Insults and Slang in a Medieval Setting

On Advent of the Mists we try to keep with an authentic medieval feel, even in our cursing. Below are some rules that we expect the players to follow when insulting each other.

– We’ve relaxed our stance on words such as “Fuck” and “Shit” as being allowed in-game in proper circumstances.

– There are to be no insults involving genitalia or sexual orientation. Examples would be “Fa***t, Pu***, etc”. We not only do not allow it because it does no fit in with the medieval feel of our game from an etymology standpoint. We also support an inclusive environment, which means while we are trying to build a game in a medieval setting, we refrain from encouraging roleplay that would disenfranchise our players that may be LGBTQIA. Anyone using modern derogatory terms in-game will be removed from the game.

Some alternative words to encompass the above:

• Instead of “Dick”, use words like “Cock”, “Prick”
• For female genitalia, “Cunt”,
• For sex, consider using words such as “Plough”, though sex is harmless enough that we are fine with using it as well.
• For discussing LGBTQIA references, we don’t use “Lesbian” and “Gay” in a medieval setting, though Gay is used in its old-world reference of “Happy”. Instead, saying preferring men or women or that there is no preference for orientation.

Answers to some recently expressed questions:

1. Why not Dick? Dick isn’t a medieval term for male genitalia and wasn’t referenced as such until the late 1800’s.
2. Why Cunt and Not Pussy? Cunt has a long and complicated history, some back in the sanskrit era. It’s old enough, and not offensive enough that we are comfortable allowing it in game.
3. Prick is well known in Shakespearean works and is old enough to be considered part of the medieval verbiage.
4. Why not Lesbian? Lesbian was not a word that described what we know as modern day Lesbian until the 1920’s, hence we don’t use it in our medieval setting here.
5. Why not pussy? Again, it’s a late 1800’s word for the female genitalia, so it’s not appropriate for our medieval setting.

– Terms such as “bitch, bastard, ass” are allowed

– “Damn” or to be “Damned” is acceptable, though we suggest using Gods in a plural sense instead of “God damn.” Hell is not an acceptable term in the game, since our version of the underworld is called “Abystus,” which should be used in its stead.

– Players are encouraged to use resources such as the insult generators below

Consequences for breaking immersion with poorly worded insults aren’t really decided. We don’t expect people to know all of these guidelines right off the bat, but we do expect players to learn how to interact in-game appropriately.

Additional insult resources:

• Shakespearean Insult Generator
• Another Shakespearean Insult Generator
• Shakespeare Insult Kit

Insult Examples Chart/Kit

Take something from the first column, add something from the second column and then something from the third column, and you have an instant insult!

References:
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