Character creation question

[Space_Cadet]

When you're selecting species skills (knowledge and all that) can you select more than one language?

[Njxt]

I think it depends of the specie and the background of the character.
A vulcan, for example, should be proficient in either Vulcan or Federation Standard languages.
IMHO, every species member of the federation should have Fed. Stand.

[Doug Burke]

Normally, one is limited to what's listed under "Languages" in the species description. Special circumstances may change that at Narrator's Discretion.

[Arnold Rimmer]

I look at it this way:

If your character has an Intellect of 12, not only does it make sense for your character to have more than their species language, but there just aren't enough language and knowledge skills to distribute that many points into.

Now, if your character only has an intellect of, say, 6, the species language should be more than sufficient, and makes more sense while playing.

[T'lara]

Originally posted by Arnold Rimmer
I look at it this way:

If your character has an Intellect of 12, not only does it make sense for your character to have more than their species language, but there just aren't enough language and knowledge skills to distribute that many points into.

Now, if your character only has an intellect of, say, 6, the species language should be more than sufficient, and makes more sense while playing.

Why? Sorry, Intellegance does not matter it should make sense for having more than one language. It should make sense for the character. Someone could be on their planet their whole life and never learned a language other than their own but is the Einstien or Hawking of his generation.
What if you oh have it in your background, family traveled around alot, parent a diplomant, grew up in an enviroment where it would matter. This requires the player and narrator talk about it and maybe like I require written Character Concept Background before CC.
Character Concept is the backbone of any game and if you allow it. There are people out there IRL that can speak several languages and are not the Einstiens the 12 int of their generaltions is because they are around the languages alot and have to use it for life or just have a natural knack.

[Chaos]

I think I see where Rimmer is coming from. (Smeghead! Sorry, I couldn't pass up a Red Dwarf reference ) I had a similar issue when I had my group generate characters in my game... they usually ended up with enough points to spread into Culture, Languages, etc. to make them English or History professors. I actually solved the problem by making a few other skills "cultural" as appropriate to the culture -- for example, Archaic Weapons for a Klingon or Investigate for a Vulcan. This also turned out to be a very good way to encourage players to flesh out their characters with "hobby" skills. Allowing characters to purchase Entertain with an approriate specialty is a good example of that possibility (Klingon Opera for a Klingon, Vulcan Harp for a Vulcan, etc.)

[Doug Burke]

Note: The following is my own opinion and does not reflect the views of Decipher...

In the new Trek game I'm going to be starting tomorrow night, I'm planning on requiring 6 levels in the species' native language and then they can spend the remainder of their Species picks as they see fit.

Why 6? Two reasons. 1) It's the maximum for starting characters and 2) All of the characters from the four series as presented in The Narrator's Guide have 6 levels in their native language. Seemed a good enough reason to me.

Now if a character has an Intellect of (say) 6 or less, I may allow them to take fewer levels, but I doubt that will happen, considering the importance of Int in the game...

[Tobian]

Originally posted by Doug Burke
All of the characters from the four series as presented in The Narrator's Guide have 6 levels in their native language. Seemed a good enough reason to me.

With the possible exception of Chekov (and Scotty)

[Doug Burke]

Originally posted by Tobian
With the possible exception og Chekov (and Scotty)

Well, considering they weren't given stats in the NG, they don't really count, but I did say "native language". For SPock, that would be Vulcan. For Chekov, Russian. Again, it's up to the Narrator in the end...