Post by the_cava in The Hidden Isle - Playtest Version comments

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I gm'd a session at the local gaming club, and we all enjoyed it a lot.

Though I have to warn you, since I'm an Italian living in Italy, "Dioscoria" really sounds like a blasphemy, and might want to reconsider it, at least for the eventual localisation.

On the other hand, a couple friends of mine reminded me in Venice people swear a lot, so maybe it isn't that much out of place.

Seriously, though, you're making a gorgeous game, and most Italian players are quite lazy, but I'm sure would love your game, and it'd be a shame if such a small detail would compromise the diffusion of your game.

causacreations1 year ago(+2)

Thanks a lot, we really appreciate it. We actually have an Italian in the team, but he's from Alto Adige, so his Italian is special. Upon talking to our Italian translator (from Milan) the "Dio Scoria" topic came up and she said: "Oh do not worry, only a slightly drunk wordsmith from Tuscany would use that as a curse." Dioscoria being an island of heretics makes this actually quite funny. But maybe also a distraction, so we'll keep this in mind.

Again, thank you so much for this feedback and for testing the game!

P.S.: Is Sine Requie still a thing?

the_cava1 year ago(+4)

How dare she call me a slightly drunk wordsmith from Tuscany?

Jokes aside, while it might not be used for swearing in that specific form, that doesn't mean it doesn't sound like a curse. "Dio scoria" would roughly translate to "God is toxic waste", anyway, so you can see how that sounds (it would also feel like the isle is called "God's dross/refuse", by the way).

Again, I think it's a minor inconvenience at best, but it sounds a little ridiculous in Italian, and it clashes with the game's tone, in my opinion.

About Sine Requie, while it's not my kind of game, and I don't follow it very much, another roleplayer I asked told me, and I quote: "Sadly, yes, it still is."

causacreations1 year ago

Yeah, Sine Requie never really caught on in our central European realms, because of its unsavory take on the region ...

Thanks again for providing detail on Dioscoria. While God's Refuse would be spot on, I get what you mean. We had someone in the team that just wouldn't play Germany's highly popular "Das Schwarze Auge" TTRPG, because the title's Spanish translation was just so obscene and hilarious. We will definitely keep that in mind.

E-Paper Adventures160 days ago (1 edit)

It's interesting how the perception of names can vary significantly across languages and cultures. In the case of "Dioscoria," the word can remind Italians of a blasphemy because of the recognizable root "Dio" (God). Using "Dioscoria" can distract an Italian reader and make the context seem less serious. It would be better to suggest alternative names like "Disoria" or "Discoria."

A similar example is the German word "Fahrt," which means "journey," but in English, it sounds like "fart."

causacreations160 days ago

See discussion above, our Italian editor said: ""Oh do not worry, only a slightly drunk wordsmith from Tuscany would use that as a curse." ;)

Also, why not have a blasphemous name for an island of heretics that are in open war with the Vatican?

causacreations142 days ago

Oh and here's another fun detail from the ethymology of the word:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux
The Dioscuri were regarded as helpers of mankind and held to be patrons of travellers and of sailors in particular, who invoked them to seek favourable winds. Their role as horsemen and boxers also led to them being regarded as the patrons of athletes and athletic contests.[5] They characteristically intervened at the moment of crisis, aiding those who honoured or trusted them.

E-Paper Adventures142 days ago (4 edits)

It's pretty obvious that, as a non-Italian, you can't grasp the difference in how Dioscòria and Diòscuri sound to an Italian. One sounds like a weird blasphemy or just has an awful sound, the other doesn't. And it's just as clear that, as a non-Italian, you don't have the same sense about blasphemy that we do here in Italy.

Anyway, who really cares?

causacreations142 days ago

Exactly, a non issue and on our side, we did ask a seasoned Italian editor who called this, paraphrased, "at worst, the issue of a drunken wordsmith from Tuscany". No offence meant to you of course.

itch.io

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