Talk:Fresian (Language)

Slitherrr will be thrilled to see his Languages section revivified. absalom 08:06, 2 May 2011 (EDT)

I've been so busy in CA that I missed it completely. -24.7.17.223

Though it does cause some difficulties. So many variants, no real "common", etc, pretty much makes it such that people in my campaign aren't going to have much chance of talking straight with one another. I'm pretty much going to have to be really generous with everwands of comprehend languages or, more likely, assume people pick up a little of various languages they come into contact with in such a diverse area. -Mattie

What? The dialects of fresian are all understandable by each other. Also, all PCs start with Ubrekti free. Also, you don't HAVE to do anything. Language and communication is MEANT to be difficult. -gm

Yeah, not a fan of making the storytelling difficult. But I didn't know Ubrekti was free for all PCs and was worried about its churchiness (versus common). That will solve my short-term problems, though, thanks. -Mattie

Nothing stopping you from making Dulisian free for all characters if you want a more regionally-flavored "common." Might not make sense that all Ulani Barbarians speak Ubrekti. But yeah, basically Jones just invented a new "common" to solve this problem --Msallen

Yeah, that was my previous plan, but I already kinda tried to smooth it over by picking some variants that are exclusive to the region, but I'm still left with 3 I need to use a lot of. And if I gave more than 1 free, it felt like too many for the uneducated tribesmen to plausibly understand. I dunno, maybe I can get a good Yarnich translator in the party and it will be a lot easier. Ubrekti being elite-ish made life harder for the poor barbarians, and still gives me a little discomfort because I don't think it's fair for some of them (e.g. Ugly) to have more than their natural language. Will be a challenge to avoid it getting in the way of the story for what I had planned. -Mattie

Yeah, Matt Allen's solution works just as well. Better, probably. Also book is a language machine and can know whatever langvuages need knowing. absalom 22:05, 4 May 2011 (EDT)

You could make Yarnich the bonus language, and have the int penalties strip all but the bonus if you like. Ie. you get Yarnich + 1 + int, and if int is less than 10, you only get Yarnich. That said, I subscribe to the gaming philosophy that if realism isn't fun, then fuck realism. I wouldn't fret too much over this, and if its easier just to give people extra languages, do it. --Msallen

To an extend I agree, although often I find communication barriers to *be* fun, because they're really a form of Role Play puzzle. But, if you're worried about large groups interacting, it's inconceivable that there aren't at least some barbarians in each Ulan tribe that don't speak the major trade language of the mainland. I mean, when settlers showed up at Jamestown in 1607, there were already several natives who were quite fluent in English for the purposes of trade. I mean, that is, if you're just conceptually concerned that no one can communicate with each other. Now, if you're worried that we might not be able to easily communicate with everyone we meet as PC, thats easy enough - just make sure all the PCs start with one language in common, and anyone you feel it's important we talk to ALSO has that language. Or, just force Ugly to spend the to skill points on picking up another language. Polyglots are really only rare in the US, and speaking multiple languages was par for the course for anyone who wanted to trade or travel through antiquity. With the advent of the Middle Ages, Latin became the language for learning and liturgy, and so served as a sort of European common. (the Ubrekti Analog) Or, if you're just worried that the party will run into people we can't talk to, tell me what languages are needed and I'll make sure Book picks them up. He largely sees learning Ulan languages as a waste of time because of the scarcity of written materials down there, but if there are one or two highly prominent barbarian tongues in the region, he'd probably know them just as a matter of practicality. absalom 09:22, 5 May 2011 (EDT)