Re: [Re: [BNW] Languages (was Weak Powers)]

[Phillip Bernstein <GSZalonef@netscape.net>]

I have been reading this thread with interest, and have been sitting on my
hands about a reply for the simple reason theat my copy of GD is lost in UPS
(they claim i will have it Tuesday -- I will believe it when I see it). 
Having said that, i really want to make some comments about languages and the
Translator power package.

First, here is my take on languages in RPGs.  They are GREAT tools for
roleplaying when properly used.  My fantasy world has a real world history
going back almost 20 years, and at last count there are over 150 different
languages on it (and no sign of a "Common Tongue" either).  I allow my players
to choose whatever languages are appropriate to their background, but they
MUST purchase skill in order to communicate fully.  The key phrase here is
COMMUNICATE FULLY.

How do I handle this polyglot nightmare, you ask?  Very simple ... I have a
fully developed set of language trees for my world, each tree showing the
relationships between the sister tongues.  The great thing about GD is that
you don't have to do this work yourself, as we are dealing with the real
world.   

There are many possible ways to get the language trees just by doing simple
research, but here is a basic breakdown to make your lives easier:

Most Western European languages share a common origin in Latin and Greek. In
simple terms, someone who speaks French, Spanish or Italian can deal with
simple communication in sister tongues.  Additionally, if a player has studied
Latin (or to a lesser extent Greek) this is even easier to accomplish.  This
is especially appropos because, as noted in previous posts, while MODERN
languages were not commonly taught in this time, the classical languages were
an important part of any quality education. 

The Germanic Languages include German, Austrian, Hungarian, and Swedish. 
Again, there are many basic similarities that would allow basic cross
communication. 

Another language family that is VERY useful to know about, due to its extreme
stability are the Slavic Languages.  Probably the most common 2 used in a GD
campaign are Polish and Russian.  These languages share so many commonalities
in fact, that with minimal effort, a Pole and Russian can understand each
other without an interpreter.

>But Glory Days is...mission-oriented, for lack of a better word. The 
>military may not send the absolutel best people for the job every time, >but
they at least make (one hopes) intelligent decisions about who to >send.  Why
send a group that doesn't speak German into Germany on an >infiltration
mission?

I am going to address this point on two levels ... 

First, does anyone else remember a movie with Michal Douglas and Melanie
Griffith called Shining Through?  I believe it is based on a real story.  It
dealt with an espoinage team in Germany during WW II, and the Michael Douglas
character couldn't speak German.
My other point simply deals with the availability of Delta Resources.  In the
time of GD, there are MANY fewer Deltas than in the modern BNW setting. 
Assuming a basic exponential growth curve, as hinted in previous source
material, there should be about one-eighth the number of Delta's world wide. 
This is assuming that the number of Deltas has doubled in each generation. 
The number gets even worse if it tripled (1/27th) or quadruples (1/64th). 
What this comes down to is that the Allies cant wait for a perfect fit when
constructing a team, especially when it comes to something as ephemeral as
languages.  The available Delta powers are much more important than full
communication, and once again, this argues for the viability of the Translator
to smooth inter-group communication.

In closing, I would like to point out 2 additional languages that I would
allow a Translator to deal with:  Music and Mathematics.  Since I dont have
the source book yet, I do not know if these are dealt with in the package
description, but there are some intrigueing possibilities for their inclusion.
 Imagine a Delta team "protecting" the Translator so that they can deal with a
purely Mathematical or Musical language to make contact with others during a
mission. 

____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/webmail