Anyone had any success with class, profession, or organization secret signs/runes,cant?

[Jd Smith1]

It seems like every rules set/setting that isn't historical has some group, class, race, organization, etc with secret runes, symbols, cant, etc which are intended to allow members to warn each other, kind of like hobo symbols from the 1890s-1950s.

I've always been interested in the idea/concept, but I've never really been able to put it to work in a campaign.

Has anyone made good use of them?

If so, how?

 

[MGibster]

Has anyone made good use of them?

I don't know if this qualifies as good use, but in Vampire the Masquerade (5th edition) many vampires have become fearful of using electronic devices because the Second Inquisition has used such technology against them, tracking them down and killing them. So many vampires (not my PCs) went back to old school ways of communicating by avoiding cell phones, computers, and the internet as much as possible.

Anyway, marking areas of the city in a manner similar to the gang practice of tagging returned. Vampires, like gangs, are very territorial, and it's important to know who controls the street you're on so you don't inadvertantly piss someone off by hunting without permission. I'd have the players spot some of these tags throughout the streets of San Francisco to figure out whose territory they were in. When they went across the bay to Oakland, they knew they were in Anarch territory because of the semiotics used.

And it's been a few years, so I don't remember exactly what semiotics were used.

 

[aco175]

I tried doing some things on Harper runes and mage symbols in the past, but to limited success. It mostly fell into the idea of other things like language, torches, and things my PC would know growing up in the lands. It became more work for me to draw the symbol and explain what it means and then do that each time the group runs into a new symbol. None of the group felt it was worth the time and eventually it just became a check to determine what the symbol is or one PC became a Harper and I let him just know them.

 

[ichabod]

I've used it twice in the past few years. I had a druid in the Sunless Citadel, and added some clues in druidic in the dungeon. They saw some of them but never made use of the information. Another time I used Thieves' Cant to send a message through a normal conversation. I prepped it ahead of time so you could see words from the secret message in the normal conversation. That worked better, but since it was face to face, it was obvious I was passing a note to the rogue before the rogue suddenly changed his tune.

 

[bloodtide]

I've used such things for years....but only for my more advanced games. I like lots of lore. And I like to add lots and lots of lore into the game for the players to use. So the good lore players that take notes can put to good use all the lore they have for runes and symbols and markers.

The smart lore players can figure out a lot of stuff for real...not the "I take a nap, but my character rolls to know everything" way.

And my metagame rule allows a player to know what they know for such things. So a smart lore player will always know the symbols, markers, runes and such that they know.

 

[Tonguez]

Yeah I like using notes and tags written in secret cyphers, rangers and druids get to leave marks in trees etc.
mechanically passing written notes to they player telling them the code (but not the specific message) helps

 

[Celebrim]

There are a number of things I was obsessed with as a young DM - realistic languages, realistic currency, believably alien cuisine, realistic weather, and numinous magic.

Pretty much all of its proved to be a waste of time because even if you could somehow implement and get a benefit from it, even in the best case the time spent in the game (much less out of game) is time that could be better spent on something else.

The problem with realistic languages is that it turns out that NPCs are always more fun if you can communicate with them. And codes and cants and such may exist in the campaign world, but if they don't facilitate RP within the group, then what are they for?

 

[MNblockhead]

I use it, but it has never been something I've invested a great deal of time developing. It is more that this specific group has signs, codes, etc. that if you know it can get you into safe houses, gain trust, etc. Or you notice signs and have to figure out who is using them and what they mean.

 

[Jd Smith1]

There are a number of things I was obsessed with as a young DM - realistic languages, realistic currency, believably alien cuisine, realistic weather, and numinous magic.

Pretty much all of its proved to be a waste of time because even if you could somehow implement and get a benefit from it, even in the best case the time spent in the game (much less out of game) is time that could be better spent on something else.

The problem with realistic languages is that it turns out that NPCs are always more fun if you can communicate with them. And codes and cants and such may exist in the campaign world, but if they don't facilitate RP within the group, then what are they for?

As am old GM, I have always used realistic languages, currency, and weather. Wouldn't run a campaign without them.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I use it, but it has never been something I've invested a great deal of time developing. It is more that this specific group has signs, codes, etc. that if you know it can get you into safe houses, gain trust, etc. Or you notice signs and have to figure out who is using them and what they mean.

What I'm using is to designate a font for the signs. When the player learned the signs, give him the font, and then MS doc with the signs he's spotted.