It's relatively common for characters to not have a last name entered regardless of factors such as the character having a decent number of hours, have a role, being caballed, at/approaching level 51, etc.

If you don't have a last name, why?

A) I mean not to. (Please elaborate.)

B) I forget. Whoops!

C) I will, but I don't enter it until... (Please elaborate.)

D) I don't need your damn edge points!

E) Other. (Please elaborate.)

And while we're on the topic, it never hurts to re-read HELP LASTNAME and HELP NAMING. I occasionally reject last names that don't meet the criteria (e.g., last names that try to double as a makeshift title), and there are no do-overs!

when I didn't know I had to enter it and thought I just had to write about it in my role. So my character age-died with no lastname. Oh, miscommunication.

I see getting my lastname as a nod from the Imms that my character is "valid", e.g. I'm doing something right.

The only time I did not have a last name with a character of renown was Yllonis, who was a monk that I was trying to play the ascetic concept out.

Most of the rest of mine, even ones I am not so proud of usually got the last name..

>A) I mean not to. (Please elaborate.)

This sometimes happens with me because the character is intended as a throw-away character.

>B) I forget. Whoops!

Sometimes I start a character concept based on build but haven't generated a role/backstory for it yet. Often times (probably moreso than not), I won't even begin composing a role until my cabal interview, and the first person to interview me for the cabal asks about my background, so I begin composing a backstory on the fly as I'm typing in the info and making mental notes of everything I just said. In these cases, I don't have a last name, because I never even had a story for the character. After such an interview, I'll sit down and flesh out the bare-bones story I just whipped up and enter it as a role that I can refer back to for future interviews and deeper character flavor. Part of that usually includes coming up with a lastname as well.

>C) I will, but I don't enter it until... (Please elaborate.)

In some cases, I will intentionally leave off the last name until the character starts becoming well known for something, and then I'll choose a lastname that is truly descriptive of the character, rather than something inherited by birth. (Think, BoltThrower, as an example).

>D) I don't need your damn edge points!

This is likely never the case for me. I LOVE edge points! If one of the previous reasons from above hasn't generated a lastname yet, and I'm wanting more edge points, I'll just whip up a family lastname real quick that seems to fit with the character's race.


As a side note, I also view having lastname unlocked as a reward for good RP, as it was initially designed to be. I'm not at all fond of the idea of EVERYONE having their lastname unlocked just because it's an acceptable lastname. I don't think unlocking lastname should be as tough has having a custom title, but neither should it be unlocked just because it's acceptable. When lastnames first got implemented as something that a player could SET for their own character, the idea was that your character has become well known enough throughout the lands that everyone has started to take notice of you and can easily pick you out of a line-up of heroes and random schmucks. You have had enough impact on and presence in the world for people to actually CARE who you are. Prior to that, you were just another random adventurer wanting to be a hero/villan, but with no reknown. Having lastname unlocked shows that you have achieved at least a moderate level of fame/infamy

Norrington: "You are, without doubt, the WORST pirate I've ever heard of."
Jack Sparrow: "But you've HAVE HEARD of me!").

>A) I mean not to. (Please elaborate.)

I play a fair number of dumber races that don't have an obvious source for a lastname. Do I lastname GrinningSkull on every orc I play?

>B) I forget. Whoops!

I've been busy playing instead of writing a role...desc... or setting a last name.

>C) I will, but I don't enter it until... (Please elaborate.)

I have a lastname, but like my role I don't enter it early because I may want to re-use it if the build doesn't work out mechanically.

>D) I don't need your damn edge points!

Since the changes to edge points I basically don't get edges anymore since I fail at grinding obs/exp, so lastname isn't getting my the edges either.

>E) Other. (Please elaborate.)

My character creation process stems from something I'd like to try mechnically. For instance I'm now tempted to play an exploring monk paladin. Random first name generation I don't have problems with, but if that character doesn't work out or I get bored, I've probably never put more effort into figuring it out. This is part of why I've always failed at empowerment. I want to play a storm giant two-hander who slays evil damnit, where is my religion for that?

The other option is that it doesn't really add anything. Like a fancy description, no one reads it or cares and only firstnames are targettable in PK, so why bother with a lastname unless I'm going to sit in the Inn and floof it up?

But mostly "A". Last names are constructs of civilization and/or order - I typically didn't have them on my outlanders or characters that are born wild/savage.

A- If I am playing a throw away char that I know is going to be under the radar uncaballed guy, I usually won't put much effort into the role and so I never come up with the lastname because I don't anticipate living that long.

C- If I play a char I intend to take to hero, I'll develop a role which will inevitably tell where the char came from, and include their last name, but only if the role dictates having one.

Sometimes, the role dictates not having a last name immediately or ever though, so I wait to set one until such time as one becomes appropriate. Dwunot was just Dwunot for example. Goblins didn't seem the types to care about family or names much. I did almost lastname him Cawfee though, but figured that would never go through.

Many last names are a reflection of the char race, ethos and class somehow (and I can't always think of one when I roll the char), which I think is a pretty general trend in lastnames in fantasy realms.

I have practically never had anyone notice or respond to a last name. Even when it's something thematic, or odd, or whatever, that could start a conversation, and even after I bring up theirs, if it has some interesting quality, nothing, ever. The only exception is the occasion Herald. For normal players it may as well not even exist. It's really just there to beg for some edge points which seems kind of gross.

There were chars that married for example, but that's fairly rare.

I'd agree it is uncommon (at least among non-heralds) to use people's last names. Usually because people you've interacted with always knew you as X, not X Y. So they just keep referring to you as X after the last name is granted.

But, many of us still like them, they're similar to titles. People rarely call other characters by their title, but most players like getting a custom one.

Actually, of all my characters, pretty much only my first bard's title became how people referred to her. All the others were just flair, and were nice, but didn't really foster RP. And I would feel like an ass referring to myself in the third person, especially by my lastname or title instead of my name.

The title after the second Comma always creates more RP, since it signifies a certain role you play, be it as a cabal leader, priest or something else.

nt

Since Gromm, I always try to set a lastname which reasonable imms would be reluctant to enable. Like "Dark" for Zqoemoa or "Wildfire" for Kaer.

In my mind, those would be the lastnames which you absolutely had to live by in order for IMM in charge to think "Ok, this guy is really wildfire, so I'll set it on, it won't look stupid in his case".

So when a lastname like that is made visible, I really have that nice feeling of accomplishment, like I really earned those edge points the hard way.


P.S. So DON'T MESS WITH LASTNAMES like "The lastnames are now optional, you get 2/3 the edge points if you choose not to have one".

P.P.S. Wait, this actually might be a good idea.

<beront>We all understand that you're preparing ground to remove edgepoints for lastname granted</beront>, mind telling us the actual portion of 25+ level characters not having a lastname entered? I just find it hard to believe that they are "relatively common" :)

A) Sometimes you have characters in your head (which is how all roles come to fruition, please stop stealing characters from historical fiction dammit!) and they don't have last names. Or in your head they have names like Ming the Merciless. So you don't set Jones as his last name heh.

Other characters obviously have a historical familial background, so you tend to give them last names that would show such.


I've had characters that had no recognized last name that got a last name due to an interaction with an immortal (my 1st character actually); I've had characters that were the "third" of their line, and thus had a last name along the lines of Caecilius (to name a recent char); I've had characters that were meant to not have last name (usually giants and "savage" characters).


And wait, what? You get edge points for lastnames? For reals? Huh.

Sorry, had to.

NT

Most of the time I just didn't think of the one I like yet, so I didn't enter it. As soon as I come up with a lastname that fits, it's on.

Lastname adds more flavour to characters, so I'm always on it. Oh and edge points :)

Not that I've had a mortal in awhile, but 99.99% of the time it amounts to this for me.

F?) I hate trying to come up with names to begin with, and holy hell I finally got a first name. Screw coming up with a last name.

I think the only character I've ever had that had a last name was one he took like 200 hours into the character based on RP that occured. Holy F do I hate coming up with names.

(Which totally amuses me and makes me want to yell "I DON'T NEED YOUR EDGE POINTS!" Not for the effort of coming up with a second name, no thanks!)

Role, or

Because I want my life to determine my last name and I don't feel I should be the one to judge what's appropriate.

Sometimes its more unique not to have a last name. I leave it off intentionally if I can't think of a role reason to have one. A lot of my goons are orphans or street kids and don't want to be remembered/recognized, or just never knew their parents/family. I don't want to just have a last name to get edgepoints, sometimes its just cooler to be known as that one thing. If I don't have a last name at level one after putting in my role I probably won't add one later.

Tons of people have last names these days, it has kinda lost its appeal as a cool reward thingy.

Also if you're awesome enough, you don't need one. See: Prince.

:)