Linguistics

I have ended up a bit busy this evening so in case I do not have the time to post before bed I thought I would just chime in on the Linguistics topic. It is years since we decided on this but as far as I remember we choose to keep Linguistics as a knowledge, this is because the newer system make it almost impossible to have allot of languages and also having an actual linguistics knowledge can be usable when trying to discern a language you don't know or one similar to one you know. It was important since we had a PC at the time who was a linguist by trade but it seam to me to be a much better way to do it. So linguistics as per Revised with a doubling of languages per dot.

If you specifically want to use the Merit system you can do that, but the in my mind far better Revised and earlier system based on linguistics being a knowledge is the standard.

*One extra language
**Two extra languages
***Four extra languages
****Eight extra languages
*****Sixteen extra languages

...but it seam to me to be a much better way to do it...

Or is it? Really?

Let's say you have Linguistics 3 - English, German, Danish and Swedish [as well as your native Norewgian]. A person is then speaking Hindi. There is not a chance in hell you shall be able to use your knowledge of Germanic languages to ID this language. This means a roll is pointless. But da rules say you would be within rights to demand one. Im gonna assume any sane ST would shoot this down as breaking the zeroth law - rules go out of window the second they make you do something stupid.

Thing is, language ability and lingusitics are two relatively different things [though connected]. For example, you can become a master of lingusitics in regards to only one language [or narrow family], for example in all the dialiect forms and historical variants of English. Therefore, I argue this; to speak/read/write a language is a Merit, to understand the principles behind them all, to be able to make complex language identifications, historical versions of etc is Academics (Linguistics) [as we use the 'well rounded craftsperson' rule]. If Adley had both Merits and the Knowledge, it would represent his knowledge of [for example] Greek, but all the dialects of Greek, decypher archaic variants of it, spot Greek loanwords and so on.

In a way, it is like the difference between Nick's Drive skill and her (Auto) Crafts skill. The former does not automatically grant you skill in the latter, but a lot of people have a decent amount of both.

Lastly, I hate the one/two/four/eight/sixteen ratio of languages as the dots increase. It is stupid - the 'number' of languages do not increase like that, esp you could chose as new languages ones utterly unrelated to your current set.

If we where going to separate out everything that could be it's own skill we would have 500 of them Linguistics works as it is. If you want to use the Merit system you can but as standard we will use the older system.

That is a very shaky argument, one which you yourself have disregarded in other, previous decisions [insistance of repeated purchase of 'Crafts' springs to mind, along with the long running saga of 'Umbrial Pilot']. But as this is an issue which is a fairly technical one and doesn't affect me [or any other PC] in any real way, I am not going to push the point.

And no, the point of having a system is that everyone follows it, even if it is sub-optimal. And with silly aspects to it.

The only question is that I assume it's a Secondary Ability, with the reduced XP costs?