do a good job on philosophys

[jatay3]

One thing I find annoying is the habit of making "one paragraph religions"- belief systems that have almost no description. They seem to me to be cheesy and it is hard to "believe"(in the Sci-Fi sense) in their existanse. "Church of the chosen ones" for instance-why would Vargr have a "church" unless they were immitating Christans(in fact I think the idea was gotten from the various American flyer distributers from small sects in a culture fammiliar with Christianity). "Shrine" would sound better for an alien religion then "church".
There many are other examples of such things. They tend to ruin the feel by being underdeveloped. By contrast the Aslan or K'kree cultural philosophies are splendidly developed; I could more easily imagine someone believing them.
In short a well-developed imaginary philosophy can add to the feel, but an underdeveloped one seems to subtract.

 

[alanb]

Originally posted by jatay3:
why would Vargr have a "church" unless they were immitating Christans

They would have a "church" if that was how the relevant Vargr word was translated.

Given the immense variation in Vargr social institutions, it is entirely likely that they would have groups that are closer in terms of structure and organisation to Christian churches than any other group. Of course, there is a wide variety of Christian churches.

Anyway, because your players assume that because it's a "church" it's something nice, safe and familiar you will of course drop a nasty surprise on them, won't you?

Familiar words can and often should conceal wildly alien concepts. Trying too hard for an "exotic" feel merely leads to blandness.

Oops! And I forgot: who said that the Vargr WEREN'T imitating Christians?

Alan B

 

[jatay3]

The point wasn't "exotic feel" many "Terran" religions have that. The point is they don't feel like they could be real because not enough work has been done on them. They have to strong a smell of being cooked up by a writer before he knocked off for the day. Of course the Aslan code was made by a writer too. But it manages to hide that. It "feels" like part of a real world.
And by the way similarity in organisation does not mean religions are similar. Catholics and Buddhaists both have monastaries. That doesn't make them simmilar.

 

[jatay3]

Oh and by the way the word "Church" in "Church of the Chosen Ones" doesn't nescessarily sound "nice". I am a Christian myself, but if I was handed a flyer from a group with that name my first reaction would be to wonder What Evil Things They Are Hiding. Yes that is uncharitable but I don't claim perfection.
However it does sound like a group that might try to give me a flyer at Pioneer Courthouse Square(Portland , Oregon). It does not sound like Traveller.

 

[alanb]

Originally posted by jatay3:
However it does sound like a group that might try to give me a flyer at Pioneer Courthouse Square(Portland , Oregon). It does not sound like Traveller.

Well, translate it back into the original Vargr language....

Make it sound like a dog coughing up a hairball, and your problem will go away.

Alan B