[pnpgm] Game Update #25 - File #276 - IBT and Cover Story

[J Hooten]

<For those curious, I searched and found the table mentioned. I did not 
remember it at all even though I played RQ in the 80s.
Language Proficiency Table
Skill
Level Result
01-14 May only communicate simple ideas like "I want food."
15-29 May get across simple requests and live day-to-day in the native 
country of the language speakers. "How many moneys for leg of bison?"
30-49 Assured communication. One can speak as well as a stupid native 
and get most ideas across. "But that was only three clacks yesterday."
50-79 Allows one to tell stories, sagas, songs, etc. Can argue and 
bargain as well as any native speaker, although a foreign speaker would 
retain an accent "That bison was rotten before it was butchered, and it 
never was worth the spit it took to hit the tax collectors eye last month."
80-00 This is the language of poets, philosophers, leaders, diplomats, 
emissaries and others who aspire to a fluent grasp of the nation's 
speech. "Surely the assessment for this specimen of decomposing 
provender could be re-evaluated in consideration of its advanced state 
of putrefaction." A foreign speaker would speak the language without an 
accent.

<If this was in effect then Raban can already speak better than many 
natives. But Runequest put basic 'dumb' native at 30% and required both 
at 50% to make no mistakes.
<They also used to start characters at 30% but later changed to 50%
<The new Mongoose RQ books do not appear to have kept the table


Wout Broere wrote:
> OOC: I don't know what Scott uses as a reference, but as a GM I have
> always used the old Runequest language proficiency table. I don't have
> my Runequest books handy, but it would place 52% proficiency at the
> medium to high level for a native speaker.
>
> The RQ table was something like
> 0-20%  "Meat was bad! Aaarghh."
> 20-40  "The sheep flesh you sold me yesterday was rotten. I want my
> money back."
> 40-60 ???
> 60-80 "Dear Mr. Butcher, the leg-o-lamb that you sold me yesterday was
> of highly questionable quality and the amount of maggots that were
> crawling in it was uncountable. I strongly suggest a pecuniary
> renumeration or I will report this establishment to the appropriate
> authorities and have you closed down."
>
> I have always liked that table.
>