dave2008
Legend
It is not universal because there is no Cortine in my game or anyone else's game - that is what I meant.I could ... but it's a regional thing that ties it to the campaign. Would someone want masterwork bourbon, or Kentucky bourbon? It also infers it's not universal. Finding a good Cortine steel longsword in the northern reaches of Brael Mar is a lot harder than finding it in the City-State of Cortine itself ...
Regarding Bourbon I will take your word on it, I don't drink alcoholic beverages and know next to nothing about them. I assume the concept is name brand is better than a standardized rating? That may be true for beverages, but in the construction industry (I'm an architect), performance standards are paramount. When I specify custom cabinets i don't say buy a brand, I tell them to build by the AWI premium grade standard. Similarly, steel is purchased based on its ASTM standard and not its brand (typically). Not sure how it would work for armor, but I could see it going both ways. The idea of a master swordsmith has a history in the genre. And the would be more like a "brand."