>From: donald_at_...
>
>Of course if you have a world where diplomats usually learn all the
>languages they encounter then fine.
Well, yes. We're all agreed that the rule is something like, "If it's somehow typical." The question is "typical at what level?" You seem to have an answer below...
>Where is the traveller keyword? The rules use "Widely Travelled" as
>an example of a over-broad ability.
In the section on advanced experience. Can't recall if it's laid out as an actual keyword per se. But there's a notion regarding it, at least.
>My criteria is very simple - does the keyword fit the world and
>particular culture in that world.
That's the level that I was using as criteria previously, too. That is, a Heortling diplomat might be constructed differently than a Lunar diplomat at the very least. But the question is how small do you go on cultures? Nominally you could make the easy decision to only allow the cultures in the book. But its implied that one can narrow the culture somewhat. That is (and to use the example I always do), would it make sense to have the same survival skills for a Heortling from Boldhome as it would for a Heortling who lives out in the hinterlands? If Boldhome Heortlings can have their own keyword, then can you tailor down to lower levels of culture? Can you take a cultural keyword specific to a tribe? To a clan? To a vilage of the clan? To a subculture of the village of the clan?
Kolating from the Lismelder Village of Spearstand?
Then, if so, can the occupations be taken specifically down to that level, too? Diplomat Kolating from the Lismelder Village of Spearstand?
It's pretty simple to just limit to something like a "national" level for culture. And that works fine. But I like to allow a bit more flexibility. And so that's why I've gotten to the criteria that I currently use. Which is that the character's keywords simply have to be indicative of some type, even if imaginary. Just so long as the abilities involved can't be said to be just things that the character picked up despite the keyword.
That's pretty broad. But I'm testing it in use, and, for the very little that I've used it, so far, so good.
Mike
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