More importantly, goofy-web-language-speak fails both the playability and IC tests. We don't want to add "You must memorize or install triggers for hundreds of words in order to communicate with members of your own race." to the CF learning curve. Key words for color/emphasis are fine for the reasons you give- context can be used to grab them, and people can keep track of a common couple things like that without a problem, just like I know how to say hello and good-bye in a ton of RL languages.

It doesn't make IC sense either. If you were speaking elvish IC, other elves would understand you if their role specified they should. If you're speaking some goofy-web-language, you're taking an IC (character) skill and turning it into a OOC (player) skill.

Also, what if one elf is using some Forgotten-Realms derived dictionary, and another one is using Tolkien-elvish? IC, we've never given reason why two elvish languages would exist.

I dealt with far too much goofy-web-dark-elf(*)-speak as a Master, until I thought about it more and just started demanding they speak to me in my language. I'd be more open to ideas along this angle if people played their racial culture up in other ways (i.e., dark-elves are evil/cutthroat, not just snooty humans with lots of apostrophes), but it seems ridiculous to emphasize something that is a pain in the butt for most players (learning web-languages) instead of things that enhance the game for everyone.

(*) You'll notice the word 'drow' appearing less and less within the game. There's a lot more 'Dark-elf' these days, which is on purpose. More to come on this as our related culture projects see the light of day.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com