Use of english

[dxlr8r]

Hello! New to "Basic Fantasy RPG" and reading the handbook atm. As with most RPG books I was a little disappointed to see that the handbook was written in US English and not British English. I am from Norway, and I don't speak english very good overall, so it's not that. I just think that there it's more classic and charm to "armour" than "armor"... To make one example. Another very strange which I makes me laugh all the time is "honor" instead of "honour".

Except for that it seems like a really nice game. I'll read more and maybe be DM for this game some time in the future.

[SmootRK]

I recently said the same thing regarding the S&W rules, that their use of British/Queen's English was appealing to me because it felt really old-world... funny thing is that the authors cited the opposite, that American English seems quaint and old-fashioned to the Brits because we use so many 'odd' spellings....

lol - just a matter of where you are from and the culture you hail from. Welcome to the forums!

[dxlr8r]

I don't want Shakespear english. That is hardly understandable even by native englishmen, hehe. I think the language is good overall, I want a modern language which even non-english native speakers can understand. But I would still like to have it british "text book" english. I have never meet a single person in Norway that thinks american english has more class/etc. than british english

Thanks... Looks like a nice forum

One suggestion more? Maybe start using "squares" instead of refering to 5' and such. Feet is also not used outside the US. So using squares would be a good way to measure for both the US and for the rest who use metric. In the beginning of the book it could say that 1 square = 5 feet = 1,5 meter.

[Hywaywolf]

Seeing that all of the range effects, movement rates, etc are in feet and yards changing the map detail to square would be pointless without an extensive rewrite of the entire rulebook and all the supplemental material.

Speaking of language oddities, you should come visit my neck of the woods and watch people shag on the beach.

[SmootRK]

ah yes, the metric vs American use of feet/inches/etc.

Metrics were pushed heavily when I was growing up, but it never seemed to take hold well across all the American demographics. Metrics are actually quite easy for me, but I do a lot with math and science (especially now in healthcare).

Perhaps one day, BFRPG might get some additional translations (Norwegian as a possibility), and it would be very appropriate to convert the game mechanics to metrics in those versions.

[Solomoriah]

Ola Berg was working on a Swedish translation; no idea how far he got.

As to language: I, sir, AM an American, and I write as I was taught to.

Regarding metric vs. standard: BFRPG reproduces a medieval-style game; metric is hardly medieval. I've worked on science fiction games in the past, and they were rightly done in metric. I dislike the use of "squares" personally, but over and above that, the classic game systems which BFRPG mimics were written either in feet or in scale inches; I don't like scale inches all that well either, so the choice of feet was obvious.

[dxlr8r]

Talking about medieval-style. Did USA ever go through the medieval? Hehe. That's why I like armour, honour and such. But I guess I could just download the odt file and edit it myself to english. Problem solved It was just a suggestion...

About imperial vs metric and medieval-style. I do agree that metric is very non medieval, but for me that is more the game mechanics than anything story based. That said one of the players I play DnD uses old english values for his characters height and weight. Hehe. I always have to use a computer to convert them to metric which I understand. You could weight 100 stones and I still wouldn't have a clue if you are slim or fat

[SmootRK]

Just realize that BFRPG endeavors to capture as much of the feel of the original games as possible, even as a few odd bits here and there are updated with some of the more intuitive changes occurring in the newer editions. As much as I might like to use metrics for ease of mathematics and such, so many are un-learned or just un-accustomed to metrics in the US... one would always need to spit out conversions here.... "3 meters, oh, thats about 10 feet". It happens all the time when I play Star Frontiers occasionally. Then woah, convert Celsius to Fahrenheit!?!

For folks over here, the traditional measurements always win... even when it is technically more complex

[Hywaywolf]

A fork is infinitely easier to use than chopsticks, but I still see chopsticks being used in every oriental restaurant I visit . We use what we grew up with.

[tankgo]

Ola Berg was working on a Swedish translation; no idea how far he got.

As to language: I, sir, AM an American, and I write as I was taught to.

Regarding metric vs. standard: BFRPG reproduces a medieval-style game; metric is hardly medieval. I've worked on science fiction games in the past, and they were rightly done in metric. I dislike the use of "squares" personally, but over and above that, the classic game systems which BFRPG mimics were written either in feet or in scale inches; I don't like scale inches all that well either, so the choice of feet was obvious.

Considering that my players :

• Generally do not read the rules

• Are French, and may not speak English at all

• May not have heard about the imperial system at all (My daughters are 7 and 5)

And since American English is my 2nd professional language...

=> American English, simplified and "internationalized" as it is, is fine for me.
=> But I have translated character sheets and converted measurements to metric.

By the way, most RPG rulebooks I have seen (including my OD&D B/X/C and modules) all used the metric system.

And the medieval/fantasy atmosphere still exists in the dialogues between the players and the GM...

So, if I think that translating the rules is not necessary, since most GM's are willing to read English rules, but providing both Imperial and Metric measurements could be helpful.
But I like to keep Simone Felli's Unit Conversions close to me.