Language in RPG continued

Well this isn't the tomorrow I was talking about, but here it goes.

If we would like to fix languages we have to decide if we want to mimic real life or not. If we don't want to mimic real life then do whatever you would like.

If you would like to have something approaching real life then understand that real language is messy. I grew up in the South and spoke English of course. Once I was exposed to Louisiana creole, I realized that even though we both spoke "English" we really weren't speaking the same language. Therefore, you need to tailor language to the area where you live. Perhaps everyone in a geographical area speaks dwarf (we'll say it is roughly the same as Quechua). The dwarves may have left 700 years ago but everyone still speaks it - humans, goblins, etc.

Therefore the language skills become important for negotiation, etc.

The idea of a "common language" can either be the language of the dominant military or economic power such as Latin (Ancient Rome) or English (British Empire and/or the US).

The other option is to treat the "common language" as a trade language where everyone can understand but is a poor way to communicate complex ideas. It works to haggle over a rug but can't be used to write a treaty.

Well, that's it for now.

Sorry it has taken so long. RL has been kicking my tail. Sick and work combined to make me beg for my bed at night. Back in the saddle for a while. Hopefully we can make it "home". In my last post I promised something different for the topic. I would like to talk about language. That may seem odd but not when you really think about it. We all have to speak in some form. For most it is verbally; however there are sign languages that can be used as well though each can be different.

So, why is it that in role playing games we want to through it all out the window? Perhaps for the same reason that Star Trek and StarGate (the TV series) use a single lanuage. It works. Do we really need to hear English, German, Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese at the gaming table when we only speak one (maybe two) of those? Of course not. It isn't fun to hear them either. So why in the game is there the one language? Perhaps it is a concept that breaks the fourth wall, a meta-concept if you like, that makes the game playable.

Personally, I blame Tolkien. He created these amazing cultures, languages, writting styles and stories. Yet, the hobbits can talk to everyone like they were best friends since birth. There are never any mis-understandings between living people in the moment. The common tounge just magically works for all instances. Unless of course there is the need for confusion. The Elven riddle to enter the Mines of Moria for instance, is a play on words. Star Trek's universal translater also fails to translate key phrases when the meaning "should" be revealed by another. Worf on TNG and later DS9 is a key example with the Klingon language.

At any rate, what do we do with languages? Well, there is always the status quo. Not terribly exciting but available. There is the gloss over the details methodology but it isn't very satisfying either.

Wow. I just looked at a clock. I have to get to bed. More tomorrow.

Cosmology

Last thought on religion: cosmology. Not the study of the stars (as in astrophysics) but the understanding of where all the parts and pieces fit together in your world.

Is the world flat? Why?
Are there multiple gods? One god? One god who lets the smaller gods run wild?
Evolution?

Why does any of this matter? Well, in a word, it doesn't. You can run a game without this but it helps if you understand why the priest can talk to angels and who exactly the angels serve even if the priest doesn't know.

Well, it's very late and I have things to do tomorrow.

Next topic: I'll surprise you.