NON COMMON SPEAKING CHARACTERS

[Weedmage Princess]

I'd like to give a hearty BOO-HISS to all characters that don't speak common.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you suck at roleplaying or anything of the like. It is a challenging thing to roleplay I imagine, and it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility. However, I have no patience for these characters.

There's nothing more frustrating then sitting down for God knows how long while they point, laugh, smile, frown, bounce, giggle and do every other thing to attempt to relay to you what they're trying to say. For me, the player, it lessens my enjoyment of the game because I don't feel like playing text-based charades with them. Usually, my character does her best to stay away from people she can't communicate with..but on ocassion (like just now) a situation is "forced" on her where she has to get involved (well not necessarily HAS to, but does cause she doesn't want to be a total jerk..heh) and it leaves us both with a bitter taste in our mouths. That's just me, though.

So..here it is. Characters that don't speak common at all. What are your thoughts? Discuss.

[StrayRogue]

Some people can pull it off, some can't. I still don't think people shouldn't try.

[Dighn Darkbeam]

I respect when people that dont speak common dont care if they are understood or not.

Example A pure elf is looking for a locksmith. In the room there is only one locksmith, but he is a human. Instead of trying to find someone to translate or write in the sand or what have you he just shrugs and walks away. The pure elf knows that human would do a poor job anyway and isnt worth demeaning himself by interacting with him.

If you doing it just for a character quirk, but only passively rp and will speak to anyone. Yeah, that would get old.

[AnticorRifling]

When I did it I always had a translator. My dwarf would speak in dwarven and another dwarf would put it in common. We would make it a point to mess up the translations sometimes too. This made for interesting RP. But I didn't do the speaking dwarven all the time though just because I didn't want to see people in a constant state of frustration.

[CrystalTears]

I had a character that wouldn't speak at all. Not that she couldn't, but that she wouldn't. She would basically not try to talk to anyone. The only time I would have her try was when she needed a box opened, which was pretty easy to deal with. She would hold up the box and tap it to the locksmith, and when asked where from, she would pull out the skin or pelt she got it from. That was never really a problem. Other than that, people would try to talk to her to make her talk, and she would just frown and cross her arms. She's stubborn that way. It's fun once in a while but of course she's not my main character because it's a pain in the ass to do it all the time.

As for people who talk ONLY their race and not understand anything at all and yet insist on holding a conversation? I don't tolerate it. Like Anticor, there is usually someone around who speaks the language who can translate. I'm not fond of the whole cherade thing. Not even for mutes. Drives me nuts. I admire people who do it but I'm not a fan of being a part of it. I'm not that patient.

[Parkbandit]

Frustrating others can be fun. I think I'll try it.

[Bestatte]

My giantman bardess Courtine spoke like a demented little girl in common. She spoke eloquently in giantman. She used to make fun of herself to other people on her horrible lack of understanding of the common tongue.

Courtine says, "Dis be's Fluffy!"
Courtine raises her dark-red shaalk morningstar defiantly!

Someone says, "Hello, Fluffy!"

Courtine rolls her eyes.
Courtine says, "Fluffy can't talk its jesta basher!"

Courtine says, in giantman, "Foolish humans, do they really think I'm daft?"

Or however it went. It's been years since I've played her, so if there isn't a giantman language and I'm mistaken, then it was the bard guild-speak that she spoke so well in.

She was very intelligent - but also very child-like. And yeah, she made use of her "appropriate" language with eloquence, though her common sucked. I liked seeing other players who did this as well. I'd rather someone with lousy common and perfect whatever their race is, than someone who can't or won't speak the common at all.

[Miss X]

Some people pull it of really well. Trilley for example hardly ever speaks common (she knows a few phrases like asking for healing) only halfling, yet she still has tons of non-halfling friends and communicates in different ways.
My halfling charecter speaks common but she wont speak common to other halflings. Some people find it really rude in a public place, like its excluding people but for my charecter RP wise she cant fathom talking to other halflings in common because it takes more effort for her to speak common than the language of the true folk.
Vx

[Parkbandit]

Originally posted by Bestatte
I'd rather someone with lousy common and perfect whatever their race is, than someone who can't or won't speak the common at all.

All depends what you call 'perfect'. Falgrin will speak with an 'lazy' type accent.. usually not pronouncing t's or r's very well. And he has that same accent whether it's in dwarven or common.

[Kurili]

May I say here, I remember be so darn frustrated about characters not being able to speak common I could spit! I remember one Empath who couldnt speak common, and who managed to die within seconds of being raised by stupidly taking too many wounds from someone immidiately. My Cleric was kaput, of course. AND was the only Cleric awake at that time. So she and a couple of other people dragged the dead Elven speaking Empath to the High Holy. Which, for more than an hour, did not raise her. Come to find out, she was speaking Elven to the High Holy! I was so ticked I could have spit rocks.

And I know it is someone's RP choice. And I know it's often done well. However, if it is done in an area where there is a very low population, and the non-common speaking person is a healer, it does cause some major problems.

And another thing I find annoying, are those who must speak racial just to exclude anyone else in the room. Again, in a populated area, no problem. In an area where there are only say, five characters awake...and four are speaking Sylvan....I just find that wrong. By the way, in this case, the characters can and do speak common....they are doing it to exclude.

Bah, brought up memories there, Weedmage!

Acolyte Kurili

[Dighn Darkbeam]

In an area where there are only say, five characters awake...and four are speaking Sylvan....I just find that wrong. By the way, in this case, the characters can and do speak common....they are doing it to exclude. >>>

Bwaahahah

Dighn points at human

Dighn says something in elven.

Everyone makes merry laughter.

A good time is had by all, - 1.

Priceless.

[Artha]

I hope Aelotoi can't speak common in GS4.

Anyone who keeps up with the official boards know if that's been brought up?

[Dighn Darkbeam]

I hope Aelotoi can't speak common in GS4. >>

I Very much doubt any race will ever lose/not have the ability to speak common in GS4. That would actually force people to pick a race based somewhat with RP considerations in mind.

People should learn additional languages as an artisan skill. Ive already spoken on this, however.

[Weedmage Princess]

HAHAHA Kurili I know who you're talking about!!!! And prior to that post, I was complaining about my situation to someone in IMs..and he thought it was the same empath...but this was actually someone else ;)

[Back]

Originally posted by Bestatte
My giantman bardess Courtine spoke like a demented little girl in common. She spoke eloquently in giantman. She used to make fun of herself to other people on her horrible lack of understanding of the common tongue.

Courtine says, "Dis be's Fluffy!"
Courtine raises her dark-red shaalk morningstar defiantly!

Someone says, "Hello, Fluffy!"

Courtine rolls her eyes.
Courtine says, "Fluffy can't talk its jesta basher!"

Courtine says, in giantman, "Foolish humans, do they really think I'm daft?"

Or however it went. It's been years since I've played her, so if there isn't a giantman language and I'm mistaken, then it was the bard guild-speak that she spoke so well in.

She was very intelligent - but also very child-like. And yeah, she made use of her "appropriate" language with eloquence, though her common sucked. I liked seeing other players who did this as well. I'd rather someone with lousy common and perfect whatever their race is, than someone who can't or won't speak the common at all.

I remember her! She was fun.

I speak in third person with my giant Ulg.

It gets many different reactions. Suprisingly few people get a major bug up their ass about it and say anything.

Most people treat him real nice and normal.

Whats interesting is the amount of people that start copying the dialect... i.e.

Ulg says, "Ulg thank healer. Fell much better."

Empath says, "Empath happy to help Ulg!"

Its a trip.

[Kurili]

Hehehe I knew you'd know, Weedie!

And to everyone else, when I was talking about the four speaking racial, one not...it's not like the odd one out could go somewhere else and find someone else to communicate with. That was Plat...there WAS no one else! And that is why I said it was rude. In Prime..go elsewhere.


Acolyte Kurili

[Stunseed]

Malikary plays his off pretty well, in my opinion. Heavily accented common if at all.

[HayanTsu]

Personnally, if find non-common speaking characters to be quite innovative. It's a challenging thing, wich, personnally again, doesn't lessen my own experience of the game. Some of my best roleplay experiences were by meeting with characters who could not speak common.

Perhaps that the frustration some gotten from encounters with non-common speech characters where from the very modern hatred of not being able to understand something. Us people of the 21st century tend to try to want to understand things -everything- , so it's normal, to me, if some doesn't accept the fact that someone has *decided*to play a character not speaking common.

But, really, to me, this is still just a game. And in a game there is place for creativity. And if an idea doesn't please to some, well nothing forces them to play togheter.

Like we say amongst writers and artists: "There's no bad ideas, only bad ways to approach them."

[K e e p]
[Frozen]

[Betheny]

My elf doesn't speak common. But she doesn't act shit out either. If you don't understand her, oh well. She speaks SOME common, but I have a hard time pulling t hat off. Because she wouldn't be fluent in it... but she always comes off sounding retarded or like a snert that can't type. That's just not cool, so I just stopped speaking it entirely.

[Edited on 10-23-2003 by Maimara]

[Dighn Darkbeam]

Dighn is fluent in common, though if someone speaks with anything more than a slight accent, he has great difficulty in understanding them.

The sad thing is most people talk in all their available languages with an accent. Unless its a mental or physical defect, I doubt most accents would transfer into a separate language.

Kris na Su'ta

[Soulpieced]

Lotuus comes to mind as someone who pulls it off well. She only speaks giant and isn't your typical "regular person" who does it poorly and uses act or other nonsense to ineract.

[Soulpieced]

Ulg sounds almost exactly like Thrudh.

[Sweets]

I had a bit of fun with a elven rogue who wouldn't speak common with my little halfling. I just kept rambling on about what I thought she said. Eventually she looked and saw I wasn't elven. Her eyes near popped outa her head. Apparently my little halfling was guessing right.

So all and all, my encounters with non common speaking characters has been fun/interesting. It's all about how you wanna rp your character I think.

[Back]

Originally posted by Soulpieced
Ulg sounds almost exactly like Thrudh.

I actually remember Thrudh. I'm certain many many people have come and gone speaking that way.

[Edited on 10-24-2003 by Backlash]

[Back]

One my first RP encounters coming back to the game was with a half-elf woman who could not speak. A fellow two weapon user. What was cool though was she would use the 'think to' as a way around it. Ulg would talk out loud of course and she would respond in thoughts.

[Edited on 10-24-2003 by Backlash]

[Myrianna]

**regarding non-anything speaking characters** Yukito pulls this one off very nicely, he's always got something to write on and some such, finds ways around never actually speaking, and he's too adorable. :D

[Fraidycat]

Bit late with this but . . . .
Shimmerain has many days when he is torn to peices (not always phisicaly) in public becouse of his Dark Elven blood...
This just makes him more angry at the rest of the Elanthian races and he usually gives up trying to speak common. Why should he try when it doesn't seem to help him fit in. . . . this just makes him more singled out and determind to defy.
One day I think he will never speak common again due to the likes of Saberwolv and (The) Edine. (please keep pushing him as I love to RP his rage with you guys).

On the other hand, Against his nature he will also speak Elven to an Elf who has gained his respect. It is simply a way to show he has noted your heritage and wishes to display thanks for not hating something he had no control over when he was born.
Excellent thread . .. .
We have to realise the option of speaking other languages is there for a reason. It can help create some wonderful reasons for my character to research such spells as 'sink Elanthia' . . . :D

Shimm

Don't worry You will always be nothing but a Dirt Elf to me

[Fraidycat]

Thanks man . . though I'm sure you meant Shimm . . . :(

[ElvenRangeress]

Culvin actually knew how to pull it off, he eventually learned common after a few months. He did it pretty good too.

[EmpressBtch]

When I first came to GS I had a ranger and got stuck in guild speak. I actually had to come and have a GM fix me....gods that sucked.