Naming Conventions in The City

Format

Citizens in The City are generally named according to this scheme:

[Given name]-[clearance initial]-[home sector]-[clone number]

Format Description

Given name

Some names are drawn from databases and memories of old names. Other names are newly invented. A name is generally a single word; multiple-word personal names or names with internal capitals are discouraged but accepted. In some cases The Computer selects names randomly; in others the teacherbots or human staff in the birth creche assign names. Examples: Billy, Sue, Ken.

Security Clearance Designation

The first letter of your ROYGBIV security clearance. Infrareds use no initial, to avoid confusion with Indigos. High Programmers use U for Ultraviolet. Examples: Billy-B, Sue-G, Ken-U.

Generation Sequence

The number of your current physical incarnation a.k.a. clone body. You begin life with the original You, colloquially called ‘the Prime’ and numbered 1. Each time you die, increase the clone number by 1. Examples: Billy-B-1, Sue-G-4, Ken-U-6.

Note: There is no zero (0) designation. Infrareds do not have a clone series and often do not use this numerical designation. No other citizen is permitted the non-use of this designation. 

Malformed Names

Sabotage or software failure sometimes produces citizens with defective or malformed names. Examples: John-Paul-George-Ringo, Tra-LAH-LAH-LAH, Juan-2-B-U-LVA, and 24-17-33-Hike. CPU procedures for renaming these citizens are intricate and lengthy; some citizens reach adulthood before gaining a correct name. However these anomalies must be located and eradicated. Refer all cases of malformed names or related issues to Dept. 23.

Notes

• Derived from Paranoia XP: Service Pack 1, published by Mongoose Games, Copyright 2004 by Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan. PARANOIA is a trademark of Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan.