ITT: Veeky Forums Pet Peeves

They missed a good one here: The Gobi should read "Partly-Desert", Mongolians have very concise words for grazing conditions.

>our dwarves have horns

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How does he get the helmet on/off?

yeah I feel like if you were to translate the names for shit from the languages they were originally in almost every race would be called the [people] from [our area] with some exceptions like [fertile area] or [mountainous area] or [dry area]

Not ALL of them.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_Desert

>The name may be an Uyghur borrowing of the Persian tark, "to leave alone/out/behind, relinquish, abandon" + makan, "place".[1][2] Some sources claimed it means "Place of No Return", more commonly interpreted as "once you get in, you'll never get out" or similar.[3][4][5] Another plausible explanation suggests it is derived from Turki taqlar makan, describing "the place of ruins".[6][7]

If your fantasy desert was called "the place of ruins" or "place of no return" people would say it sounds too dramatic.

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Very carefully

theres a lake in Finland that's called Lake Lakelakelakelake

They don't.

All Dwarves wear helmets to cover their curse of the Horns in the company of Humans and Elves, whom find it disconcerning.

Real life, even if something is the case 99% of the time, is too unrealistic for fiction.

Never, uh… never heard of the Painted Desert, eh?

That's still Desert Desert dude, just translated poorly. The English/Latin "desert" doesn't mean "waterless" it means "abandoned", it became synonymous with arid sandpits over time because those are the only place on the maps that wouldn't fill in with something more descriptive eventually.

most people who complain about things being unrealistic know very little about what real life is like.

That's not what the Navajo called it. They called it the abandoned desert.

First thing I zoomed in and read was 'heart of the sea', so there is certainly some cool sounding names for places. Oh, and 'temple of the creator's soul' next to it.

I mean if you're going to say The Fair Folk don't get a pass to this on account of being grandfathered into the system, or that their name is dumb and meaningless, you're just wrong.

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>fucking WORLDBUILDING thread
>starry eyed user appears
"I want to do something original and different."
>a choir of at least 5 anons springs forth writing in unison:
"Nothing is original, don't try to be different yadayadayada"

This nice smug trueism has a place, but this is not it. What is the aspiring creative going to take away from that?
>don't bother being creative in the first place

Veeky Forums's not a creative board, dummy.

I always took away "Don't try to be different for different's sake. Be different because you've got something to be different for, and don't worry if it's just something else because nothing IS original. There's no shame in being derivative, so long as it's derivative and not a carbon copy." All sound lessons, imo. It's just that it's Veeky Forums, so it's told in the most abrasive way possible.

You get the same thing anytime somebody tries to homebrew anything, the "Why not just use a universal system?" brigade comes out.
I once asked one of those guys point blank why any new systems should ever bother being created and they said 'people are ignorant of all the systems available, or else they wouldn't be making them'. Which is honest, at least.

fuck that and fuck them, I eat new systems like goddamn rice, and if they stop being made I'll kill a man.

I agree. They literally argue for stagnation, that's a completely nonsensical position to me.
It's like saying nobody should ever write new computer code, just software. I mean sure, the chance of making a breakthrough and really shaking things up are super low and writing software to do what you want is probably more achievable, but if somebody really wants to try it even if it ends up not being as clean as C++ or whatever, why not let them at it? They're clearly doing it out of love anyways. If even one good idea comes out of it, isn't that worth it?

2,500 years ago, someone wrote down
>"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

The same person wrote

>"Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

Or in other words: Who cares if something isn't new? Do it anyway, and enjoy it while you're alive and have the chance.

>I always took away "Don't try to be different for different's sake
This is correct. Tropes are tools. Use them wisely, not never. Trying to paint with cat piss in order to be "different" is just as bad as someone who only paints landscapes with one shade of green.

>It's like saying nobody should ever write new computer code

It's more like saying nobody should write their own programming language when they don't know the existing hard ones yet. Which is... pretty much true.

nah, it's more like arguing you need to know EVERY programming language before you write a new one.

>>race is called ____folk
This seems unusually civil given the possible racial conflicts that may exist in a given setting which could help cultivate racial slurs.
I mean calling elves "forest-folk" while not precise is both accurate and mundane in meaning and intention. While forest-folk is not what elves call themselves we can't even call other humans what they call themselves, so it can be understandable if humans viewed elves as social neutral. However calling a people who are biologically different from you, share different beliefs from you, and who have had thousands of years of war with your people, "knife ears" may be arguably accurate but is hostile in meaning and intention. Though knife-ear is understandable given how the wedge of difference is larger between races than within them, and that this gap would only be widened if wars between races had occurred.
This in itself may explain why:
>1 race = 1 culture, except humans
is true in one sense as humans would necessarily have to band together to protect the future of their species. This is also true in another sense if you over look any splinter groups from other races, like drow, or if you are generally ignorant of the variation within the cultures of other races because you are not on of them and view all knife-ears as being the same (like neutrally over looking variation between groups in a country or hostilely calling all asians chinese).

>an abundance of The Noun or AdjectiveNoun as naming conventions for absolutely everything
Welcome to humans.

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Yeah, that's the nice sane defense. But it is never said in an appropriate context for that. You can bring out that gem when somebody is blocking himself and discarding good ideas for fear somebody else has done them. It is always the rapidfire first response to stating some aspiration in the first place.

What the OP is complaining about is actually a discussion term that isn't used in most games.

_folk is used as a standin for whatever your setting specific name for them is.

OP doesn't know this because he either doesn't play games or plays exclusively with subhumans.

>1 race = 1 culture, except humans

I'm willing to believe a race that evolved from something other than a violent, clan-based species wouldn't have the huge variety of cultures we do. The reason we have so many cultures is that more than 15 humans can barely stand to be in the same room before they start forming smaller sub-groups.

>China is "Riceland"

Mass Effect actually toyed with this idea, that humans are weird for having so many different "tribes" and such, that we're the odd ones out for not being as united as other species. Or it was some implication that we're unusually empathetic so we end up with a ton of different perspectives where other species don't and they're all different, something like that.
Point was, we actually were notable for having so many disparate cultures and religions. It's nice when that kind of stuff is addressed in universe.

"You are more individualistic than any other species I've encountered. Put three humans in a room, there will be six opinions."
- Samara

There are lots of rice fields in China. It's pretty well-known for its rice.

race = 1 culture, except humans
thats fair
>>race is called ____folk
that is actually nice "fair folk" "stout folk"
always liked it
>>an abundance of The Noun or AdjectiveNoun as naming conventions for absolutely everything
much better than real-life with our weird ass boring names

Probably a hinge at the top that can be closed over the head and locked into place.

>>an abundance of The Noun or AdjectiveNoun as naming conventions for absolutely everything
this drives me insane.
Wotc is particularly guilty of this.

>player is required to roll something
>>oh, gimme a sec
>takes out the die from his bag after searching for 2-4 seconds and rolls
>a few minutes pass
>asked to roll something else
>>gimme a sec
>takes out the die from his bag after searching for 2-4 seconds and rolls
>time passes
>>sec
>takes out the die from his bag after searching for 2-4 seconds and rolls

DON'T PUT THEM BACK IN THE BAG YOU CUNT

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>not realizing the purpose of worldbuilding threads is to discourage others from trying so your own work will be more likely to stand out someday

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>"That existed in X century, you can't have that."
>"You have something that existed in X century, you have to have everything else that existed in X century"
>"You aren't doing dwarves/elves/etc right"
>"You shouldn't do dwarves/elves/etc"
>"That's not low fantasy because it's not low enough."

>Animal people that are obvious about being animal people and are implied to have naturally evolved.
>World of Warcraft style armor and weapons.
>Map autism.
>Starting with the origin of the universe unless the origin is cool and affects everything in the setting.
>Allowing modern culture and morality to influence you.
>Using modern culture as a basis for mythological creatures instead of the originals.
>Building your setting around avoiding cliches instead of making something authentically.
>Using real world cultures as a copy and paste basis instead of the giant idea factory that it is.
>Deliberately seeking obscure real world cultures to copy as if it makes the above better.
>Insufficient distance between wildly different cultures.
>The lack of good sci-fi, modern or early modern settings in existence.
>Using realism as an excuse to be boring.
>Abandoning realism and making your setting boring as fuck and unbelievable.
>Boring pantheons, especially worldwide ones.
>Lack of mystery or importance in the fantastical elements.
>Shitty overcomplicated magic systems when the best magic system is always going to be the one that you would make without thinking about it deeply whatsoever. There is a system of magic already built into the human consciousness.
>Young male magic users.
>Non-magical female fighters with no proper explanation.

-4 str
-2 wis
+8 cha

>Boring pantheons, especially worldwide ones.
Wish this was easier to do. I just end up taking the current pantheon in whatever setting and changing a few names, or adding a few.

>Expectation that you have a PhD in damn near /everything/ before trying to create anything or GM a game of any kind

I completely agree. The bare minimum effort for posting on /wbg/ should be geological history at least four supercontinent cycles back, realistic fluid dynamical modelling of ocean currents (with the flow rate rounded to the nearest Sverdrup), albedo calculations for each biome and their effect on local evaporation and drainage, the planet's current axial tilt's effect on glaciation, and an overview on world population dynamics from the Neolithic or its equivalent to the "present" age (generally iron age/medieval), which is usually roughly 200-300 generations' worth of detail.

I think I know what you mean, but do elaborate anyways

It's okay to use them, but not for absolutely every single name you drop for any item, weapon, place, spell, culture, tribe, city and landmark

Well, gives a good idea of what I mean. I can't name even a single famous author who'd be able to work ALL of that out to the satisfaction of experts in those fields. I mean, who BESIDES someone who studies these things for a living is going to know all of that AND also retain everything they need to know for whatever their job IS?

I thought china meant middle kingdom

>race is called ____folk
Acceptable if that's not their name for themselves. Like Merfolk actually call themselves Kelesh or something.

No, China is made from the letters for "in the Middle" and "Kingdom" but like most Asian languages, they mean something else depended on how close you squish them

people not interested in new systems.

I dont need you to read the book, but atleast be willing to try damnit! I'll run it. I have a laundry list of systems I want to try.

>race is called ____folk
I propose we now refer to humans as nipplefolk.

>"my homebrew"
>99% AL ruling
It's easy I know but come on.. have some balls, let us experiment a little

>race is called ____folk

This absolutely sickens me, it's beastMEN and lizardMEN deal w/it

>planet's current axial tilt
Why not make it flat. Like, you know, real Earth.

"Barbarian" literally means "Ching Chong"

Barbarbarbarbarbar

I swear all Asian languages are just lies made up on the spot to fool tourists

There's a place in England called HillHillHill Hill.

>swatting an olive branch
>Hero walks up and tells me "water man" or something is visiting
>a big deal he says
>take some olives with me and walk to the polis
>some fuckboy lookin fool comes out to speak
>wearing a purple cape like he's all important and shit
>BARBARBARBAR
>mfw

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% AL ruling
What's AL? Adventure League?

This has been bad but the alternative is just making up a bunch of words which is just as ridiculous.
A poisongaze basilisk sounds bad but at least I can guess what it is, a sblarfn doesn't tell me anything.
It's a lose-lose situation.

Yeah it bars some stuff. There's also a "one book rule" or something like that, which is why stuff from SCAG was reprinted in XGE.

>an abundance of The Noun or AdjectiveNoun as naming conventions for absolutely everything

What is kenning

Right? At least most newbies have an idea of what a goblin is, but what the hell is a "kobold?" Why is it called that?

Did the aligator get fucked up?

ACTUALLY
'ching chong' means something like "poor little'. hence the expression 'ching chong chinaman'

No.

That's not very descriptive, all mammals have nipples

Untrue

but that's literally why we are called mammals user

The Japanese name for Antartica was something like "the snowy plains"

Do people in the thread not realize the entire point of OP's post is about Veeky Forums's collective pet peeves, not his own actual opinions?

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The vast majority then, still not very descriptive.
Also, what mammals have no nipples?

Platypuses and echidnas have mammary glands, but no nipples. They leak it from patches on their bellies.

Male rabbits.

>Recife as Cliffton
It's more Reefton, really.

3e's Monster manual had xill, xorn, ravid, yirthak, and a lot of other stuff nobody ever used or remembers.

Eastern Africa has some metal ass names.

>game that stresses investigation and tactical combat.
>start more or less in combat knowing our for.
>combat boils down to static whack each other that drags on for three hours of dice rolls and stagnant combat where the most movement was shuffling around.

Seriously, I don't get why 'slog through hordes of minions thst soak tons of damage in tight halls and small rooms is fun. I'm not saying it can't be but goddamn spice it up somehow.

A kobold in German folklore was a small fae-type creature more similar to the modern conception of a goblin. They were said to dwell in mines and play nasty tricks on miners, and spoil ore by adding a “useless” blue mineral to it(later named cobalt after the mythical kobolds).

Kobolds are an actual creature from german legends though. They weren't dragon things like in DnD, but it's not like the game made them up.

IIRC the element cobalt is named after them.

My Veeky Forums related pet peeve is OP, so it's still on topic.

> Have flying mountains
> Have flying mountains of scales called dragons
> Have continent-shattering wizardry
> Have demons and gods literally walking the land
> "But why there's this and that, the tectonics and sociopolitical storiography don't work like that, it's not plausible"
What do you know? There's magic and all kinds of weird stuff around, and you whine because the laws of physics are being broken? "There's a glacier right next to a desert, how ignorant and dumb". The fuck do you know? Maybe there's an Ice Dragon atop that mountain. Maybe there's an Ice Heart under the mountain, antitethical to the Fire Heart in the nearby desert and created by Bhad Motherf'ucker, the archmage of no-shit-giving. Maybe the Earth is flat, maybe the God of Illusions is fucking with you, maybe your mom is a whore. You have floating balls of hate and flesh shooting rays from their eyes called beholders, and you're worrying about the ecosystem or the laws of thermodynamics? Get the fuck outta here!

In other words, my pet peeve is people willing to accept dragons in one area, but wanting strict adherence to real-world stuff in others, without realizing that 1) it's a fucking fantasy world, lighten up, and 2) could be that LITERALLY "a wizard did it".

>Uranus is heaven
>Ur-anus
>Your anus is heaven
Planet namer was an ass man confirmed

See, I appreciate your view, but I still want full data on how and why that thing the wizard did acts the way it does.

Does it require magic to operate period? Or did it only require magic to create, and now it can continue operating as is? A dragon that flies by magic is much different than a dragon created by magic but which then flies by physical properties. Similarly, a monster that is physically strong because of magic is much different operably than a monster than required magic to make but does not require magic to continue being physically strong.

>In other words, my pet peeve is people willing to accept dragons in one area, but wanting strict adherence to real-world stuff in others, without realizing that 1) it's a fucking fantasy world, lighten up, and 2) could be that LITERALLY "a wizard did it".

That's because people in general are stupid.

They believe that fantasy worlds are "real world physics + magic on top" when in reality they could operate on entirely different laws. it's the same reason why realism fags justify OP magic users vs non magic users and why they bitch about stupid shit like that.

Also, I refuse to lighten some aspects up no matter how fantastical this world is.
I am interested in the goddamn dietary habits of the goblins and owlbears. I am interested in the wear rate of skeletons over time. I would like to be able to gauge exactly how old a dungeon is by how much of a patrolling skeleton's feet and legs are still solid, instead of being some kind of animate bone dust.

Look, I just want my wizard to scoff at the shitty worksmanship on that dragon.
See the tiny wingspan? That means the guy who made it couldn't figure out how to get it to fly naturally. Had to use magic to support his design. Sloppy. Lazy. Probably why there are so few dragons- a bad design.

To be fair there's a difference between being an autistic pedant and wanting cool monster ecology

>/tg pet peeves
That people who've never played a single traditional game post on this board and even worse, they think they belong here

Because when some fag who's never written a word of prose in his life says "I want to be original and different" he really means "I want to be novel for novelty's sake and I've read two books in the genre I claim to like"
99.99% of the time "original" is a palette swap of the popular series of the month.
Don't strive to be novel because novelty is independent of "good"
Just strive to be "good", novelty will come later

As if novelty and good where somehow opposed.
Good job perpetuating a false dichotomy.
Being something new is one of the qualities that can make something good.
Its like saying don't write complex characters, just keep everyone one note because you will just fuck up characterization otherwise. You can't declare areas of expertise off limits and expect a better product as the direct consequence of that.

>Being something new is one of the qualities that can make something good.
And one of the qualities that can make something not good is your terrible posting.