Cultural differences

I'm following posts about new places we'll visit on Thea, and my mind is grinding all the ideas I can throw against my players. We'll have so many cultures mixing around. That is a great potential for conflict!

One of the ideas came up, when I remembered something from my personal history.
You see - I have an international projects in my background. And when I started studying it, I was wandering what can they teach me about working with fellow students from other continents? We've known each other, partied together. We were great friends.

Than it turned out, that someone was from culture not used to taking orders from a women (guess who was our manager?). Someone was working nights only, cause he was having fun during the days (you can imagine attendance). Some people were dead serious about deadlines, and for some it was... Just guidelines. Our studies depended on us being able to work together as a team. On week 3 of the project I was so glad we don't have guns, cause we'd shoot each other on every meeting.

Back to 7th Sea.

Everyone has a gun.
A blade. A ship full of canons. Some of them have their own armadas.

And now imagine, they slightly misunderstand their intentions.

Imagine two "diplomats" (representatives, chieftains, bosses - whatever) trying to work out at least non agression pact on the first contact. Both of them need to keep their nerves, men steady and hands away from weapons...

Just for the sake of example:

Rokuganis, when handing a gift expect it to be given thrice. So they can turn it down twice, and let the offerer a chance to prove his intentions are clear and the gift is ment to be offered. Any other protocole is considered dishonorable - either someone was not honest about intention of giving, or they changed their mind and found the person to be gifted is not worthy the gift.

Where I come from, we're serious about the gifts as well. It's ok to turn down the gift (for multiply reasons), but expecting me to give a gift and than ask for taking it, is offensive.

So imagine a meeting of two diplomats O(grish) and R(okugani) - skipping all the translation issues I could bring up:

O: Please accept this masterwork of our culture as a sign of our mutual friendship, good will and true intentions...
R: Oh, that is so wonderfull, that it should be gifted to a person of higher standing. I'm humbled with your offer...
O: Ok.
R: What? You mean I'm not good enough to be offered this?
O: You said you are not the person to be adressed, so I take your word to be true!
R: You sugest I could be lying?

Aaaah... And they do have guns, swords and reason. And they did want to make peace... It's just those little cultural differences, that can turn a sunny afternoon into blood-red evening.

So imagine how many cultural, religious and personal behaviours you can turn into a game situation if you want to. Court protocoles, bargaining, throwing challenges, religious services. They are all part of the world, they can be easly overstepped, and often people are very serious about them.

So why not using them?!

What are your ideas? Any concepts you'd like share? I'd love to read about them!

Quo vadis Thea?

You probably've seen the 16th project update by J.Wick. You didn't? Well - there's something you need to catch up quickly!

The thing is, there's new land coming in: "The Land of Gold anf Fire". And that's another one, which makes me dizzy with the scope of the project and number of new places in plan.

It's like so far we've been looking at Thea through magnifying glass, and now we're just standing up to look at the big picture!

And honestly, since I've learned about "The New World", I was like - "Wut? What's wrong with the old Thea?! I've had so much fun over there, why going somewhere else? JW don't dilute! Just take what was great and make it even better!"

But than I took some sleep. Did some thinking (yea - it happens, even to ogres. It's a slow process but nevertheless...). Eventually I figured something else - I've been on the old Thea. I mean everywhere. I've sneaked upon the bears in Ussuria (not a good idea!), challenged Vestens for a fair duel (not a good idea again), called Vodaccian a liar (Well... You can see where it's going!) and even told a Montaigne tailor, that it's not a cloth that makes a man (Actually... Never mind the comment - you can imagine.).

So what JW is doing now, seems like making a new place I want to go. A lot of new places I want to go!

With all the old nations squeezed into only two books, the horizon seems like a great new direction!

After all, if you look at our yard, so many good stories were told outside of the old continent. "Zorro" happens in California, "Pirates of the Carrabean" are - duh! In Carrabean! And in case you didn't notice, Africa is so much stuck with piracy, that it still can't shake off the pirates of their shores!
So it seems like there's a lot of potential outside of old Thea, even before we start mentioning all the cool names from history books like: Cortez, Magellan, William Adams (check wikipedia if he doesn't ring the bell).

So after a second thought, I'm all thumbs up about the idea. I wander though, what are your opinions - are you excited to go outside, or you're planning to stay on the continent?

Dla tych co po polskiemu

Back on 7th Sea!

Strretch yarr backs, ya paunchy, onion-eyed strumpets!

Tha Wicked Admirral is rraisin' a fleet again, and I'm not gonna grro fat when it's all happenin'!

Ya hearrd tha worrd?! He got some locos payin' forr dat, so dat is not some fancy, nurrturred noodle mouthed montaignac idea! Dat' is forreal'! Dat' is adventurr we'rr talkin' and I'm gonna be parrt of dat'!
So get yarr saucy buttocks sweatin' and rready ship forr sailin'!

Wherr is my carrpenta'?!

What'd'ya mean dat' blog-ship's no good?! Dat' beauty sailed the seas for yearrs! Stuck for yearrs now ya say? Ya see those lazy sheep-grrowin' ex-pirrates down therr? Let me show ya how the cato'o'nine can spurr'eirr fawnin' crook-patted rridges! They'll dig herr out in no time, so ya get yarr hands on worrk and check the hold, if it can carry all dat gold I'm gonna plundarr! Pay whoevarr' ya need, kick tha rrest wherr tha sun don' shine' but get me swayin' by the sunset of tha thirrd day! On tha dawn of fifth day, Thea will look to the horrizon and they'll see us, bannerrs wavin' and underr full sails! Go! Make it happen!

I can feel the wind of change is comin' and I'm gonna set da sail to catch da verry firrst brreeze of it!