From owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Thu Jul 15 19:45:40 1999 Received: (from bin@localhost) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) id TAA25940; Thu, 15 Jul 1999 19:45:40 +1200 Received: from mailhost.auckland.ac.nz (mailhost.auckland.ac.nz [130.216.1.4]) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) with ESMTP id TAA25937 for ; Thu, 15 Jul 1999 19:45:39 +1200 Received: from sci4 (lbr-122-42.lbrsc.auckland.ac.nz [130.216.122.42]) by mailhost.auckland.ac.nz (8.9.2/8.9.2/8.9.2-ua) with SMTP id TAA10033 for ; Thu, 15 Jul 1999 19:41:35 +1200 (NZST) Message-Id: <199907150741.TAA10033@mailhost.auckland.ac.nz> Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 19:44:53 +0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Your opinions please X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v2.53/R1) From: "Michael Parkinson" To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sender: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Errors-To: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Loop: dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Requests: To unsubscribe from this list, or change your subscription address, send a message to dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz. Reply-To: m.parkinson@auckland.ac.nz, dq@dq.sf.org.nz Dear GMs & Players, Here are a list of various suggestions/questions. It might be best if you replied directly to me, so that I may co-ordinate any popular views or necessary points into the language document to be tabled at the next Gods Meeting. Not that only some points are potentially complementary. Could I please have all replies by Friday, 23 June. Feel free to voice your indifference/vehemence to the various points. A timely response is more important than a tactful one. Please endeavour to be clear, as I will not be exchanging emails. POINT ONE: There are some languages in the campaign NOT listed in the document "penult" posted earlier this month. Please specify any language that you believe is used by current PCs, &/or by NPCs who are expected to have any future impact on the Campaign. Please indicate GM involved (if known), or PC who uses it (if known), also a quick description of any *relevant* details (if known) such as: what languages (DQ, Realworld, or other) it resembles; written form (if appropriate); any restrictions on use; etc. -- NB this can include other silent tongues, etc. POINT 2: There has been some talk or experience of particular languages being hard to learn, ranks, EP. Please indicate your opinion of the following suggestions, or answer the questions. Please also indicate if you feel some points MUST or should go together [or not] e.g.: 2a=Yes AND 2b=Yes AND 2c=Yes AND 2d=Almost all... e.g. 2c=NO & 2d=IRRELEVANT, etc 2a) All languages should go to rank 10 2b) The EP for languages should be EM-based. 2c) Some languages should be harder to learn than others [*before* any discounts for related or similar languages are applied]. 2d) What percentage of languages should be "normal" to rank? 2e) The base EP for languages should be changed from that listed in table 53.2 [i.e.: Rk 0, ..., 10 = 200, 75, 125, 300, 550, 850, 1350, 1700, 2250, 2900, 3500]. 2f) if so, how? 2g) What limits, if any, should apply to the amount/level of EP discounts? 2h) What abilities, effects, or bonuses that high rank in a language *should* confer have not been mentioned by the "penult" language document. 2i) What language-related rules NOT in Section 38 need to be changed. QUESTION 3: What is the most important existing problem that the "penult" language document does NOT answer? Q3a) What suggestions, if any, do you have that would remedy this oversight? QUESTION 4: If the "penult" language document is introduced, what is the biggest problem? Q4a) What suggestions, if any, do you have that would remedy this? QUESTION 5: please indicate other comments you want considered. Thank you for your attention. Respondents may claim a glass of acceptable wine at the next God's meeting [Sunday 1/8/99]. Michael Michael Parkinson Mathematics & Statistics Subject Librarian Science Library, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, AUCKLAND, N.Z. Email: m.parkinson@auckland.ac.nz Phone: (09) 3737 599 x 5858 Fax: (09) 3082 304 -------------------------------- If you divide the various sciences and learned disciplines in accordance with their subject matter, you will find the first and deepest line of cleavage between mathematics on the one side and the whole remaining body of human knowledge on the other. -- "Norbert Wiener: Collected works" v.1 p.234 -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers -- From owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Thu Jul 15 20:29:14 1999 Received: (from bin@localhost) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) id UAA25990; Thu, 15 Jul 1999 20:29:14 +1200 Received: from smtp1.ihug.co.nz (tk1.ihug.co.nz [203.29.160.13]) by mail.sf.org.nz (8.8.6/NZSFI-19980830) with ESMTP id UAA25987 for ; Thu, 15 Jul 1999 20:29:12 +1200 Received: from jimarona.ihug.co.nz (p156-tnt1.akl.ihug.co.nz [206.18.111.156]) by smtp1.ihug.co.nz (8.9.3/8.9.3/Debian/GNU) with SMTP id UAA02538; Thu, 15 Jul 1999 20:25:06 +1200 Subject: Re: Your opinions please Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 20:29:29 +1200 Message-ID: <01bece9c$281a8800$9c6f12ce@jimarona.ihug.co.nz> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.71.1712.3 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.71.1712.3 From: "Jim Arona" To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Sender: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz Errors-To: owner-dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Loop: dq@dq.sf.org.nz X-Requests: To unsubscribe from this list, or change your subscription address, send a message to dq-request@dq.sf.org.nz. Reply-To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz -----Original Message----- From: Michael Parkinson To: dq@dq.sf.org.nz Date: Thursday, 15 July 1999 20:00 Subject: Your opinions please Dear GMs & Players, Here are a list of various suggestions/questions. It might be best if you replied directly to me, so that I may co-ordinate any popular views or necessary points into the language document to be tabled at the next Gods Meeting. Not that only some points are potentially complementary. Could I please have all replies by Friday, 23 June. Feel free to voice your indifference/vehemence to the various points. A timely response is more important than a tactful one. Please endeavour to be clear, as I will not be exchanging emails. POINT ONE: There are some languages in the campaign NOT listed in the document "penult" posted earlier this month. Please specify any language that you believe is used by current PCs, &/or by NPCs who are expected to have any future impact on the Campaign. Please indicate GM involved (if known), or PC who uses it (if known), also a quick description of any *relevant* details (if known) such as: what languages (DQ, Realworld, or other) it resembles; written form (if appropriate); any restrictions on use; etc. -- NB this can include other silent tongues, etc. POINT 2: There has been some talk or experience of particular languages being hard to learn, ranks, EP. Please indicate your opinion of the following suggestions, or answer the questions. Please also indicate if you feel some points MUST or should go together [or not] e.g.: 2a=Yes AND 2b=Yes AND 2c=Yes AND 2d=Almost all... e.g. 2c=NO & 2d=IRRELEVANT, etc 2a) All languages should go to rank 10 No. But, all languages that a player may be inflicted with as a result of his race should have that option. 2b) The EP for languages should be EM-based. No. The current weird system is fine, as it is. 2c) Some languages should be harder to learn than others [*before* any discounts for related or similar languages are applied]. I don't see an advantage for this. I don't see how you determine what makes a language 'absolutely' difficult, since it is the linguistic tradition you come from that determines that sort of thing. On the other hand, if you made it complex enough to capture that effect, then it'd probably be too difficult to administer in a game, unless it was only of interest to a player, in which case, why are we bothering with complex rules to satisfy the interests of a few players. This would be an indulgent waste of effort, and creates an imbalanced game...The combat system sucks big time, but the rules on language are divine... If too much effort is spent on language, then concomitant effort will be made by DMs to justify that effort, which means that language skills or the lack thereof stifle opportunities for players to roleplay. That could happen now, and doesn't for the most part, because 1) most DMs really have limited understanding of the way language works, and 2) because the rules are so crappy, they don't encourage that sort of game. It may be annoying to see the aliens always speaking English...But, it is even more irritating to see players stumbling around a game, because they can't access the adventure. 2d) What percentage of languages should be "normal" to rank? What? 2e) The base EP for languages should be changed from that listed in table 53.2 [i.e.: Rk 0, ..., 10 = 200, 75, 125, 300, 550, 850, 1350, 1700, 2250, 2900, 3500]. It's fine...Weird, but fine. 2f) if so, how? 2g) What limits, if any, should apply to the amount/level of EP discounts? Doesn't worry me how much the player's get to reduce the cost. 2h) What abilities, effects, or bonuses that high rank in a language *should* confer have not been mentioned by the "penult" language document. Precious little. An astounding grasp of grammar, syntax and vocabulary. 2i) What language-related rules NOT in Section 38 need to be changed. Accents should be covered in Courtesan, Spy, and/or Troubador. QUESTION 3: What is the most important existing problem that the "penult" language document does NOT answer? How easy is it to convey an idea if you don't have an appropriate language? Q3a) What suggestions, if any, do you have that would remedy this oversight? I suggest we avoid putting too much effort in languages. The document, before the discussion on easier and harder languages, is fine. QUESTION 4: If the "penult" language document is introduced, what is the biggest problem? Q4a) What suggestions, if any, do you have that would remedy this? QUESTION 5: please indicate other comments you want considered. Thank you for your attention. Respondents may claim a glass of acceptable wine at the next God's meeting [Sunday 1/8/99]. Michael Michael Parkinson Mathematics & Statistics Subject Librarian Science Library, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, AUCKLAND, N.Z. Email: m.parkinson@auckland.ac.nz Phone: (09) 3737 599 x 5858 Fax: (09) 3082 304 -------------------------------- If you divide the various sciences and learned disciplines in accordance with their subject matter, you will find the first and deepest line of cleavage between mathematics on the one side and the whole remaining body of human knowledge on the other. -- "Norbert Wiener: Collected works" v.1 p.234 -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers -- -- see unsubscribe instructions in message headers --