Ok, I’m finally writing my Fronts chapter, and I’m using in Spanish the term “Agente antagónico” for Threats, which translates as Antagonistic Agent, but I don’t like the name in English. I’m thinking maybe Opposing Agent, but I feel is not catchy enough. Any help here from the other side of the river? Vincent Baker Meguey Baker #lostintranslation #NahualRPG
Ok, I’m finally writing my Fronts chapter, and I’m using in Spanish the term “Agente antagónico” for Threats, which…
Ok, I’m finally writing my Fronts chapter, and I’m using in Spanish the term “Agente antagónico” for Threats, which…
It could be enemy agent if referred to a person
Nemesis?
Nemesis feels too strong, and an antagonist is not necessarily an enemy. In narrative an antagonist is just someone (or something) whose interests oppose to those of the protagonist, intentional or unintentionally.
The thing is that threats in AW aren’t just entities. Sure Jo’s girl might be planning on shooting the chopper in the face, but hunger, paranoia, and despair could just as likely show up as a threat. I’d choose a word that allows for such nuance.
Malefactor?
azlath then rival agent should fit a person while a more generic term should fit an event, like trouble, obstacole, hitch…
How about the Foil.
Maybe just use “Antagonist(s)?”
Or “Menace?” It can include impersonal threats (disease, terrain, etc). But it doesn’t plural as well as Antagonist. “Menaces” is more likely to be read as a verb than as a plural noun.
Jeremy Strandberg Oh yeah, Antagonist translates well into spanish too, Antagonista has such flair!
Well maybe Antagonist it is… What about Antagonist Agent? Does it sounds like correct English since they’re both nouns?
Eric Duncan
Wow, didn’t know this use of the word “Foil”.
Sorry, I haven’t been following this game so I’m not sure what you’re going for. Are these meant to be servants/actors of a larger big-bad “Antagonist?” If so, “Antagonist Agent” makes sense (though maybe just “Agent” or “Operative” would be better).
If this meant to convey any sort of threat, regardless of affiliation, then simply using “Antagonist” is probably better.
It’s not exactly meant as a threat always (but it could be), the things is, I would like to use Antagonist Agent because I’m using “Agente Antagonista” in Spanish. They can be servants, minions, or the main bad guy, the thing is they’ll be grouped under a Conflict (which is the name I’m using for Fronts). As in: “This is the Conflict, and these are the Antagonist Agents that constitute that said Conflict”
I think you just nailed it, then: “Antagonistic Agents”.
Or if you want to get poetic at the expense of brevity: “Agents of Antagonism”.
azlath Thing about English is that having something in a foreign language as a title is pretty acceptable. You could call them “Agente Antagonista” and that’s what they would be called. As long as the rules pertaining to them are in english it’s just fine.
Thanks Darrin Michelson, I think your comment will help me in other areas of the rules too. =)
No problem azlath!
I’d even go one step further and say it’s a good thing for games written by non-native English writers to use words from their native language. If said writer is going to the effort to write in a language I can easily read for 90% of the book, that should be good enough and i should put the work in to grasp the meaning of those titles, names, etc from context. Especially when it’s a language that uses the same alphabet and where many English speakers can damn well figure it out. For Cyrillic or Korean or Arabic, sure, anglicize it please, but that’s enough to ask!
ahem Small rant about lazy American English speakers over. I’ll just go back over here with my Italian learning tapes and my Teach Yourself Arabic books. That is all
Meguey Baker thanks a lot! This opens so many doors for my project. Really, thanks a lot… =)