tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post6355378943677758171..comments2024-03-16T06:00:04.833-04:00Comments on Sham's Grog 'n Blog: D&D Cover to Cover, part 9Sham aka Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-47913626644697505902013-02-28T13:17:04.783-05:002013-02-28T13:17:04.783-05:00Once I started thinking about what Alignment langu...Once I started thinking about what Alignment languages could actually mean, I started trying to match it up with real world slang situations.So people who speak conservative will say things like "Real Americans" and "The body has ways of shutting that down" where as people who speak liberal will say things like "check your privilege" and "die cis scum". While they're technically both the same language you have to be down with your group to understand the context.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-50835637911760947612009-05-27T16:02:07.023-04:002009-05-27T16:02:07.023-04:00Ya, Below Is Good Too. ;-)Ya, Below Is Good Too. ;-)Sham aka Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-8388468876319016052009-05-27T15:45:26.221-04:002009-05-27T15:45:26.221-04:00Down There. Deep Down. Below. I enjoy those Sig...Down There. Deep Down. Below. I enjoy those Significant Capitals. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-30807150494698301782009-05-27T11:18:44.892-04:002009-05-27T11:18:44.892-04:00Interesting angle, Shimrod. You know, things are j...Interesting angle, Shimrod. You know, things are just different down there. For example (and I'll have to check the exact passage that states this) ALL Monsters down there have Infravision. If ANY of those same Monsters become part of a PC group (via Charm or whatever) this ability is lost.<br /><br />It's a gameism that is akin to the Stuck Doors rule I mentioned in an earlier comment. It doesn't make sense. It makes for a certain deliberate game imbalance where the world down there is slanted towards the chaotic denizens therein.<br /><br />Also, I like the phrase "Down There". I'll have to incorporate that in the future. :-)Sham aka Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-80546281187922341772009-05-27T09:45:14.414-04:002009-05-27T09:45:14.414-04:00When I recently ran Labyrinth Lord, I explained al...When I recently ran Labyrinth Lord, I explained alignment languages as being a part of the Dungeon-as-Mythic-Underworld concept. I explained to the players that in addition to reality and reason having less hold Below, magic was more powerful, and alignment languages came into existence. I told them that aboveground, in civilization, they did not. That characters could have a conversation about ethics and morality in other languages, sufficient to identify alignment, but it is not a language of its own. But that somehow, for some reason, things are different Below. When you go into the underworld, you actually become able to converse in your alignment language. Behind the scenes I’ve just begun to have ideas percolate about what greater meaning this has in the game’s cosmology. My first thought is that it might be reflective of the greater cosmic conflicts (like the Norse gods vs. Cthulu choose your side concept), and that the Gods and Powers confer this ability as an extension of the eternal war. Or as a tool portending the eventual Ragnarok.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-39707595204321094052008-11-20T00:41:00.000-05:002008-11-20T00:41:00.000-05:00Badelaire: I did read it, it was funny seeing a fe...Badelaire: I did read it, it was funny seeing a few posts around town on languages when I knew this post would be popping up in a week or so. James M and Jeff also did posts on Weapons vs AC, which again will be visited here in a pre-scheduled post to this series. <BR/><BR/>David: I agree that "common tongue" is a game mechanic, as are the divisional tongues. The game mechanics we encounter in OD&D eventually gave way to more realistic treatments...one that comes to mind (and will surely see a post in a month or so lol) is that in OD&D, ALL dungeon doors are stuck...but ONLY for PC's, Monsters pass through them unhindered. Cool rule, but not realistic.Sham aka Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-92065260177960658152008-11-19T18:01:00.000-05:002008-11-19T18:01:00.000-05:00Language has always fascinated me, but I find that...Language has always fascinated me, but I find that D&D mildly annoys me with its "Common" tongue.<BR/><BR/>Now it makes sense for gameplay of course, but I feel like it takes some of the foreignness out of traveling. If your guys go to a far-off land, the people there shouldn't all speak the same language as your hometown.<BR/><BR/>As for the lawful/chaotic languages, I've never found a way to make that make sense. I suppose the "Language from a like-aligned nation" idea works fairly well. The problem with alignment languages is that there doesn't seem to be any reason that, for instance, a chaotic follower of Gruumsh couldn't learn "Lawful".<BR/><BR/>Well anyway, I'm enjoying your series of posts here on OD&D. I have a hard time reading the LBBs in order like that, and it's cool to see someone else's take on it.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546100677119484489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-88506428200921511422008-11-19T17:32:00.000-05:002008-11-19T17:32:00.000-05:00Did you catch the language post over on Jeff's gam...Did you catch the language post over on Jeff's game blog last week? Some good comments on languages there that might be relevant, especially the discussion of alignment languages.Jack Badelairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10932441028544500024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-25877647778943845522008-11-19T13:11:00.000-05:002008-11-19T13:11:00.000-05:00That was one method I posed, but I hadn't consider...That was one method I posed, but I hadn't considered making it unrelated to one's own alignment. That's actually a perfectly viable solution, and might explain how a chaotic man could be found coexisting with lawful neighbors. The divisional tongue, it is assumed, might still be useful in the wilderness or underworld...for various reasons. Thanks David.Sham aka Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14329116400656617173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5621016516937695074.post-42273646742748144262008-11-19T12:41:00.000-05:002008-11-19T12:41:00.000-05:00I guess one possible interpretation of alignment t...I guess one possible interpretation of alignment tongues is that they're the languages of Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic <I>nations</I>; Common remains as either a pidgin or a lingua franca like Latin. Thus, taking the world of Conan as our example, if you grew up in, say, Cimmeria, you speak Chaotic. If you're from Aquilonia, you speak Lawful. Shem? You speak Neutral. Doesn't matter what your actual alignment is, that way, and nicely avoids the alignment shift conundrum.David Larkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04133630988557116729noreply@blogger.com