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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 9608068" data-attributes="member: 22779">Really, this boils down to a conflict between what makes for an interesting setting and what makes an interesting game.&nbsp; If you're all into world building and whatnot, diving into language is a great way to differentiate cultures.&nbsp; How do we know Culture X is different from Culture Y?&nbsp; Well, they can't even talk to each other.&nbsp; And there's all sorts of elements this applies to - writing, art, information, and so on.&nbsp; It makes a whole lot of sense.But, does it make a fun game?&nbsp; Getting players to role play can sometimes be a slog at the best of times.&nbsp; Getting them to actually talk to NPC's beyond the bare minimum required (and sometimes not even that much) can be like pulling teeth.&nbsp; Add in an extra layer of difficulty&nbsp; where conversations are difficult or even impossible without a translator and it can very quickly stop being fun and start being a chore.&nbsp; And, of course, magic becomes the solution here.&nbsp; The caster just takes Comprehend Languages and can now understand, at least, everything around in ten minutes.&nbsp; It's a Ritual, so, it doesn't cost any resources.&nbsp; Never minding some bright spark just plays a warlock and does all the translating.&nbsp; IOW, the players will simply find a magic solution around the problem and all that work about the different languages goes out the window because we're right back to everyone speaking the same language (effectively).&nbsp; It's one of those ideas that look really great on paper but, I think in play, it's nowhere near as much fun as people think it might be.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 9608068, member: 22779"] Really, this boils down to a conflict between what makes for an interesting setting and what makes an interesting game. If you're all into world building and whatnot, diving into language is a great way to differentiate cultures. How do we know Culture X is different from Culture Y? Well, they can't even talk to each other. And there's all sorts of elements this applies to - writing, art, information, and so on. It makes a whole lot of sense. But, does it make a fun game? Getting players to role play can sometimes be a slog at the best of times. Getting them to actually talk to NPC's beyond the bare minimum required (and sometimes not even that much) can be like pulling teeth. Add in an extra layer of difficulty where conversations are difficult or even impossible without a translator and it can very quickly stop being fun and start being a chore. And, of course, magic becomes the solution here. The caster just takes Comprehend Languages and can now understand, at least, everything around in ten minutes. It's a Ritual, so, it doesn't cost any resources. Never minding some bright spark just plays a warlock and does all the translating. IOW, the players will simply find a magic solution around the problem and all that work about the different languages goes out the window because we're right back to everyone speaking the same language (effectively). It's one of those ideas that look really great on paper but, I think in play, it's nowhere near as much fun as people think it might be. [/QUOTE]

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