Using Nicknames

[Faerie]

True Name can't be hidden if that's an alias. But the players will only see what you have revealed, and the topic name.

[rob]

You can also turn off ALL aliases within the options at the top of the navigation pane on the left. Sometimes, that's a quick way to unclutter the view, even when you want to see lots of aliases in general.

[Faerie]

Except True Name. According to the pop-up help, that alias is always visible in the GM's panel. So if the topic is Mr Johnson and his real name is Eric Vladmieser, if you enter this in the True Name field instead of Nickname field it's always visible. Nicknames you can toggle off showing as separate topics.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Faerie

Except True Name. According to the pop-up help, that alias is always visible in the GM's panel. So if the topic is Mr Johnson and his real name is Eric Vladmieser, if you enter this in the True Name field instead of Nickname field it's always visible. Nicknames you can toggle off showing as separate topics.

Yes, the true name is always shown. However, if you turn off all aliases, the public name will be hidden, since it's considered an alias of the true name. The key thing is that the true name is only visible to the GM in this way.

[ich.pdf]

That helps a lot to keep things organized in an investigation campaign! However, do you think it would be possible (with only a reasonable amount of work) to add another specific alias in the manage names panel that does nothing but override the topic name in both the caption bar in player view and the topic list in player edition? This would be extremely helpful to handle NPCs who are nameless to the characters. It does not even have to be linkable.

[Faerie]

Don't think so, but you could create a topic for "Man in Shadows" for example and have that be the linked topic. Then when/if the players learn that the "man in shadows" goes by Mister Johnson you reveal that alias to the players. If they learn Mister Johnson also goes by the name Fluffy McTiddlywinks you reveal that alias. And maybe have the players think he needs to see a shrink.

Also remember, there's multiple levels of Truth you can set to any given snippet. Haven't tested yet if it shows the truth level to the players or not. If not, you can have all sorts of red herringes revealed, and it's up to the players to piece together what's true and what's false. Or what's unconnected.

Also remember, you don't have to fill EVERYTHING out right away. Until it becomes important to know, there's no reason to list Mr Johnson's real name. Until it comes up, who cares if he's got a wife, six kids, and a tribble?