Isn’t a chimera a mix of mis-matched elements, like a lion with a dragon’s head and snakes for tails? A hybrid.
I’m liking “Persona” at the moment.
And all the parts fit together perfectly, don’t they? If you have a look at the bunch of people hanging around Diatribe particularly and RPg in whole, it looks very much like that 
It doesn’t matter if the parts look mis-matched as long as they function well together, and RPG does look like that (not only in NZ, it’s the same everywhere)
And all the parts fit together perfectly, don’t they? If you have a look at the bunch of people hanging around Diatribe particularly and RPg in whole, it looks very much like that It doesn’t matter if the parts look mis-matched as long as they function well together, and RPG does look like that (not only in NZ, it’s the same everywhere)[/quote]
Not really buying it. I also think this word has fantasy overtones. I don’t think we’ve got a good name yet but it feels like we’re close. Let’s keep up the brainstorming.
[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]Isn’t a chimera a mix of mis-matched elements, like a lion with a dragon’s head and snakes for tails? A hybrid.
I’m liking “Persona” at the moment.[/quote]
You’re thinking of the Chimera of Greek mythology - firebreathing female monster with a lions head, goats body and serpents tale.
The other meaning of Chimera is - an illusion or fabrication of the mind.
In genetics a chimera is created by blending genes from different species. So the term definitely has that “blend” connotation outside of myth. I don’t think of it so o much as an illusion, although I’m familiar with that usage too.
The first thing that jumps to mind is the picture of a chimera in the red Basic D&D books. I agree with Craig that it’s too fantasy.
Still liking Persona. S’what it’s all about, assuming a role. Persona is Latin for mask, but doesn’t sound like a White Wolf game.
I personally do not find the use of Maori words and names at all appealing, in fact I find it downright annoying. These days I feel there is a tendancy to saturate the media and political environment with Maori culture in the name of political correctness, and while I applaud them for taking pride in their culture and heritage, I resent having it forced down my throat every five minutes. I find the use of Maori words in non Maori subjects and areas irrelevant, intrusive, and detrimental to my enjoyment of those things. Please note I am not trying to offend anyone, nor am I trying to be racist. I merely think that using Maori words in a non Maori-specific context not only alienates people for whom the words hold no relevance, but it also strips the words of themselves of their significance, turning them into gimicky curiosities instead of a legitimate and unique form of expression.
*waits for the inevitable backlash 
*
Edited for spelling
I think we shouldn’t use a French or Latin word either, as it’s inappropriately taking the language out of context and forcing a culture on us that has no relevance to us. 
I was waiting for that one:roll:
What I meant was that giving the NZLARPS newsletter a Maori name such as ‘Tuakoi’ seems out of place to me, as we do not use Maori anywhere else within the society aside from the subtitles of the regional forums on Diatribe. Thus in my mind at least the name makes the newsletter appear more like a seperate entity then a part of NZLARPS. While I agree that a Maori name does have the advantage of being specifically relevant to a New Zealand society, I think it is important to have a name that people can more readily associate with the organisation.
Also to clarify, I find the excessive and frivolous use of the language frustrating, not the use of the language itself.
edited for clarity and again for spelling
Well, how about you make a list of all the best rebutals to your post so that we know not to post them? Or just make a blanket statement that you’re entitled to your opinion and don’t feel the need to respond to any criticisms of it. That way we won’t have to waste any time with meaningful discourse.
How the Maori language can hold no relevance for anyone in New Zealand is beyond me; it’s one of the county’s two official languages. Your objection to it suggests that it’s very relevant to you, otherwise you wouldn’t have such a strong opinion on it. You’re worried about having Maori culture force-fed to you? How ironic.
Your post is enough to make me reverse my position on the use of a Maori name for the magazine just so I won’t be associated with your position.
P.S: Objecting to something on the basis of “political correctness”: -10 credibility points
EDIT: This post was written when the post above consisted of only “I was waiting for that one”.
… as I posted earlier, there is a chance that people may see it as a political statement…
Sigh.
It’s amazing how much discussion this has generated.
My apologies I meant no offense. And as you point out, my opinion is just that. My opinion and I never claimed it to be anything but. The original “I was waiting for that one” post was meant as a statement of irony which I would then follow up with a clearer statement of my objection, however I hit submit prematurely and was then distracted by more urgent matters and thus it was some time before I could ammend the post. As far as criticism goes, I welcome your thoughts and am happy to respond in a reasonable manner. After all a person cannot have an opinion if they are not willing to defend it. When I said that the language was irrelevant t to myself I simply meant that within the given context the name and subject had no association for me, thus it was irrelevant as to me it did not make sense. obviously this does not mean it will be irrelevant to all people so I never said as much. If this was implied I am sorry, it was not my intention to do so. As I stated previously my objection is not to the language itself, but using it for the sake of using it. If the most suitable word for a name is in Maori, then by all means use it, it makes no sense not to, likewise, if there is a more suitable word in English, Swahili, Latin, or Samoan then we should use that one. I simply feel that there are more suitable/ readily identifiable words that could be used.
It’s sad that we live in a society where any mention of something Maori has to spark a form-letter tirade about social awareness.
For my bit, I’m behind calling it the Larponomicon.
I’m going to be perfectly honest and say that when Craig started pitching Maori words at me, my first reaction was “Why Maori? It has nothing to do with us.”
The word “Tuakoi” itself grabbed my attention and wormed it’s way into my heart. I think the fact that it doesn’t have a ready programmed meaning for most people (i.e., we’ll have to say “It means imagine”) will mean that our newsletter will become more strongly associated with it. Tuakoi comes to the table clean of associations and can be made unique and ours.
My issues with a lot of the other suggestions has been that they all have previous connotations (most prominently in the case of ‘masquerade’) and the French/Latinate sound carries strong connotations of pretention (even my suggestion of ‘facade’ sounds to me like the name of some poncey architecture magazine)
What’d be neat is a name that makes some reference to the fact we’re a magazine as well. “Larpinomicon”, while unfortunately relying on knowledge of the notion of the Necronomicon to make the joke work, does reference both the fact we’re about larp and the fact it’s a written text of some kind.
In short, abstract synonyms are cool, but it’d be great if we could find something that pulled in the written nature of the magazine as well. is picky
I agree with Anna’s point about the latin and French names sounding pretentious.
It is in this spirit that I enter into this segment of the discourse.
Perhaps your position could be reflected through the lens of my personal experience :
I personally do not find the use of Pakeha words and names at all appealing, in fact I find it downright annoying. These days I feel there is a tendancy to saturate the media and political environment with Pakeha culture in the name of Eurocentric political correctness, and while I applaud them for taking pride in their culture and heritage, I resent having it forced down my throat every five minutes.
Have you done any research into New Zealand history ? Do you understand the programme of assimilation that was attempted from the 1960s onwards ? Do you know that in the first half of the 20th century there was a programme to literally beat Maori language out of school pupils ?
You wrote :
Are you saying the Maori have no reason to be involved in larp ? Is that because we lack the appropriate imaginative capabilities ? Or that larp is, by your narrow definition, solely the domain of Europeans and their antipodean descendents ? Is larp one of your “non maori-specific” contexts ? What about larps that contain “Maori-specific” elements - should nzLARPs promote these, or is that beyond the Pale ?
For your information, we have, and will continue, to be involved in larp. Many of the founding members of Skirmish (a larp game that started before, and will continue long after Mordavia has finished) were Maori. Is that OK in your world perspective, or should we just fuck right off and leave the important stuff, like naming the nzLARPS publications, to more politically astute and culturally correct individuals such as yourself ?
I am totally over defending the use of Maori expressions as being valid in Aotearoa. I know there are participants such as yourself and Aiwe who can’t torelate the outcomes of biculturalism, but you are in the minority.
The real argument for or against a particular word/phrase being used is whether or not it meets our requirements, not the linguistic pedigree of the component words.
I agree, if we use Tuakoi then we should follow up with more Maori* content in Diatribe.
- Maori is spelled with a capital “M”, BTW
P.S. I agree with Ryan, your use of the phrase “political correctness” is non-pursuasive and counter-productive; frankly, it suggests your are an ardent attendee of talkback radio.
I propose the name [size=150][i]DRAGONS N’ MONSTERS N’ SHEEIT: Live Action Roleplaying in Aotearoa[/i][/size].
My Apologies, I thought I had spelt Maori with the capital ‘M’ and corrected my spelling on several occassions, obviously I still missed some. Consider it fixed.
This is not what I was saying at all. When I said ‘non Maori-specific’ I meant not ‘solely Maori’ which NZLARPS is not. I do not regard LARP as solely the domain of any culture, in fact I think one of the best things about it is that it brings people from all cultures and backgrounds together and allows us to explore different cultures in new ways. Maori are a part of LARPing in just the same way anyone else is, but NZLARPS is the sum of all its parts any name chosen should reflect that, and it was my opinion that a name like 'Tuakoi" did not do this.
Thats ridiculous and not what I am advocating at all
The tirades didn’t start with the mention of a Maori name on page 2. All discussion at that point was quite friendly.
They started after Andrew’s post on page 5, which contained such choice idiocies as these:
Oh, for a return to the days when Maori knew their place. The good old days.
Irony much? If you think we’re being force-fed Maori culture, consider the reverse perspective.
Yeah! Keep your language on the marae and only use it to discuss kumara and haka, thanks.
So get some perspective, Brian. 3 pages of reasonable discussion followed the “mention of something Maori”, and then someone posted a form-letter tirade about how the Maori language is offensive to them in everyday use, to which some people took offense. Quite the opposite of the conclusion you drew.
And it’s about time that this forum lived up to its name. 
Wow I stop reading for a couple of days and look at the debate!! Talk about a talking point. :S