PDA

View Full Version : Gamer Tales Fun with voices!



Darth Credence
2021-08-20, 04:13 PM
This has probably been discussed, but I didn't see any recently when I did a search. I'm looking for fun tales of doing different voices for characters.

I have two examples. One is Angus, who my players rescued and is a temporary companion to them. I have been giving him the most over the top Scottish accent I can do, pushing to the point where the players can't understand about half of what I say. We've had a good time with the role playing for it, and it has forced me to make an area in my world that has that as an accent.

My other one is a much bigger undertaking, and we are just starting it now. They are getting to the capital of the kingdom that they have adventured in and around for the first time. The should be meeting the king shortly. I have decided that everyone in this part of the kingdom has a southern drawl - mostly because I can do a southern drawl fairly well, and because of what I'm doing for the king. They have met a few people that have a fairly low key drawl, to the point that I'm not sure if they have even noticed a theme for everyone in the area or not. But boy, they're certainly going to when they start to get closer to meeting the king.

Because the king is the King - Elvis Presley. I have done some Elvis impersonation in the past, and it is by far my clearest, most consistent voice. He wears jewel encrusted capes, plays the lute, and relies pretty heavily on the head of his personal guards, the Colonel. The Colonel will basically fill the role of the Evil Vizier, although he's in it to get rich off of the kingdom rather than attempt to rule it. My only question at this point is whether or not I put on the wig and sunglasses whenever I'm being the king, or just go with the voice.

Anyone have any fun voices they do as part of their games?

Melayl
2021-08-20, 04:32 PM
This has probably been discussed, but I didn't see any recently when I did a search. I'm looking for fun tales of doing different voices for characters.

I have two examples. One is Angus, who my players rescued and is a temporary companion to them. I have been giving him the most over the top Scottish accent I can do, pushing to the point where the players can't understand about half of what I say. We've had a good time with the role playing for it, and it has forced me to make an area in my world that has that as an accent.

My other one is a much bigger undertaking, and we are just starting it now. They are getting to the capital of the kingdom that they have adventured in and around for the first time. The should be meeting the king shortly. I have decided that everyone in this part of the kingdom has a southern drawl - mostly because I can do a southern drawl fairly well, and because of what I'm doing for the king. They have met a few people that have a fairly low key drawl, to the point that I'm not sure if they have even noticed a theme for everyone in the area or not. But boy, they're certainly going to when they start to get closer to meeting the king.

Because the king is the King - Elvis Presley. I have done some Elvis impersonation in the past, and it is by far my clearest, most consistent voice. He wears jewel encrusted capes, plays the lute, and relies pretty heavily on the head of his personal guards, the Colonel. The Colonel will basically fill the role of the Evil Vizier, although he's in it to get rich off of the kingdom rather than attempt to rule it. My only question at this point is whether or not I put on the wig and sunglasses whenever I'm being the king, or just go with the voice.

Anyone have any fun voices they do as part of their games?

That. Sounds. AWESOME! I hope your players appreciate it as much as I would.

I'd leave off the wig and sunglasses, though. I think it would ruin the "surprise" when the King first starts speaking, and it might get old donning and doffing the wig all the time. Sunglasses might be OK, I guess.

Psyren
2021-08-20, 10:45 PM
One of my favorite characters was a Hill Dwarf Druid from the country, very rustic and unsophisticated.

Rather than the typical Scottish or otherwise Celtic accent you might expect for a dwarf, I made him sound as Appalachian deep-South redneck as I could fathom, essentially turning him into a Hillbilly Dwarf. This then informed his mannerisms - making moonshine in the party camp and urinating out our fire, catching rodents and other unsavory critters for the group that were "good eatin'" when it was his turn to forage for provisions, unabashedly stripping down and washing his breeches and smallclothes when we camped near a stream (when he bothered to clean up at all), and so on.

Darth Credence
2021-08-20, 11:12 PM
That. Sounds. AWESOME! I hope your players appreciate it as much as I would.

I'd leave off the wig and sunglasses, though. I think it would ruin the "surprise" when the King first starts speaking, and it might get old donning and doffing the wig all the time. Sunglasses might be OK, I guess.
Yeah, probably right. It would be funny very briefly, then get in the way.


One of my favorite characters was a Hill Dwarf Druid from the country, very rustic and unsophisticated.

Rather than the typical Scottish or otherwise Celtic accent you might expect for a dwarf, I made him sound as Appalachian deep-South redneck as I could fathom, essentially turning him into a Hillbilly Dwarf. This then informed his mannerisms - making moonshine in the party camp and urinating out our fire, catching rodents and other unsavory critters for the group that were "good eatin'" when it was his turn to forage for provisions, unabashedly stripping down and washing his breeches and smallclothes when we camped near a stream (when he bothered to clean up at all), and so on.

Nice! This inspires me. I may borrow this for a group in my world.

SquidFighter
2021-08-21, 08:44 AM
In my current Traveller campaign, I'm running Pirates of Drinax and I decided that Ranchando, the local Bazaar owner and smuggler would sound identical to Hando from Clone Wars / Rebels.

"You need a new transponder my friends ? Hmm, if only I could remember who could sell it to me ... 15 000 credits, you say ! How could I forget : it's right here !"
" Ahh, the stories I could tell, so many of them true ..."

My players seem to have at least half as much fun listening to the rambling merchant as I have playing him !:smalltongue:

quinron
2021-08-21, 12:46 PM
My favorite PC, who I've quasi-brought back as an NPC in games I've run, was Dhugka the kenku. He has a thick Central Asian accent and raspy, croaking voice, and I play him as the kind of guy who only learned Common to pick up chicks (no pun intended), very "son of a foreign billionaire." He's not always liked, but he is remembered.

Darth Credence
2021-08-23, 04:25 PM
Hondo Ohnaka - great, memorable voice. I had an NPC, a pirate leader, ready based on him, but alas, my players never went that direction.

"Son of a foreign billionaire" is pretty evocative. I can hear what you're going for, and I like it!

Calthropstu
2021-08-24, 11:32 AM
I set accents for general areas for common. Each country has different accent bases with different tones of talk for different areas. Like one country speaks with a french accent, but in the mountains they have a more gutteral tone. Ever try speaking gutteral english in a french accent? I don't recommend it, oui?

GarrisonsandGno
2021-08-24, 01:37 PM
Does it have to be a voice? I played a sapient mushroom who communicated by bells once, and had different shaped/colored ones for different emotions or meanings. It was an odd, but fun table in general.

Imbalance
2021-08-26, 09:24 AM
One of my favorite characters was a Hill Dwarf Druid from the country, very rustic and unsophisticated.

Rather than the typical Scottish or otherwise Celtic accent you might expect for a dwarf, I made him sound as Appalachian deep-South redneck as I could fathom, essentially turning him into a Hillbilly Dwarf. This then informed his mannerisms - making moonshine in the party camp and urinating out our fire, catching rodents and other unsavory critters for the group that were "good eatin'" when it was his turn to forage for provisions, unabashedly stripping down and washing his breeches and smallclothes when we camped near a stream (when he bothered to clean up at all), and so on.

As a lifelong Appalachian I suppose this stereotype should be offensive, except that it's totally fair and I applaud you.

The weirdest one I've done so far was a Drow mage with a slow, gentlemanly drawl, like a plantation owner, because I had to do something completely different from the video I had been shown (against my will, right before our session) of an animated segment of somebody's real play of the exact same point in the campaign where this character was given a foppish German accent and I hated it. I went too far the other way. My party killed that guy so frickin' fast...

There have been two celestials introduced to the party so far, and after last session I dreadfully realized they both sound a bit too much like Barney the dinosaur, and now im going to have to actively talk myself out of doing the laugh. Ever. I've got a shop owner that channels Dorothy Zbornak, the Halfling mother and son are Mama and Stuart from Mad TV, and I've got a hag coven based on school teachers I had growing up.

The most difficult one was the architect they hired to design their stronghold project. I put all of the worst traits of every conceited designer I have worked with IRL into this Elf, but just couldn't do him justice. In true fashion, though, he passed their little backwater hovel on to his apprentice, who is a considerably less arrogant character for me to pull off.

Darth Credence
2021-08-27, 08:58 AM
I set accents for general areas for common. Each country has different accent bases with different tones of talk for different areas. Like one country speaks with a french accent, but in the mountains they have a more gutteral tone. Ever try speaking gutteral english in a french accent? I don't recommend it, oui?

This makes me think I need to work in a Cajun accent somewhere. There was a TV show when I was growing up called the Cajun Chef, which would make an outstanding accent for someone that you don't want to be understood!


Does it have to be a voice? I played a sapient mushroom who communicated by bells once, and had different shaped/colored ones for different emotions or meanings. It was an odd, but fun table in general.

Did you actually have a set of bells to ring? Because that could be pretty cool at the right table. I like the idea in general for something with no ability to speak.


As a lifelong Appalachian I suppose this stereotype should be offensive, except that it's totally fair and I applaud you.

The weirdest one I've done so far was a Drow mage with a slow, gentlemanly drawl, like a plantation owner, because I had to do something completely different from the video I had been shown (against my will, right before our session) of an animated segment of somebody's real play of the exact same point in the campaign where this character was given a foppish German accent and I hated it. I went too far the other way. My party killed that guy so frickin' fast...

There have been two celestials introduced to the party so far, and after last session I dreadfully realized they both sound a bit too much like Barney the dinosaur, and now im going to have to actively talk myself out of doing the laugh. Ever. I've got a shop owner that channels Dorothy Zbornak, the Halfling mother and son are Mama and Stuart from Mad TV, and I've got a hag coven based on school teachers I had growing up.

The most difficult one was the architect they hired to design their stronghold project. I put all of the worst traits of every conceited designer I have worked with IRL into this Elf, but just couldn't do him justice. In true fashion, though, he passed their little backwater hovel on to his apprentice, who is a considerably less arrogant character for me to pull off.

:smallbiggrin:Oh my. I hope I never accidentally slip into Barney. I've accidentally slipped into Yoda before, and didn't know until my players pointed it out.

Cicciograna
2021-09-01, 08:45 AM
As a non American I have to say that I have trouble placing, and even recognizing, most typical accents of the United States, so typically accent-based jokes or impersonations go over my head. No problem if others in my group want to do them, though, even though one time there was an episode in which essentially all the other players - all Americans - started doing accents and having a blast out of it, whereas I just couldn't really understand what was so fun about it. No biggie, though.

I generally like having fun with the voice if the character requires it. The character that I'm currently playing is a somewhat paranoid Diviner, and I talk in-character with a high-pitched, shrill voice and somewhat faster than I usually do. We are playing CoS, and our DM impersonates some East European accents for many of the character, and I have to say I enjoy them.

The only moment in which I don't like accents is when information is lost through communication due to them. I have some hearing issue, and this, compounded with the fact that English is not my native language, means that sometimes I lose bits of information because I physically can't discern the words that are being spoken to me, and this is usually exacerbated when the speaker has some thick accent.