Battle for the Frozen Throne

Arthas and his army quickly wiped out a small naga outpost to the south west of the Frozen Throne and used the resources gathered from the ruins of Azjol-Nerub to establish their own base. From there, Arthas and Anub'arak launched their attack against Illidan, Prince Kael, and Lady Vashj. The battle raged back and forth across the glacier, with both sides taking and re-taking each of the obelisks. Although the undead were outnumbered, the biting cold and Arthas' considerable military prowess eventually turned the tide against Illidan. The blood elves and the naga were routed, and Arthas claimed all four obelisks, allowing him to approach the Frozen Throne.

The Final Confrontation

In a last desperate effort to stop him, Illidan confronted the death knight at the entrance; after a short fight, Arthas cut the betrayer down, leaving him badly wounded in the snow. The Scourge had triumphed, and Arthas was now free to ascend the Frozen Throne and merge with the Lich King.

Ascension and Merger

With Illidan defeated, Arthas shattered the Lich King's icy prison with Frostmourne. As he approached the armor encased in ice, the voices of those he had forsaken flooded his mind, including Muradin Bronzebeard, Uther, and Jaina. Ignoring them, Arthas donned the Lich King's helm, merging with Ner'zhul. As they became one, Arthas proclaimed, "Now, we are one," embracing his destiny as the new Lich King and completing his transformation into the dominant half of the new entity.

Listen to our song "The Frozen Throne Calls" here. Thanks for reading and listening!

[gutrot]

Orc slayer @jordorp is thirsty for blood! This here was the first drawing of 2023 and it was a fun one. I remember the background giving me guff, but then I remembered some of my favorite advice- "When in doubt, black it out." I think Wally Wood said it? I dunno. But it works. #Gutrot #ink #inkdrawing #orc #orcslayer #fantasyart #metalupyourass https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5SblMpz02/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[avarchillionpaints]

After I posted Gotrek the Trollslayer last week (surprisingly he got just one like - can´t imagine why though) I had to give you my version of his best “friend” and companion the poet Felix Jaeger (Jäger). 

This mini was created by “Dark Sword Miniatures” (https://www.darkswordminiatures.com) and is part of the Game of Thrones series. This one is normally “Jon Snow” but it seemed perfect for Felix Jaeger. He wears a red cloak and an often repaired mail shirt and wields a magical dragon hating sword that sometimes takes over his mind (whenever a dragonlike creature is in sight).

Hope you like him because I do. :-)

[cursed-40k-thoughts]

Absolutely a fair assessment. That said, I think Orcslayer is unique enough in its own offering to warrant a read. Manslayer is easily the most forgettable of the lot by a good margin. If you want chaos stuff, Road of Skulls is the superior book.

Just about finished with Giantslayer, should I read the rest of Gotrek and Felix or does it get bad after King left?

Nah it’s good through. Nathan Long and David Guymer do a solid and very good job of carrying the series on (Especially Guymer’s Kinslayer and Slayer novels to cap it off.

Josh Reynolds’ two standalone novels (Road of Skulls and Serpent Queen) are incredibly good and fun. Road of Skulls in particular is straight up just one of the most interesting G+F books.

Fully recommend reading the whole lot of them. After that, do the Thanquol books!

[quarternotewhistle]

It occurred to me that if I’m changing my first name, I can change my middle name too while I’m at it, which seems like a good idea since my middle name (Renee) is also pretty feminine (and also spelled weirdly, traditionally it would have an accent on it but mine doesn’t). I was talking to @shanhammer about what to do with it since like... I could just cut it down to R? Or not have one? Since middle names are never used anyways so it doesn’t matter. Cade was looking at gender-neutral R names though and suggested Ridley as a candidate. Tric Ridley. Just... go full sphinx. tricks AND riddles. A+

[kleineandgoosh]

Last weekend was a good one on KleineandGoosh. Check it out and remember we upload every Friday Saturday and Sunday! (Link in bio) #kleineandgooshgaming #couplesgaming #youtubegamers #sims4 #simsnoob #simspro #simmer #shadowofmordor #middleearth #orcslayer #stronghold #titanfall2 #attrition #titanbrawl

[eis-geist]

JourneyQuest-inspired Tarot Cards (Major Arcana only), #20 Judgment, as Silver Tom

RenewJourneyQuest.com (All three seasons are available free on Youtube and Amazon Prime.)

This card took forever, but I think I’m happy with the composition, even though I really don’t get the faces right. Silver Tom watches the people who interact with the world as they go about their lives. They await judgment, whether they know it or not. Though Judgment usually heralds their coming with a horn, Silver Tom brandishes his Bard Sigil and holds a quill and notebook to record the actions of those he follows.

The smaller figures: Glorion triumphantly shouts while forcibly restraining the lying gargoyle. Grellnock and Yart share a laugh, while Rilk spots the orcslayer and starts to pull a blade. Undead Carrow prays to little effect. Nara and Perf discuss things of little or much importance. Behind them, Staring lays with open eyes as Karn blames an unseen figure for his wife’s tragedy.

Note: This was too many figures. A mistake, if you will.

[prodigyduck]

Glorion Onward by ProdigyDuck

This was draw to commemorate the Kickstarter for JourneyQuest season 4! Here we have Glorion Orcslayer, the utterly chaotic evil fighter and -- as of season 3 -- current bearer of the Sword of Fighting. You should watch JourneyQuest on Amazon Prime, The Fantasy Network, or Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVORGr2fDk8&list=PLB600313D4723E21F Then go and support the season 4 Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zombieorpheus/journeyquest-4

[amonsteronmaplestreet]

Corvus Aiaar: The Shopkeeper's Crown, Ch 22

Corvus Aiaar: The Shopkeeper’s Crown, Ch 22

Chapter 22 Flight Through the Tunnels

  I stepped out of Cordelia’s hall just in time to hear Nel shout “Corvus!” and see her rush around a corner with Nirir and Miratus in tow.

“Hey,” I said. I held up the Crown of the Orcslayer. “I got the magic crown thing.”

“You got past the lich and everything?” Miratus asked.

Nel’s eyes went wide. “Lich!?”

“Yeah, she was actually pretty friendly,” I told…

[orcoftheday]

Today's Orc of the Day, long overdue, is: Forthog Orcslayer

[avarchillionpaints]

Well take a guess who that could be and who´s stories I have been reading lately. 

....

Enough time? Well than here comes the big reveal. This my friends is of course the legendary Trollslayer Gotrek Gurnisson. 

I have read a lot of Warhammer novels in my time but never have I met with a cooler character than Gotrek who, in my eyes at least, is wielding one of the twin axes of the dwarven god Grimnir and thus is nearly undefeatable. 

Anyway I wanted to have a mini for this great character for a long time and than, Scibor Miniatures (http://sciborminiatures.com) created a “wild dwarf chieftain” that looked exactly like I imagined Gotrek to look.  So I bought that wild dwarf, sculpted a nosechain and an eyepatch for him and there he was Gotrek Gurnisson the mad slayer.

I still have to make up my own Age of Sigmar rules for him, but I am open to suggestions. On the battlefield he should handle and feel like a slow but nearly invincible killing machine. I will give him a 3 + invulnerable save or something like that. Maybe even a 2+ against all wounds. Hm, let me think about that....

[askagamedev]

WB decided to make the Forthog Orcslayer DLC free for everyone, and to just make a donation to Forgey's family. Can't help but feel like they're getting shafter here, but anyway! Is there a reason why WB couldn't just come out and say where the money from the DLC transactions in uneligible states would go? I feel like, in cases like this, better communication could help avoid drama. Not quite a gamedev ask, I guess I'm a bit pissed about "influencers" just pouring gasoline on the flames.

As I understand it, this is primarily because of specific state and international regulations involving donations and charities. 

The six states in question have laws regulating the solicitation of  donations (specifically they require foreign or out-of-state entities soliciting charitable donations to maintain a permanent agent in that state to handle things). Since Warner Bros. probably doesn’t want to hire full time staff in these six states just for this one-time donation to Forgey’s family, they are legally required to add the fine print. If they stated that the money was still going to Forgey’s family, that would qualify as solicitation of charitable donations and they could be sued for breaking state laws. Similarly, there are regulatory laws on charitable donations in Europe which can vary from country to country. Rather than spend a large amount of time and money for compliance (that would probably end up coming out of the earnings for the charitable money), it is easier to just add the fine print that says it doesn’t apply in those states.

This is where the conspiracy theory stuff begins. Many gamers believe that Warner Bros. would simply pocket the money earned from the DLC sales in this regard as an underhanded means of fooling players into thinking that they are doing something charitable. Some of these gamers further theorized that the fine print only specified profits from the DLC sales going to the family, meaning that they could easily just claim that no such profits existed by raising the production costs on paper, in order to avoid paying out anything. Warner Bros. claims that all of the money would have gone to Forgey’s family regardless. 

Were there some backroom dealings going on? Is Warner Bros. so crass as try to cash in on the death of one of their own employees? I honestly don’t know. I don’t work for them, but I do know that we developers care very much for our own. One of my good friends and a former coworker passed away due to a heart attack a few years ago. The studio leadership was quick to offer counseling services for us, memorial services for him, and authorized small memorials in each game that was in development at the time. I’m sure that many of my readers have seen at least one of them in the games they’ve played within the past three years. This was all under one of the largest game publishers in the world (one that gets constant derision from the fans), which gave us their approval as well. I have no idea whether Warner Bros. is like that, but it has been my personal experience that we don’t disrespect the fallen.

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent questions: The FAQ