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Thursday 28 June 2012

I've Never met a Welsh Elf

There are certain dialects which are vastly overrepresented in fantasy RPGs. For the most part you’re looking to rural or upper-class English, Scottish (mainly a Glaswegian growl – think Billy Connolly in Brave) or generic Scandinavian (the population of Skyrim appears to hail from a conglomeration of Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and very occasionally Scotland and Ireland). This has likely come about due to the typical dungeons and dragons, sword-n-board RPG setting taking significant influences from Medieval Britain (thanks J.R.R).

Unfortunately, the romanticised reproduction of this era seems to glaze over the always charming Geordie, Brummie and Scouse Accents – hailing from Newcastle, Birmingham and Liverpool respectively. When have you ever heard an Orc remark: “Why-aye pet, I’ll just git me bastid sword an we’ll be oota here!”? Never, that’s when (with the exception of the Fable series).

Admittedly, Tolkien can’t really be blamed for the accents included in the movie adaptations. As Bill Bailey puts it, after being rejected from the part of Gimli the Dwarf for being too “rural”, he never anticipated the entire inhabitants of the Shire to be so Cornish they sound “Like a bloody cider festival!”

2 comments:

  1. The only Welsh Elf I've ever come across is in Dragon Age 2 where Eve Myles (Torchwood) does the voice acting.  As a Welshie myself it was great!  I always choose that character just to feel a little more at home :)

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  2. If I could make a character that sounds like Marina Diamandis I would be very happy. 

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