The 'Common' Language in RPGs - Some Thoughts

 

Disclaimer. I'm not a linguist. I'm not a sociologist. I'm not any kind of '=ist'. What I am is someone who plays different RPGs and discusses them online. I know that makes me a geek/nerd but I'm not sure if it makes me anything else.

There was a bit of a discussion about having a common language in a game setting. Most of them do for the purpose of having an easy way for everyone to talk without a problem. Very rarely do PCs not have Common as a default language and very very rarely does even the most basic village not speak Common. Anyone else find it weird that there's a single language that everyone in the world seems to understand?

That got me thinking about the situation and what shenanigans could happen if Common wasn't what players expected. That's what this post is about.

It would make more sense that Common was more of a trade language than a full featured one and that's a pidgin language by definition. There may be some negative connotations to the word (or not) but it seems like it would be the best way to consider Common, if we were looking at it from a more real world viewpoint.

That would mean a lot of things in a role playing game. Characters would only get to express complex ideas in full languages. Entertainers would be in various languages. Everyone would be stuck for conversation if they were in an area where no one spoke the local language.

Now this might be a really fun way to role play. I can see a game of telephone through several people as they translate more complex statements. Frasier had a bit of that in one episode and it worked very well for comedic effect. The same thing can happen in game but only if one of the links is an NPC. Otherwise the translation is flawless unless the players decide to muck it up. It would make the game longer and after a few times it would get tedious, maybe.

I like the idea of keeping Common as a strict, basic language. Having the players reformulate their questions into simpler language would be quite fun occasionally. Having them do the telephone translation thing would also be fun occasionally. It would certainly keep them on their toes and remind them that they're out in a much larger world.

It would take GM planning to make it work. Having a local NPC that speaks one of the languages negates the telephone aspect since they can talk to them directly. Having another adventurer that has the bridge languages can do it. Rolling for accuracy will also help with how well the translation chain works.

It's something to think about in a game. How does it work when the characters are in a location where there is no common language they share with the locals and no single person can translate within their group? It's tricky but it can be done. It takes the right setting, the right location, and the right group.

That 'right group' is the other variable. You need to be sure the group is going to find the game of telephone as engaging as you might. If you know one of the players is going to flip the table at an extended attempt to get information they feel should be a simple question and answer session then you may need to set it aside. If the rest of the group is having then then that player needs to sit down and accept that the game isn't all about them. As with so many things it's up to the GM to balance it based on the players.

I would never expect my players to actually speak in that form of Common. I'd be their guide to let them know when they need to rephrase things more simply and to give occasional incorrect answers based on the questions. But it's like asking the bard to actually perform when they say they're going to do it. Players are not characters and should not be expected to be able to do what the characters can do.

Anyway. Think about it and how you might want to use a less built out Common language in your game. To learn more about it, since GMs tend to have very odd search histories, here's a link to the Wikipedia article about Pidgin so you can get a feel for what it is and what it isn't. That may help you decide if you want to bring it into your game or not.

I don't recommend thinking of it as Esperanto. Just .. don't.

What's On The Horizon

 

So, what's on the horizon for me? I'm setting up to stream! I'm joining all the cool kids and streaming stuff. Or at least that's the plan.

I'm not a great painter. I know that. I'm fine with it. I like to say my painting level is 'high tabletop', two bronze medals notwithstanding. And people seem to enjoy watching people just paint. There's plenty of stuff out there where people are teaching how to do things or painting a specific figure. Those are fine.

My plan is to stream my everyday painting and natter away while I do. The intention behind it is to be social without having to be physically social.

I'm one of those people who's only happy when painting in my area. I don't like to paint at game stores, etc. I like my area. I know where everything is. I have all my paints at hand. I have all my additives and mediums. I have a whole lotta paint brushes for different functions. I have my setup. But it gets lonely.

I could have other people over to paint but moving from my nest to the table to be with them means all my stuff is in one place and I'm in the other. It's not as bad as being out of the house but it's still over there. Imagine me making a vague gesture in a direction and you'll have the full effect of that last sentence.

For now I'm going to see if streaming gets me the combination of being in my safe place and being moderately social. I also think that it might make people more interested to watch someone who's not one of the fancy high level ones and who only teaches what I'm doing at the moment. Even that's more of a commentary than a lesson.

This could end up being me shouting into the void. So many things end up that way. But it doesn't take much for me to give it a try and see if I'm right about finding some like minded souls.

I know I'm not going to get thousands of followers. If I do I'll be very confused. But if I can make it so some other people who only paint in the privacy of their home can have virtual company then I'm doing all right.

I'll post the information when I get streaming set up. The intent is to try to paint at regular times and put out notices on various social media platforms that it's going to happen. Then it's a matter of finding the times when people can join me. I'm lucky that I can adjust for time zones more easily than most other people and I'll take full advantage of that.

So. Wish me luck!

ReaperCon 2023 - The Entire Thing

 

This year I'm going to do one post for the entire convention experience. I found that daily posts just didn't have enough information for my taste so instead you get one after it's done. Also, that way I didn't tell the part of the world that reads my blog that I wasn't at home. Gotta think of these things, you know.

I drove down this year since I had the time to do it and I brought my cat rather than boarding her or having someone spend ten minutes a day at the house to feed her. I think it was the right decision. I don't know if she's saving up to punish me when I'm least expecting it.

Overall it felt like, well, ReaperCon. Same kind of vendor setup. Same kind of general space setup. Same pretty much everything. And that's the problem for me. It's the same as it has been for the last few years.

Don't get me wrong - it's a good all-around convention with the added bonus of having the well known artists as guests. People enjoy themselves thoroughly. But I've reached my saturation point. Hence it was my last year attending.

The pre-game was the Meet and Greet. I chose the package that came with the limited edition 100mm version of the convention Sophie miniature. Sadly the extras sold out before I could get one for my friend. My roomie and I went shopping after I got settled in the room and I was able to catch the tail end of the food options for MnG. The options are limited to what the hotel can provide and it's been hamburgers and hot dogs the last few years. That might not sound good but it's leaps and bounds better than the 'pizza' they served before that. Trust me.

I also had a Buccee's brisket sandwich I'd purchased but saved that for another day. I think Buccee's BBQ is overpriced and overrated now that I've had some. But hey, I had it. We'd gone to Buccee's for my roomie and he picked up some merchandise he wanted. We also hit the local Walmart for basic supplies like water, booze, and snacks.

Since there's no more metal trade-in at the convention I don't have to keep Thursday open to go through the Boneyard (their unpackaged minis). I'm still sad about that. It was one of my favorite parts of the convention. But it left me the chance to take classes during that time.

I took two classes - one on freehand for non-artists and one on painting tiny text. The freehand one was good but I already knew the material from other classes. The text one was, well, not so good. Let's leave it at that. My class experience wasn't a stellar end to the series. I also crashed my friend's class on using paper and brass foliage so I learned a little there and got some goodies.

One class was Thursday, I crashed the course on Thursday, and my other class was Friday.

I did sign up for some of the Hobby Hijinks events. Those are free things like speed painting, conversions, etc. This year you could register for them like classes but with no charge. I liked that because in the past it was whoever got there first. So I had some fun with doing silly things and being kind of social.

I signed up to play a game but bowed out. I'd had a long, hard day. I was hurting. And the GM had allowed their friend to be an additional player that made the table one person larger than the event showed. I don't like either of those things so I gracefully gave them my seat and went back to the room. I would have liked to have played but I wasn't in the mental state to be a good player. I only showed up because I didn't want to leave the table down a player so having the extra person was a good thing in the end.

I didn't do any vendor shopping this time around for two reasons. One is that my knees didn't allow me much mobility. The other is that I didn't need or want anything from the vendors. I made one sweep through to get a punch card filled for a free mini and that's when I took stock of who was there and what they were selling. So I kind of did a speed browse to confirm that I was right in what I didn't need.

I did enter into the painting competition. I wanted the extra convention money (which I never spend), the badge ribbons, and I pretty much expected to bring home a bronze medal. Once again I grabbed a few minis off the painted shelf, touched them up, and entered them. They picked the one I thought they would pick to judge and it was a solid bronze. See for yourself.

I forgot they make you name your entry so the 'Redemption' thing was very last minute. It doesn't really mean anything. But I nailed the face on that one and I'm proud of that. Plus I don't think people use enough copper in their armor colors.

I now have two bronze medals to hang up by my painting area. As much as I don't seem to think much of them I'm going to show them off. I did win them at a convention painting competition, after all.

I spent more time talking with the artists I know than doing much else. I didn't paint because I didn't bring anything to paint or any paints. I was going to spend time at the basic paint and take table but the hobby events were enough painting for me. I really don't like painting away from home and the plan to practice what I'd learned in classes wasn't necessary. I did bring home a few minis that I would have painted, if I had been at the paint and take table.

I have a battered folder with all my class notes and handouts from every class I've ever taken at ReaperCon. It's got a lot of history in it. Since I wasn't coming back I felt it was acceptable to have the artists sign it - sculptors on the front and painters on the back. I'll cover those over with packing tape to preserve them as part of the whole. I do refer back to those notes at times so it's a nice way to remember everyone.

I stayed a day later than I normally would because it meant spending time with my roomie. Last convention and all that. He left early the next day to get to the airport and I wonder if the room felt as empty for him when I would leave early in previous years. It was nice not to have to rush but it was sad that he was gone and I'll probably never see him in person again.

The attendees seemed to have a good time like they always do. This is their convention now and it's a good one for them. It's a nice mix of the art side and the gaming side with the chance to socialize all weekend. And it's one of the nicest, friendliest conventions I've ever attended.

That being said the unthinkable happened. This was a convention where you could leave your stuff out all weekend and be sure it was safe. The artists left their minis at their tables so you could see them even when the artists were out and about. This year someone went through - twice - and stole minis from the artists. That really bothers me and I'm hoping desperately that it wasn't a convention person who did it. I also hope they can get the minis back. But it's going to change the tone of the convention going forward. I could have done without ending on that note.

I don't know if I would drive rather than fly if I were going back. It was a very long, boring drive broken up into two days on either side. If the hotel were closer to the cheap airport I don't even think I'd need a rental car now that I have no reason to go to the factory. If I'd been running games and needed all the accessories then driving would be the way to go. I've seen how careful my roomie is with his luggage weight and how much he has to bring. Driving means it's whatever fits in the car.

I don't have pictures of the convention itself. I didn't find any reason to take them. It was an event hotel with all the generic fittings and some Reaper specific decor. The painting contest entries are on the ReaperCon website so if I feel the urge to see what was there I can scroll those. There's a lot of entries if you want to see some good painting and imaginative work.

Last year I didn't think much of missing the convention. I have a feeling that I'll get a pang when it rolls around again but no more than that. It turns out my roomie only showed up this year to force me to show up so we could have a proper goodbye. I think that's sweet in a number of ways. I needed this last visit all around.

So there it is. After all these years my last ReaperCon. And it goes out with a whimper, as it should.