Forgotten Kingdoms Forums

I just have to ask...

Why does it seem like 99% of the halfling (and gnome) characters on here speak (and act) like six year old children?

I prowled through my books and couldn't find ANY references to support this odd behaviour. Regis... Olive Ruskettle... Dwavhel Tiggerwillies... not a single one of them speaks or acts like a child. They're all quite adult with adult behaviour.

So what's the deal with the halflings here on Forgotten Kingdoms?

I, too, have often wondered about this, but could not find an appropriate way to bring the subject up without sounding insulting. So, thank you, Andreas, for putting to more polite words my own thoughts as well. I think I may even have a reason. It's like a chain reaction. Some people started doing so, others saw them, thought that was how to play those races, and it just multiplied from there. That's my theory, at least. Or perhaps it has something, in the gnomes' case, to do with their God being the Jester. Mischief, pranks...normally childish behaviour, though I believe the gnomes would be mischievious pranksters in more...grown up ways. In any case...these are just my thoughts on the subject.

When I started my halfling way back when, I was one of the only halflings out there, and as it happens I RPed her the way Andreas mentioned. But as time went on I made other characters and started playing her less and less. When I do occassionally sign on I find it frustrating that every other halfling is acting the same so she tends to act more grown up.

Like Dominik said, I think it's just a chain reaction. One person sees it, likes it, then copies it. After it gets around so many people are doing it you just want to change the whole way you RP.

Reiya

Ack, yes, I must admit I have been guilty of doing this with my char. (although those that remeber heusedtospeaklikethis, learned not to while in the presence of other people)Though theres one gnome out there who, I beleive actually RPs like he is a child... I think that accents are really the players choice, but a bit matter is that halflings and gnomes have always been considered as little folk, so they have been seen as children. Thus, people RPed them to talk thus. I have seen some gnomes speak with a mild dwarven accent, I have seen some be extremely somber all the time. All in all though, I beleive that it is really up to the player to decide, and, halflings and gnomes from different areas of Faerun might have different accents (if they werent of course all from Golden Oaks or Waterdeep).

Sorry if I focused a bit too much on gnomes, I know this is a halfling post

I guess I am sort of guilty of this, too... I have to say that personally, though, I've had a lot of fun with Ivaldi's accent. I've been trying to slowly clean it up, however (as he spends more time around humans, reads more literature written in common, etc.)

On a related note, I guess that in some ways the mobs give a little bit of a pattern for how to speak. This might not be entirely accurate... but in general, I think dwarf mobs have accents, while gnomes and halflings don't.

Like I said, I prowled through some books and could find NOTHING to support the child-like behaviour that seems to have suddenly affected all the halflings (and a good deal of gnomes) on the MUD.

"Hullo misser!"

"Ooooh! Watchas ups tos?"

Worst part is seeing those who were rational before now suddenly acting like little kids. I tried to bring it up IC but I guess it just went right over the other PC's head.

There's a lot of evidence for dwarves speaking with an accent: Delg, Morgala, Ivan (I won't count Pikel as he is a definite exception to the rule), Jill and last but not least the dwarves of Clan Battlehammer and those of Mirabar.

Again, all the halflings I've seen in the books behave and speak like normal adults. The gnomes tend to be a bit more eclectic. From Tinkersdam who was cantankerous and foul-mouthed to the crew of an air ship (I forget which book... anyone remember that one?) which was more like a room full of absent-minded professors with all their different theories and experiments.

How about taking a step out of FR and going back to the source: Tolkein. The hobbits (they're also called halflings in the books/movies) don't speak or act like children at all. In fact, I'd say quite the opposite. Despite being the smallest of the Fellowship, they showed their true worth and proved that they had the biggest hearts.

So again I have to ask, why are the halflings (and several gnomes) being RP'd like a bunch of kindergarten children on the MUD?

Maybe it can be counted as a form of play acting to make themselves inconspicuous. In general humans tend to discount halflings or treat them as children (which, from what I've read, halflings absolutely hate), so perhaps the halflings are acting as such to disarm the tallfolk - you don't think to look for a child when your money-pouch mysteriously disappears.

While I agree that few halflings, if any at all, would act like children, or talk like the item-making imp (name anyone?) in the personal pocket-plane ala BG2: Throne of Bhaal, they should be allowed freedom of character, as everyone else is.

That said, from the books I've read, halflings don't act like children - they make a special point to be more adult than the human adults they encounter, so as not to be confused as human children.

I agree with Rhelian on this. There are a few halflings who are not so sneaky-ish, take a look at Chester for example - the fairly well known good little halfling with a heart that's bigger than his size. If you know him IC, you'll find him just as adult as any other person. There are a few other halflings who are adult in behaviour as well. You can count on these halflings who are acting child-like to be up to something...

I have been hard-pressed to find a good example of a lead-role halfling in the FR books that grew up in the burrows, so to speak. Tigerwillies seems very knowlegable about the tallfolk culture and her role in it, as if she has been a resident of Calimport for quite some time. She acts like a miniature human, and Regis seems generally the same to me. I guess I haven't read enough on it, though.

Does anyone know what the halfling language is based off of? Does it put an accent on the common tongue, when a halfling is more used to speaking halfling than common? I thought it might, and I decided to roleplay my little ones as such. ...Also, it's quite a lot of fun (but if it annoys anyone, i'm fine with toning it down a little like Ivaldi said - just ask )

With utmost sincerity,
-L-

I would add to the above a reminder that, if it is your halfling characters established and long standing roleplay that they act somewhat childishly or child-like that the opinions and observations given in this thread do not mean that you must change your behaviour.

These characters are your own, to play how you choose, within certain limits as set down by the owners. I do think you should ask yourself why your character would act like this - but this is something you should be able to answer about any of your characters.

And most of all, remember this game is about having fun.

I think it is very unfair to discredit many others' roleplay preference and reasoning simply because one (or more) may not understand it or are annoyed with it.

Maybe it can be counted as a form of play acting to make themselves inconspicuous. In general humans tend to discount halflings or treat them as children (which, from what I've read, halflings absolutely hate), so perhaps the halflings are acting as such to disarm the tallfolk - you don't think to look for a child when your money-pouch mysteriously disappears. - Rhelian

Nail on the head. It is an adaptation for some. Act adorable for attention, favor, begging ability, or theft. Any sort of psychological manipulation is often favorable for those who have secrets, ambitions, or even depression. Anything to gain what is needed or wanted.

Agreed, most halflings dislike being treated as children and some take considerable offense to being called "short" or even a "'half'ling." But that does not mean that many cannot use this sort of ignorance or naivity to their own ends.

Needless to say, not all halflings who act childish have ill intention. As stated, some of them simply have certain needs to be met.

If I may pull another reference into the spotlight. Anyone who has played the computergame Neverwinter Nights and it's sequels Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes Of The Underdark, will have played with a halfling henchling called Tomi Undergallows.

It could be my imagination, but in my personal opinion, I'd label his accent as Australian. Imagine.... a halfling sounding like Steve the Croc Hunter.

Well, my answer to this is that most people with halflings or gnomes already have another character and cereate one of these races as a comic relief character. Someone they can go and have fun on and dont have to be serious all the time.

I play a halfling and I will admit, she does not like being treated like a child, however, she does have a laid-back way she speaks. (Ie: Dunno for Don't know, Uh huh for 'yes' (sometimes) etc.). She is also sneaky - highly sneaky. She likes to play games with people and thus her games tend to be how to put that person off and gain advantage for herself. She can sometimes act childish but then, so can humans. No one says that because they are Halflings that they aren't allowed such. Just they like to be accepted and treated as an equal. (ie: Just because I'm small doesn't mean my word is less believable. - much how humans treat their children. How many believe a child?)
I think it all goes to emotions on what the Halfling wishes to portray and what their motives for such. If they wish to be seen as a child because it helps them, then all power to them. Same goes for any other race.

When I hear a halfling in my head, I hear a mash between cockney and Australian. Anyone who's played NWN might recall Tommy Undergallows, one of the potential hirelings for the protagonist in the original scenario; I recall his being very Aussie inflected.

Granted, it's hard to convey that accent in printed form, without making a few words just totally unreadable... but then, so does the scottish inflection of the dwarves

I found this quote amusing and slightly relevant to the topic at hand

- Have you ever asked a halfling a question only to be answered with one? Welcome to the Question Game!

From: Understanding Halfiings
by: Leslye Burrfoot

And.....

- Does anyone know how to shut a halfling up without cutting out his tongue? No? I didn't think so.

From: On the Races of Faerun
by: Derik Longarm

I blame Kender. Seriously.