Titles
Titles in Amtgard can take many forms. Most often, they refer to Noble titles, titles of office, and non-noble titles.
Titles in Amtgard serve an important function: they are meant to convey information at a glance about a person’s honors, achievements, and affiliations. They are not merely decorative; they provide context about one’s service, fighting prowess, artistic talent, or leadership. Like titles in historical or fantasy settings, Amtgard titles follow a general structure and etiquette, which may vary from group to group.
An important rule of thumb: If someone prefers to style or structure their title differently than below, use that person's preferred version. The guide below is a loose guide, helpful when writing or addressing someone formally, but personal preference and the comfort of the person with the title is always more important.
The rules below are a general guideline; some Corpora define these explicitly.
Contents
Structure
While titles can vary, the most complete format typically looks like this:
- [Noble Title] [Knight Title] [Name] of [Province], [Title of Office] and [Non-Noble Title(s)]
For example:
- Archduke Sir Adam Fakename of Mordengaard, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Wetlands, Lightbringer KC
Style
- For a reference table of titles and styles, see Titles Made Easy.
A style of office, also form of address when someone is spoken to directly, is a form of reference for a person based on their title. By tradition, a style precedes a reference to a person who holds a title or office (e.g., "His Royal Highness, Prince Harold") and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself (e.g., "...as a result of Her Majesty's decree").
Examples:
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(As a side note, while sometimes used in Amtgard, "Royal Majesty" is not traditionally or historically used as it is redundant.)
Noble Title
- See Also: Noble
This is a title such as Liege, Baronetex, Baronex, Viscountex, Countex, Marquex, Dux, Archdux, and Grand Dux.
Titles of Nobility are awarded to individuals for various deeds, service and accomplishments in Amtgard. They are awarded to the individual, e.g., the player, not the character, though in common use they are placed in front of the player's character name. In common usage, most people who have been awarded multiple titles only use their highest title, or in some cases the one they like the best if they so choose. Some people do like to list them all, but this rapidly becomes a losing proposition, kind of a pointless bravado. There is always someone who has more titles out there, such as Michael Hammer of God.
In some kingdoms, Noble Titles can only be awarded by a Kingdom Monarch, though smaller chapters often get authority from the Kingdom to award titles on their behalf. Other kingdoms allow Noble Titles to be awarded by chapter monarchs to certain levels.
Titles are explained in detail in each kingdom's Corpora. Typically titles are given for excellent service in office upon stepping down, or for other service deemed appropriate by the Monarch. Certain titles typically go with certain types of accomplishments.
Regental Titles vs. Conferred Titles
Some offices—such as Monarch or Regent—confer a temporary noble title, known as a Regental Title, for the duration of the office. This temporary title reflects the authority and dignity of the role and is used only while the office is held.
A Regental Title supersedes a person's existing Conferred Noble Title only if it is of higher rank according to the Order of Precedence. This ensures that titles reflect both earned honors and current duties without diminishing past accomplishments.
For example:
- A Duke (Dux) who becomes the Kingdom Regent is addressed as Prince, because Prince is a regental title that ranks higher than Dux.
- A Countess (Countex) who becomes the Baronial Monarch continues to use the title Countess, because Countess outranks the regental title Baron conferred by the office.
Important note on Regental titles: In scrolls and awards, the award grantor should have their regental titles listed as it denotes their temporary authority to grant such titles; but a recipient should not have their regental titles listed as they are temporary.
Knight Title
This title signifies a person is a Knight in Amtgard. Commonly, this takes the form of Sir, Dame, Ser, Darth, or another term. In addition, the initials of the knighthood may be applied at the end of the title in small caps (on the wiki this can be done by using Template:abv):
- KS: Knight of the Serpent
- KF: Knight of the Flame
- KC: Knight of the Crown
- KB: Knight of Battle
- SK or KW: Knight of the Sword
Name, Province and Office
- Name: The persona or chosen name of the individual.
- Province: Typically rendered as “of [Province]” (e.g., “of Mordengaard”), this can be especially helpful when referring to people from other kingdoms or clarifying similar names.
- Office: The highest title of office the player currently holds. These are listed in order of smallest to largest; Someone who is both Baron of Mordengaard and Kingdom Regent would list their offices as Baron of Mordengaard and Regent of the Wetlands.
Because people rarely hold titles outside their location, titles which reference the same location can be combined:
- Viscountess Alara Person, Champion of Ethereal Hollow or Baron Ser Austin Peoples of Granite Spyre, Defender of the Wetlands KS
Non-Noble Titles
Non-Noble Titles may be awarded by a Monarch. These include various honorifics bestowed for achievement or character. Good practice is to include only one, usually the most significant or recent. This may also be interchanged with a reference to a Paragon award or a Masterhood.
Best Practices
- Use fewer titles in casual speech: It’s fine to just say “Sir Alaric” or “Baronex Stormblade” depending on context.
- Use full titles in formal introductions or scrolls.
- The award grantor should have their Regental titles listed as it denotes their temporary authority to grant such titles; but a recipient should not have their Regental titles listed as they are temporary.
- Ask about pronouns and preferences: Some players have specific preferences about which parts of their title they emphasize.
- Avoid stacking more than one non-noble title: “Master Magus Defender Weapomaster” is a mouthful. Pick one that’s most meaningful.
Example
From the following title:
The following information is communicated:
- They are a Baron (service recognition)
- They are a knight, specifically of the Flame and Crown
- Their persona name is Summer Stormtooth
- They are from the province of Granite Spyre in the Kingdom of the Wetlands
- They have served likely 2 terms as Kingdom Champion (Defender)
See Also
Awards and Symbols Apprentice · At-Arms and Pages · Color · Knight · Masters · Noble · Paragon · Phoenix · Squire
Amtgard Organization Circle of Monarchs · Kingdoms · Parks · Reeves · Companies and Households · Awards and Symbols · Code of Conduct · Age of Combatants
