Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="ColinChapman" data-source="post: 9607970" data-attributes="member: 6779742">In my own RPG, I ditched languages entirely because they are rather pointless in 99% of cases; a list that exists to provide the illusion of verisimilitude. For an RPG as streamlined as Against Darkness Triumphant, going all-in on languages would also not fit anyway.Because everyone speaks Common, or people who do know X language translate for everyone else (at which point, skip the tedious middle man rubbish and just have folks directly communicate), it only really becomes important when dealing with a language no one in the party would be likely to know. Such as an obscure, long dead language or other language I decided to place there as GM knowing no one could speak or read it, in which case the languages they do know actually do not matter again.So, how do I deal with those rare instances they come across languages no one in the group would know? I have them make appropriate rolls to see if they can discern or communicate meaning, if it matters. And if someone is translating for the group and lying, have the PCs make an appropriate roll to see if they can notice that something's amiss even if they don't know what exactly was deliberately mistranslated.Throw in the point that no one should ever use language accessibility in a game in a way which essentially prevents play continuing (such as a clue necessary to a continuing investigation being in a language no one knows and cannot find a means to translate), and it just seemed to me that languages served little real purpose in-game. Certainly no benefit that a few related rolls couldn't better convey.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="ColinChapman, post: 9607970, member: 6779742"] In my own RPG, I ditched languages entirely because they are rather pointless in 99% of cases; a list that exists to provide the illusion of verisimilitude. For an RPG as streamlined as Against Darkness Triumphant, going all-in on languages would also not fit anyway. Because everyone speaks Common, or people who do know X language translate for everyone else (at which point, skip the tedious middle man rubbish and just have folks directly communicate), it only really becomes important when dealing with a language no one in the party would be likely to know. Such as an obscure, long dead language or other language [I]I decided to place there as GM knowing no one could speak or read it, in which case the languages they do know actually do not matter again.[/I] So, how do I deal with those rare instances they come across languages no one in the group would know? I have them make appropriate rolls to see if they can discern or communicate meaning, [I]if it matters[/I]. And if someone is translating for the group and lying, have the PCs make an appropriate roll to see if they can notice that something's amiss even if they don't know what exactly was deliberately mistranslated. Throw in the point that no one should ever use language accessibility in a game in a way which essentially prevents play continuing (such as a clue necessary to a continuing investigation being in a language no one knows and cannot find a means to translate), and it just seemed to me that languages served little real purpose in-game. Certainly no benefit that a few related rolls couldn't better convey. [/QUOTE]

Verification