If Only I Could Make Them Understand...

[Thor]

We've been meaning to post this for a while now, but somehow kept forgetting. Last night, during our Shadakai game, I finally copied down all the details so I could share them with you!

I'm talking about Foreign Languages. In the past we've always skirted language rules in Burning Wheel. There's a listing for the Foreign Languages skill in the Character Burner, and a handful of lifepaths even include it, but nothing really combined the spirit of intent and task with the feel of knowing and learning languages. But we've been playing with the following for about six or seven months now, and it's great.

All characters are assumed to speak their native tongue. Further, all the basic principles of Burning Wheel (e.g., Intent and Task, Say Yes or Roll Dice, Let It Ride, Beginner's Luck, etc.) are in effect. You should only test when there's something important at stake.

Foreign Languages
Root: Perception, Skill Type: Social, Tools: No

This skill represents that the character has had the opportunity to learn foreign languages over the course of his life. Test this skill when attempting to communicate with another character in a language that is not your native tongue.

Note that the examples for the following obstacles are for our Shadakai campaign, you should substitute your own languages.

Obstacles: Close dialect to your native tongue, Ob 1. Obscure or thick dialect of your native tongue, Ob 2. Simple or related language, Ob 2. Difficult language, Ob 3. Complex language, Ob 4. Mystical/Esoteric language, Ob 5.

Conditional Obstacle Modifiers based on what you're trying to convey:
Philosophical/abstract concepts: +2 Ob
Formal/ritualistic concepts: +1 Ob
Survival language/conversational language: No penalty
Using gestures, pointing, visual references: +1D
Dead language: +1 Ob