I read the rules page. You want context? LOL, I'll give you context.... 
Unlike everyone else in my family, I was educated entirely in public school, and have never had a day of Latin instruction. Especially being Catholic, I've always thought I've been a step behind in that regard, and have wished to have had at least some knowledge of the language. I've fumbled through 20 years of adulthood without it, but a few weeks ago I was inspired to stop procrastinating and I picked up a copy of Wheelock's at the bookstore.
Darned if I hadn't gotten just far enough to be dangerous, when I find a situation where I wish I was farther along. Switching from procrastination to impatience, I come looking for help.
I'm buying an electronic book reader for a bookish friend for his birthday, and the manufacturer offers engraving to personalize your device. Since there's room for two lines, the top will of course be his name, and I thought the bottom should be a message of some sort. I thought for a while, and no matter what else I try to think of, my mind returns to an obvious, if embarrassing, choice.
When we were teenagers, the friend and I would play pen & paper RPGs (e.g. D&D). My friend would almost always play paladins, and would make short work of any undead I'd send his way by using his undead-turning ability and an incredible run of luck on die rolls. During one especially fun session, he finally failed a roll. Unflustered, he pulled out a flaming, magic sword he'd picked up along the way, made another run of insanely lucky rolls, and escaped all harm. I threw my hands up in the air and said, "I guess if you can't turn 'em, you burn 'em!"
We laughed for about an hour on that one line, and ever since - regardless of what we're doing, which nowadays is almost never related to D&D - we part ways repeating that phrase; me starting with "If you can't turn 'em..." and he ending with "Burn 'em!".
So, that's what I want to put on my friend's book reader. But aware that this could be a strange thing to have to explain to curious eyes in a 21st century airport (especially nowadays!) I thought it would be a neat joke to put the essence of the phrase into Latin. It doesn't have to be perfect, but I'm anal and would like the grammar not to suck totally.
Wheelock's in hand, here's what I think most simply captures the concept in Latin:
Nisi vertis - incendere!
Roughly:
"If you don't make (them) turn and flee - set fire (to them)!"
As I see it, the end is the easy part. incendere is the present active imperative of incendo ("to set on fire").
I'm fuzzy if I'm using nisi correctly, but vertis is the second person singular of the third conjugation verb verto ("to turn around", but according to Whitaker, it ironically also means "to destroy" which is pretty close to the idea).
Thanks for any advice.
Unlike everyone else in my family, I was educated entirely in public school, and have never had a day of Latin instruction. Especially being Catholic, I've always thought I've been a step behind in that regard, and have wished to have had at least some knowledge of the language. I've fumbled through 20 years of adulthood without it, but a few weeks ago I was inspired to stop procrastinating and I picked up a copy of Wheelock's at the bookstore.
Darned if I hadn't gotten just far enough to be dangerous, when I find a situation where I wish I was farther along. Switching from procrastination to impatience, I come looking for help.
I'm buying an electronic book reader for a bookish friend for his birthday, and the manufacturer offers engraving to personalize your device. Since there's room for two lines, the top will of course be his name, and I thought the bottom should be a message of some sort. I thought for a while, and no matter what else I try to think of, my mind returns to an obvious, if embarrassing, choice.
When we were teenagers, the friend and I would play pen & paper RPGs (e.g. D&D). My friend would almost always play paladins, and would make short work of any undead I'd send his way by using his undead-turning ability and an incredible run of luck on die rolls. During one especially fun session, he finally failed a roll. Unflustered, he pulled out a flaming, magic sword he'd picked up along the way, made another run of insanely lucky rolls, and escaped all harm. I threw my hands up in the air and said, "I guess if you can't turn 'em, you burn 'em!"
We laughed for about an hour on that one line, and ever since - regardless of what we're doing, which nowadays is almost never related to D&D - we part ways repeating that phrase; me starting with "If you can't turn 'em..." and he ending with "Burn 'em!".
So, that's what I want to put on my friend's book reader. But aware that this could be a strange thing to have to explain to curious eyes in a 21st century airport (especially nowadays!) I thought it would be a neat joke to put the essence of the phrase into Latin. It doesn't have to be perfect, but I'm anal and would like the grammar not to suck totally.
Wheelock's in hand, here's what I think most simply captures the concept in Latin:
Nisi vertis - incendere!
Roughly:
"If you don't make (them) turn and flee - set fire (to them)!"
As I see it, the end is the easy part. incendere is the present active imperative of incendo ("to set on fire").
I'm fuzzy if I'm using nisi correctly, but vertis is the second person singular of the third conjugation verb verto ("to turn around", but according to Whitaker, it ironically also means "to destroy" which is pretty close to the idea).
Thanks for any advice.
