HOW DO YOU HANDLE LANGUAGES IN BLADES?
Probably because they’re allying with the unionizing Citizens of Coalridge, who I described as being largely Skovlanders, one of my players decided he wanted to start a clock to learn Skov.
Rasal’s an Iruvian noble, fresh off the boat, and we liked the idea that he’d want to learn their language, but I hadn’t really planned on making languages a meaningful part of our story.
We agreed that it should be a 6-part clock, at the end of which he would be fluent (Consort), but after 4 segments of which he would already be able to read and write Skov (Study).
Again, I like the idea… but it creates a problem : I can either start penalizing others for not knowing a language, or give him some sort of advantage when dealing with Skovlanders.
I prefer the second solution, I might give him a new ability “Friend of the Skov” which gives him potency when dealing with Skov and Skovlanders, but I was wondering what you thought.
Yeah, I reckon you’re right. If it was supposed to be a penalty, it should already exist in the game. It seems everyone already speaks a common language, so being able to speak to someone in their native tongue should be a boon, not a stick to beat everyone else with.
It might not always be well received though. Some natives may be offended that an outsider is using their language, and butchering the pronunciation as well, so it may occasionally backfire.
I like the Potency when dealing with Skovlanders solution.
I like the idea to give them an advantage because a lot of good stories / complications can come from that: How do you know she’s lying? Maybe because she didnt know that you learned the language and she used some “impolite” words..?
What’s the effect of the crit? He’s really impressed by your usage of his language and introduce you to his brother (+ contact + asset).
Or it’s potency for an etiquette action? “An Akorosi, an Iruvian and an Tycherosi are coming into a Skovlander bar. The Akorosi orders …”
.. and BTW: I think that a scoundrels life is hard enough already. Therefore I don’t like the idea of penalizing them. I think that would bring a complexity which doesn’t contribute to the story. If I want that I go back to playing Rolemaster 😉
Just because language is important sometime doesn’t mean you have to penalize them all the rest of the time when they don’t know it: it might not be an issue when they go to buy goods from a Skovlander who only speaks the “motherland tongue” or whatever, but maybe later in the session it is the fiction for a roll to pass as a Skovlander refugee while talking to Ulf
A project to learn a passable mastery of the language sounds appropriate. I might make the clocks longer but that’s a matter of personal taste. I suppose either solution could work depending on how important language is to your table though.
Maybe a 4 clock for learning to write and read, a 4 clock for speaking and comprehending, and a 4/6 clock for enhanced fluency or sounding more natural?
You describe pretty well why I’m not really fond of different languages in RPGs.
I like to think that all the isles speak the same language, but in different dialects. This leaves enough room for not being able to follow a conversation if it makes the story interesting.
Giving your player potency on certain actions sounds great, maybe it’s also providing a better position sometimes.
I think I’d mostly take it into account when deciding the positioning, much like someone calling on their background. If they don’t know you know the language and you can listen in, maybe a Risky negotiation becomes Controlled. If you’re dealing with Ulf’s men, a Desperate request might be Risky if you can use your knowledge of Skov customs to manipulate them.
We have a pretty diverse bunch in my game, both in heritage and background, so there’s a wide mix of folks who know multiple languages, and folks who only know the local lingo. It’s never a problem until it is. If it ever came down to a situation where language is an issue, I’d use the Wookiee Rule (everyone can understand Chewbacca as long as Han Solo is in the room).
I wouldn’t formalize it in rule form too much, I’d leave it mostly as a detail in the fiction. But you’re definitely on the right track with granting an advantage to one rather than penalizing the rest.
The main effect of learning a language isn’t going to be an improvement to what you can already do, but an increase in opportunities. Your player will probably provide most of these himself (“I’d like to gather information by eavesdropping at the Skovlander market”, “I talk to the old Skovlander in his native tongue to put him at ease”). Others you can pepper in as “flavour” (“You overhear someone speaking in Skov, revealing information they think non-Skovlanders won’t understand”) Sometimes that’s going to be a change in position, sometimes in effect, other times it just allows a character to do something they wouldn’t have been able to even attempt. But I would keep it more as a detail of the fiction than as a mechanical rule to avoid tying it down and restricting it to any particular use.
Basically if you write it as a move make sure to write it as broadly as possible. It’s a very versatile ability, but it’s also already got a heavy limitation on it in the form of “Only remotely useful if we happen to be dealing with native Skov speakers”