Even Orcish is Logical!

[Scribble]

So I was reading through Dragon #75 the other day and I started reading the article about how language works and how to develop logical languages for your campaign world.

I thought I might give it a try, and see how long maybe it takes for my players to catch on that I'm using the same words for the same phrazes...

Or it's just a pipe dream and I'll never get around to doing it.

Have any of you ever done such things? Did it work out? Did it actually feel like it added anything to the game, or was it just a cumbersome extra step that went unoticed/appreciated?

 

[On Puget Sound]

I have done it, and one player actually caught on and began piecing together the meaning of words based on what he already knew. It helped that I was using a language based on the Chinese or German concept of stringing small units of meaning together to form longer words:
(actual example from Mandarin Chinese):
Chi = fire, energy
Che = chariot
Gong = people
Gonggongchiche = bus (energy chariot for many people)

Unless it's part of the story, though, it's probably more work than you want to put in. And if it IS an important part of the story, someone will whip out the Comprehend Languages ritual.

 

[Scribble]

Unless it's part of the story, though, it's probably more work than you want to put in. And if it IS an important part of the story, someone will whip out the Comprehend Languages ritual.

Well I guess thats the thing. I'm not really thinking about it as a game challange sort of thing... More like just a flavor thing, in an attempt to make the campaign world feel more "alive."

But again... it might be more work then it's worth.

 

[Filcher]

Well I guess thats the thing. I'm not really thinking about it as a game challange sort of thing... More like just a flavor thing, in an attempt to make the campaign world feel more "alive."

But again... it might be more work then it's worth.

Battlecries are always great, plus there's the motivation to figure it out NOW. "He said, what?!"

 

[wingsandsword]

And if it IS an important part of the story, someone will whip out the Comprehend Languages ritual.

Or cast the Comprehend Languages spell in any edition of D&D other than 4e.

Really, why shouldn't Orcish be logical? Until 3e they were a Lawful Evil race, they didn't go Chaotic Evil until 3.x. I'd imagine races that are lawful would have highly structured, logical languages.

 

[Pbartender]

Have any of you ever done such things? Did it work out? Did it actually feel like it added anything to the game, or was it just a cumbersome extra step that went unoticed/appreciated?

I do it sometimes, but I mainly do it for written handouts and names of people and places.

For example, my players are exploring the Isle of Dread at the moment, which I've set in a pseudo-pre-Columian-South-American regiuon. They're currently tracking down the lair of a young red dragon named "Tzinacacuetzpalitletl" by the local tribes... The name is a bad translation of "fiery bat-lizard" into Nahuatl, the old language of the Aztecs.

 

[arscott]

Ah, nahuatl, how I love you so.

Can your players pronounce the dragon's name?

 

[Pbartender]

Ah, nahuatl, how I love you so.

Can your players pronounce the dragon's name?

If they can, they'll get bonus XP...

Me, I've been practicing, and I have it written out phonetically in my notes.



Incidentally, here's an excellent resource for odd, ancient and rare languages... http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/

 

[Mercule]

Ah, nahuatl, how I love you so.

Can your players pronounce the dragon's name?

If the players can pronounce your dragon names, you're doing it wrong.

As for the original question, I really get a kick out of linguistics and have played with creating a few bits and pieces. IMO, though, this is one of those places where I think it's detail that only the GM notices.

Your players might be different than mine, but I've found that anything more than "they're speaking a gutteral language you don't understand" is wasted.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

It's been a running gag in my games since highschool that Orks are Pokemon. "Ork ork orkork ork" = "Can I use your toilet?"

But beyond that, unless the PC knows the language they don't understand it.