> Unless a definitive answer crops up, it'd have to be doing what
> seems fun. Ignoring language as an issue is the common solution, but
> I wonder what you're planning to do with it, out of curiosity? I've
> a couple of observations below (directed at playing games I hope).
Well, as it is a trade port, I want some of the logic of people not understanding each other. Some getting by in Tradetalk, other in Boatspeech. Then you've got the Tarshite Lunar overlords and some even more foreign people. Issaries magic becomes useful, LM scholars are useful. PCs having or not having a language will help play (in a fun way).
> So, with all that typing I have finally worked out what I would
> suggest that LC do: Define language in the broadest (geographical)
> sense possible, so you have an escape route if it gets messy, but
> where it is interesting to do so, get the characters to use their
> Speak [Own Language] to understand even their grandma (who still
> speaks funny), without getting the message garbled.
I do want it broadly defined, broad brush only. But you want to speak to someone from a clan not too near your own? A roll maybe. Or maybe just to try to identify their accent. Things like that. Real trouble when someone doesn't have a common language. (Many of the PCs do, but they don't all have the same languages. They can all talk to each other, but they can't necessarily all talk to the same NPCs equally well.)
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