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!