How to Speak Australian (Accents and other tricks in DMing)

[Admiral Squish]

So, one of my latest mad flashes of inspiration was to have one all the xen'drik natives speak in heavy aussie accents, especially the drow. Originally, this thread was going to be a request for tips on how to speak with an australian accent, but then I started thinking about it.

So, my current question is this: What do you do to make your games feel more real? When I DM, I do accents and me and the players will sometimes act out certain scenes. When my brother DMs, he has this huge thing about 'tokens'. I had an iron railroad spike to represent a cold iron dagger. He put on a veil when he was talking as a character who wore a veil. He does voices. He plays music sometimes. Another DM made us put a hand on our heads/faces to indicate we were OOC. Sometimes, there were hilarious consequences when one did not follow the rule (I will never forget the desperate cries of "Apollo! If you have any kind of mercy at all, please! I beg of you! CLEAN MY PANTS!")

So, I'm curious. What are some of the common DMing tricks of the trade? What do you do? What do your DMs do?

[DragonOfUndeath]

So, one of my latest mad flashes of inspiration was to have one all the xen'drik natives speak in heavy aussie accents, especially the drow. Originally, this thread was going to be a request for tips on how to speak with an australian accent, but then I started thinking about it.


drop in some "mate" and try to speak with an English (if American) or American (if English) accent. Since Aussie sounds like a combo of the two it should sound aussie enough for players to pick up on it.

[Hironomus]

I love the use of accents in gaming. Some of my favourites are the gnome accent our DM came up with, or the boistrous texan accent adopted by one of our players blackguard.

But I am appalled and disgusted by your suggestion that an Australian accent would be appropriate for drow! I am Australian and I am so offended!
Sure we give women afew more rights than we should and sure we have alot of spiders. And maaaybe our skin is alittle darker on average. But we are not evil people! Just because we have spell resistance and level adjustment doesn't make us monsters! Leave Aussies Alone.
...
Mate.

[DragonOfUndeath]

Just because we have spell resistance and level adjustment doesn't make us monsters! Leave Aussies Alone Mate.

no the Monstrous Humanoid type does :smalltongue:

i think he got the idea from Underdark=Down Under.


both made of poison and actively trying to murder you.

hey not everything is trying to kill you. there's kangaroos and koalas, wait scratch kangas they are mighty fierce. but there is still koalas. see the one thing not trying to kill you is the bear :smallbiggrin:

[Admiral Squish]

I love the use of accents in gaming. Some of my favourites are the gnome accent our DM came up with, or the boistrous texan accent adopted by one of our players blackguard.

But I am appalled and disgusted by your suggestion that an Australian accent would be appropriate for drow! I am Australian and I am so offended!
Sure we give women afew more rights than we should and sure we have alot of spiders. And maaaybe our skin is alittle darker on average. But we are not evil people! Just because we have spell resistance and level adjustment doesn't make us monsters! Leave Aussies Alone.
...
Mate.

The main reason for the association was that both australia and xen'drik are remote island nations where everything that is alive is both made of poison and actively trying to murder you. They also both have massive deserts.
Plus, it relates to an old outback/underdark idea I had which was awesome.

[ShadowFighter15]

no the Monstrous Humanoid type does :smalltongue:

i think he got the idea from Underdark=Down Under.



hey not everything is trying to kill you. there's kangaroos and koalas, wait scratch kangas they are mighty fierce. but there is still koalas. see the one thing not trying to kill you is the bear :smallbiggrin:

Actually the bears'll try and kill you too if you piss them off. Then there's the drop-bears.

[DragonOfUndeath]

Actually the bears'll try and kill you too if you piss them off. Then there's the drop-bears.

they aren't actively trying to kill you if you aren't pissing them off. whoops i forgot about drop bears. guess everything IS trying to kill you after all

[RangerStranger]

Steve Irwin FTW! (may he Rest in Peace).

My gaming group loves to pull out accents from time to time. We play FR (Forgotten Realms) quite often and whenever the DM RPs a Zhentarim we pull out the german accents and a few german words.

Nein! Nein! Nein! (NO! NO! NO! if I am not mistaken). One time we had Fzoul yelling this out during a battle which he and his lackeys were losing and ultimately escaped from. This is what got the Zhent-Nazi connection started.

It seems to me, for my group at least, that the dwarves are Scottish, the halflings are Irish, humans, for the most part, are English and the elves are just..... Latin based I guess. Think somewhat like Zevrin from Dragon Age I guess but not so urban.

[ShadowFighter15]

I've been wanting to work out accents for the various nations in Eberron, but I've only gotten Karrnath and the goblinoid races sorted. Karrnath has German accents (not a very imaginative choice, but anyway) while goblinoids all sound like the Jägermonsters from Girl Genius. And yes; they do have a hat obsession.

I'm tempted to make Breland English and Aundair French.

[dsmiles]

Alrighty then:

Dwarves: Scottish. I don't know why, but the beards and the attitude make me think of woad-painted, lime-spiked-hair warriors. I can pull this one off, most of the time.
Gnomes (if used): Irish. Related to Dwarves, but not closely. Loud, boisterous, partyers who like nothing more than to have a few beers with the boys. I can pull this one off, sometimes.
Halflings (if used): Slight cockney accent. Halflings remind me of working-class folk. I can pull this one off, sometimes.
Elves/Eladrin(4e): Snooty-sounding British accent. I can't pull this one off very well, at all.
Orcs/Half-Orcs: Speak with distinct Ork verbiage and accent. I got this one down. It's the easiest one, next to Humans (see below).
Dragonborn: Proper English, with a slight New England accent. Meh, kind of easy, but sometimes I forget, and they end up from upstate New York.
Human: American, as I am American, and I tend to play primarily humans, they get my normal speech patterns (upstate New York).

[KillianHawkeye]

Human: American, as I am American, and I tend to play primarily humans, they get my normal speech patterns (upstate New York).

You DO realize that there are several different accents occuring in various parts of the USA, right??? There's no such thing as an "American" accent. You have to be more specific.

[dsmiles]

Human: American, as I am American, and I tend to play primarily humans, they get my normal speech patterns (upstate New York).


You DO realize that there are several different accents occuring in various parts of the USA, right??? There's no such thing as an "American" accent. You have to be more specific.

I thought I was pretty specific. :smalltongue:

[Beelzebub1111]

For Dwarves, I take a page from Dragon Age and use something of a Midwestern Accent.

[BridgeCity]

You DO realize that there are several different accents occuring in various parts of the USA, right??? There's no such thing as an "American" accent. You have to be more specific.

Yes there is. American accent is the term given to all accents originating in America. There is no such thing as a single American accent, but there is such a thing as an American accent.

Otherwise there is no such thing as an English accent, a French accent, an Australain accent, a New Zealand accent etc. Most countries have multiple accents due to regional divides or other cultural reasons, but they are still all refered to as that countries accent.

[WarKitty]

The first part for me was learning to modulate my voice for different ages and genders. My male voices still tend to come out a bit monotone. Child voices are easier, a bit higher and lighter than my normal.

[Calmar]

You DO realize that there are several different accents occuring in various parts of the USA, right??? There's no such thing as an "American" accent. You have to be more specific.

Well, there is an equivalent to Britain's Received Pronunciation, isn't it?

[Ormur]

Well, there is an equivalent to Britain's Received Pronunciation, isn't it?

Isn't that the Midwestern news anchor accent?

Edit: The only accent I can comfortably mangle is french which I'm reserving for elves.

[Valameer]

My wife figured out how to do an Aussie accent just because she randomly chose Brisbane as her character's birthplace. God she sounds hawt when she does it, too. She also taught herself Fran's (ffxii) accent for a Star Wars character. She really masters the subtleties of the accents too. Way more attention to detail than I have.

I mimic a lot of different accents for different character types, but I know my accents are cheap stereotypical imitations. :smallsmile:

I have a detailed list of every typical racial accent (one within Eberron and one without) - and I was about to post it, but then realised it's way too long and I don't think folks would care too much. I liked reading dsmilies take on racial accents though, it was cool to see how different it was than my own. Yet, if I sat at his table, I think there would be no confusion when he jumped into those accents - they make sense.

[Kris Strife]

Didn't we have a massive thread on making an D&D Australia some time ago?

[Dralnu]

Best way to pick up an accent is to listen to someone speaking in the accent. Then record your OWN voice mimicing what the other person said as best you can. Listen to yourself and the original, make adjustments. Rinse repeat. I've been using this technique to learn proper pronounciation in spanish and korean and can vouch for its effectiveness. Australian will be much easier because there's no new sounds that you have to master really. You could pick it up really fast.

I've dabbled in accents when DM'ing but they're always of comical effect. Last session my group entered a coastal town named "Mellin's Ferry" and I spontaneously decided that all of them would talk with a Texan / SouthPark Texan accent. The face of the party, who's REALLY GOOD at accents, fully adopted a Texan accent to seem more "local" when talking to the NPCs. My players both hated and loved me for it.

[ShadowFighter15]

Also, for anyone attempting an Aussie accent; remember that the one you hear from Steve Irwin or Paul Hogan (guy who played Crocodile Dundee) is not the most common Aussie accent. Have a look here for general info on the Aussie accent: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AustralianAccent

[Admiral Squish]

Also, for anyone attempting an Aussie accent; remember that the one you hear from Steve Irwin or Paul Hogan (guy who played Crocodile Dundee) is not the most common Aussie accent. Have a look here for general info on the Aussie accent: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AustralianAccent
That is an extremely helpful link, actually.

Plus, I have crocodile dundee on DVD, I might just have to watch it a couple times to figure the accent out.

[Mecharious]

I have absolutely no control over my voice. Every time I attempt an accent (or attempt to sing) it sounds like something is being strangled. The sad thing is I'm usually the DM, and I'm often told my lack of voices is one of my biggest flaws as a DM.

[Godskook]

I have a detailed list of every typical racial accent (one within Eberron and one without) - and I was about to post it, but then realised it's way too long and I don't think folks would care too much. I liked reading dsmilies take on racial accents though, it was cool to see how different it was than my own. Yet, if I sat at his table, I think there would be no confusion when he jumped into those accents - they make sense.

post it please!

[grimbold]

the aussie accent thing hehehe
one time with a friend we were playing a basic rpg thats based off rock paper scissors and D&D 3.5. (we were on a long car ride)
We were rping the orcs. you know how the orcs in the lotr movies have aussie accents (sorta)
we had so much fun trying to be aussie orcs
references to barbies were plentiful

[BridgeCity]

the aussie accent thing hehehe
one time with a friend we were playing a basic rpg thats based off rock paper scissors and D&D 3.5. (we were on a long car ride)
We were rping the orcs. you know how the orcs in the lotr movies have aussie accents (sorta)
we had so much fun trying to be aussie orcs
references to barbies were plentiful

Just a personal nitpick, they are not Australain accents, they are New Zealand accents. I know most people outside of Australia and New Zealand can't really tell the difference, but they really are very different.

[Calmar]

Just a personal nitpick, they are not Australain accents, they are New Zealand accents. I know most people outside of Australia and New Zealand can't really tell the difference, but they really are very different.

Wao, I never thought of that. Considering that these actors most likely were from New Zealand it makes perfect sense, though.

I know these orcs mostly from the Battle of Middle-Earth II game (in case they in fact speak the same way as the ones from the movies) and I always had the impression they were talking in a British Accent that was corrupted by their monstrous voices. After all they're talking in some kind of English (as in the land) slang in the books, aren't they? :smalleek:

[grimbold]

Just a personal nitpick, they are not Australain accents, they are New Zealand accents. I know most people outside of Australia and New Zealand can't really tell the difference, but they really are very different.

that makes sense
thank you i was not aware of this.

[TheBlackShadow]

A while back our DM ran a campaign in a world that only had humans as a race, but lots of different nations. While it would be untrue to say that each in-world nation was analogous to a particular RL country (completely different geopolitics, some countries had a mix of RL inspirations; Stygia was a mix of Ancient Egypt and pre-Spanish Latin America; Osterland was an England/Netherlands combo,etc), each had its own particular accent and cultural quirks.

As a Welshman, the accent of Tandraig (a melange of various Celtic cultures, such as Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, and Brittany) was most natural to me, and thanks to my French lessons, I also manage an excellent Serenian accent. It appears I can also manage passable German (Warrenheim), Italian (Foccianna), Polish (Lacheraan) and Russian (Tserevka). There were a load of others, but either I didn't know what such an accent would sound like (South African/Zaqwan) or it was mangled beyond all repair (American/Kyurian). Interestingly, trying to sound English (Osterlish) only made me sound even more Welsh.

[Safety Sword]

You DO realize that there are several different accents occuring in various parts of the USA, right??? There's no such thing as an "American" accent. You have to be more specific.

All you Americans sound the same to us. :smalltongue:

[Godskook]

All you Americans sound the same to us. :smalltongue:

:smallconfused:

I find it very suspect that you can say that Garth Brooks and anyone from Jersey sound the same.

[BridgeCity]

:smallconfused:

I find it very suspect that you can say that Garth Brooks and anyone from Jersey sound the same.

It was a joke I'm sure.

[Safety Sword]

It was a joke I'm sure.

Very much a joke.

I'm also amazed that anyone would WANT to duplicate an Australian accent. Although, I think that many Aussies actually speak English better than the English do.

*Oh yeah, offended Americans and the Brits in one day. On a roll*

[BridgeCity]

. . . I'm also amazed that anyone would WANT to duplicate an Australian accent . . .

I agree, but that may be for obvious reaons :smallsmile:

[Drakevarg]

In my campaign, I have a faction of humans that are ethnically German (and their language is German with the serial numbers filed off), have a Greco-Roman culture, and speak with Southern accents. Why? Because it was the accent I fell into when I first uttered a line of dialogue for one of them.

Thing is, I'm HIGHLY prone to taking on random accents. I frequently start talking in a bizzare mix of a British/Scottish/Irish accent in the middle of sentances for absolutely no reason at all. Possibly just because I'm rather fond of those accents. Normally I'm a Minnesotan without much of an accent at all.

Oh, and the elves in my campaign speak Japanese with Irish accents. I'm not even sure if that's possible.

[Safety Sword]

I agree, but that may be for obvious reaons :smallsmile:

:smalltongue:

You crest the hillock and see before you the sprawling castle with it's high walls and guards upon the battlemetns. And old man approaches, and he begins to speak.,

"G'day cobbers, lend me ya ginger beers. I can see ya've come from Woop Woop and ya've 'ad a prang or two besides. If ya want me prezzies you 'ave to dig ya two bob outta ya grundies.

I'll be at the RSL if ya wanna spin a yarn.

Hooroo."

....