BASIC Slaine QUERIES from a NEWBIE:

[AURIKALKO]

HI, Spawn of Danu!


I'm writing a few basic Slaine RPG questions that immediately popped into my mind, since I've JUST BOUGHT THE GAME (believe it or not I'm that slow to check cool things)! COULD ya PUH-Leez answer 'em, some charitable soul?

Some of 'em I "re-quote" from an RPG.net revue -- here they is:

1. The Economic system is explained fairly well, but I'm confused how it works in practice. Things cost chickens (& cows & pigs); but does that mean people walk around with chickens in their pockets &, are the richest people chicken farmers?

2. About slavery: It's mentioned that as part of the economic system is the 'cumal', or female slave. But just how common is it? Can anyone be made a slave? Does the average free person have one? I would think that only "non-tribesmen" (outsiders), would be slaves & that Druids & Witches would be exempt!

3. I also really have to wonder - did they really fight naked? I mean, there is a reason that male athletes wear protective cups, and they also wear clothing. I can't imagine fighting naked is plausible. Volleyball, maybe (with perhaps a different way of serving). But combat? My experiences being naked outdoors have invariably proven to be both awkward and painful... (!)

4. Just what is the average family structure life? I get the idea that a person's family is important, but it's sort of skimmed over. And what is the average home like?

5. What is the Innuendo skill for? There is no description for it! The only use I can think for it is for taunting in battle & using it in social/noble endeavors...

6. In your supplements I see a new skill called Intuit Direction: shall I replace it with Wilderness Lore (akin to a Survival check)?

7. Do ALL humans suffer Geas, including Druids & Witches? The NPCs don't have entries for theirs, (even Major ones) why?

8. Could you list some "common" (setting-wise) Knowledges for Slaine, please? I seem to be at a loss to come up with them, especially the 'sorcery-oriented' ones... I am pretty much using the Player's Handbook's.

9. What exactly is a Bard's boon? I see no explanation of it in the Rulesbook...


THANK Us!!!
AURIK

 

[Anvil]

I can answer a few of those questions without looking in any of the books.

1. I was under the impression they use iron bars, but alot of them would be heavy too. Chickens or cows, I guess land owners would be the richest. As for being paid in cows and chickens, that would be easy between land owners, but if it was for a person who had to move around alot, then I guess that would be a reason to print money with chickens & cows on it and a royal stamp of course. Then again something that would be worth more than money is reputation, your character's Enech. Just the ability to take what you need with the edge of your characters blade. Being able to walk into any tavern and getting a free drink, a free meal & free board is money it-self.

2. I don't think the Celts themselves use 'Cumals', that is what the Formorians their nature enemies do. Then again 'The Land of the Young ' is a place where everybody is really less than savory. There is a chance that everybody there uses 'Cumals' & perhaps it is only the Formorians who are known for it.

3. Naked Fighting. My own theory is that they like playing at being the soccer hooligans that run across the field stark bollocky naked. Though I guess the weather gets very cool as it snows in those regions, I can still imagine it would get very hot fighting in a full suit of armour. The celts must have been very fleet of foot, agile & not wearing any armour would enhance there already inherant mobility. They must have been very fit also.
As for the softer parts of the male anatomy, that wouldn't be too much of problem in cold weather.

Another reason I guess is that they were a desperate people that felt they needed to do desperate things to defend their homeland. Unlike us of today, where we are now less superstitous and relying more a techolodgy that belongs to everybody, so going 'Skyclad' is no longer a viable option, unless it's tradition.

Your own experiences with outdoor nudity only make feel awkward because you lack their urgency & I trust that you have tried this less frequently then those warrior Celts.


I suspect that there were religious & political reasons for this practice. Particuly when going 'Skyclad' was combined with 'Woading' or painting Totemic glyphs over there bodies as I think they beleived that they would receive a sponcership of sorts from those dieties. ( But thats opening another can of worms.)

I have to admit, it did cause them alot of problems also and it's because of their backwardness in this regard that they were eventualley conquered. But they did go out in style.

Follow this link for a second opinion.

http://forum.rpg.net/showpost.php?p=4198592

4. There family life would be as most people would imagine it in those days. Though, they did have the custom of fostering. In the Slaine Comic if you are familar with it, Slaine himself had been transplanted from his own parents 'Belly-Shaker' & Macha to the care of Mongan Axe-head. Mongan-Axe-Head's natural son took over as King of the tribe when the former was put to the ground & he was replaced by Slaine in the same fashion. Fostering was a way of binding the tribe closer together & to prevent feuding between the family units. Think of the Applachians in America, & other similar places. Brings "Dukes of Hazard' & "Beverly Hillbillies'' to my mind here.

5. Innuendo? That was really cool song from 'Queen' featuring alot of spanish guitar. As for a Innuendo skill, I don't remember reading about it in the rules, but your proabably right about it being a ruder variant of the 'Taunt' ability. I suspect 'Innuendo' would require quite a deal more wits than 'taunt' to be used properly. Actualley now that I am more mature, & more sensitive to double meanings. The innuendo used in the Slaine stories & in 2000Ad itself has become more apparent to me.

6. Intuit Direction. I'll check the book and get back to you on that one. Better yet, you get a better answer if you E-mail one of the game creators.

7. Does everybody suffer Geas? Off the top of my head, I think it is only the player characters, heros in particular that are forced into Geas. I think it is too uncommon for everybody to have them. As I do know that it is only the great Irish heroes of legend such as Cucuchalain that had them.

8. "Common" (Setting-wise) Knowledges? I'm not too sure about that one. Need a few more clues.

9. Bard's Boon ! Once again, I'll need the book for that.

 

[AURIKALKO]

1. I was under the impression they use iron bars, but alot of them would be heavy too. Chickens or cows, I guess land owners would be the richest. As for being paid in cows and chickens, that would be easy between land owners, but if it was for a person who had to move around alot, then I guess that would be a reason to print money with chickens & cows on it and a royal stamp of course. Then again something that would be worth more than money is reputation, your character's Enech. Just the ability to take what you need with the edge of your characters blade. Being able to walk inot any tavern and getting a free drink, a free meal & free board is money it-self.

Hi ANVIL: thanks for the answers.

...1. So, Enech would be more important than mollah for the PCs?


2. I don't think the Celts themselves use 'Cumals', that is what the Formorians their nature enemies do. Then again 'The Land of the Young ' is a palce where nobody is really less than savory. There is chance that everybody there uses 'Cumals' & perhaps it is only the Formorians who are known for it.

...2. But they do state in tha' Corebook that "cumals" is a form of payment for the sarhaed... hmmm.

5. Innuendo? That was really cool song from 'Queen' featuring alot of spanish guitar. As for a Innuendo skill, I don't remember reading about it in the rules, but your proabably right about it being a ruder variant of the 'Taunt' ability. I suspect 'Innuendo' would require quite a deal more wits than 'taunt' to be used properly. Actualley now that I am more mature, & more sensitive to double meanings. The innuendo used in the Slaine stories & in 2000Ad itself has become more apparent to me.

...5. Innuendo was a cool song, but Bohemian Rhapsody was waaay cooler. & more bohemian--er, methinks! The "Innuendo Skill", however, is LISTED as a skill in the Character Sheet, but not even mentioned once in the book, alas! That why I was axing.

6. Intuit Direction. I'll check the book and get back to you on that one. Better yet, you get a better answer if you E-mail one of the game creators.

...6. I did send several emails to the "Rulesmasters" on these regards... However no replies as of yet... hmmm.

8. "Common" (Setting-wise) Knowledges? I'm not too sure about that one. Need a few more clues.

...8. What would Druids normally be knowledgeable about? Astronomy? (check) Herbal lore? (check)... what else?

9. Bard's Boon ! Once again, I'll need the book for that.

...9. Mentioned but, as far as I know, never explained!


(au)RIK(kalk)O

 

[toothill man]

welcome to the boards and here is my take on your questions

first cumals

they are historic in that the celtic tribes sold their captured war captives to the romans for wine and high quality good to be given to their bonds men,life has little meaning and if you are the loser in a battle you become property of the victor,as everything is done by hand cumals mean labour and also power .their is another side too in drune lands if your name comes up for sacrifice you send your slave instead,

nobles will have cumals as will druids,witches and kings they are a status symbol as well as assistance to daily life,so also a way of barter among the rich for example will give you 2 domestic cumals for your cumal handmaiden :wink:

hope that helps will answer the other questions as well :wink:

 

[toothill man]

fighting naked

these were the elite and they belived they belonged to the goddess so were dead already in their eyes only too be born again if they gave souls to the goddess for the boon of life.naked was a statement not only of their belief in the goddess but the comtempt they had for the enemy.

a note in the game a warped one in spasm with restrictive clothes will do more damage to himself than he will get from the enemy :shock: so sky clad works well for that also as a tactic if all are naked no one at the start knows which of the horde are warped.

a historical note the africans,greeks and celts all battled naked a wound on a naked body has less chance of going bad as one with cloth inside it.movement is the key to anicent warfare and clothes sometimes just got in the way :shock:

 

[toothill man]

famliy life

the tribe was everything with children raised by all the village and taught by the wise women if a female or the warriors circle if a boy till they became a adult and a member of the tribe,every settlement/village had a headman he owed allegance to a larger group ruled by a conn of that tribe and from the conns came the tribal council which choose the king with help from the goddess.

remember if someone killed your famliy only the strength of the tribe would get you revenge or money for your killed kin their was no law apart from the druids and they were kept at arms length.

life was hard but everyone knew their place in the order and tribe allegences were proudly shown see the tartan thread on this forum for some ideas about that.

 

[toothill man]

geases

almost everyone had one some major and deadley some minor and petty (please see geas thread on this board)but were given too them on their birth by a druid.they were a way of keeping bad luck at bay also they gave the druids and wise women a hold on the tribes for a example of a geas gone bad read the brillaint adventure for slaine the horned god to see my point.

geas give a lovley feeling of doom and are a good bit of the system also sharing a geas would be a way of showing loyality and are another source of power.

 

[Anvil]

Toothill man Said
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
famliy life

the tribe was everything with children raised by all the village and taught by the wise women if a female or the warriors circle if a boy till they became a adult and a member of the tribe,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd just like to back that one up with how Slaine was taught martial arts & anything else to do with battle by the local warrior women of Alba.

Something that's been alluded to in the comic, but never really shown.

Also just to add some of my personal knowledge of as to why they fought naked was also because they were proud of their clothing & considered a item of clothing completly ruined if ripped, puntured, or torn. This was considered more serious then a flesh wound as that could be more easily healed. Blood stains were hard to wash out of their garments before the invention of washing powder.

Perhaps they only really liked wearing what couldn't ruined. Those golden armlets, & the neck torcs.

 

[toothill man]

remember too that people who heckled the great and good had their cloaks ripped which they had to wear as a badge of shame after the 3rd offence clothes were very important :shock:

 

[Anvil]

I only made that last one up.

 

[toothill man]

funny that their is a historic element too slaine and that backs your theory up also remember clothes dont last which is why their are no finds

 

[Anvil]

Except for that man that was found in a peat bog. Everything was preserved.

http://www.isbuc.co.uk/Wild/PStory.htm

 

[Anvil]

What book and & what page of that book did you see references to 6. 8. & 9 on?

 

[Anvil]

I think it's alittle strange that the game designer included the ability innuendo. It sounds so specalised. Why weren't other similar abilities like 'Double Entendre' & 'Spoonerism', 'Satire' included.

Perhaps if it was something more generic like 'Play on Words'.

Anyway, as far wikipedia is concerned it's a veiled insult put into a phrase that is supposed to be found amusing to adult & child-like minds alike.

I can recall Ukko using this few times, particully in 'Slaine the King'. I think it was during the celebration after he was coronated.

Anyway in the game this may require some good roleplaying combined with a role of the dice.

How bout starting up new thread about the great examples of 'Innuendo ' that can be used in Slaine.

 

[toothill man]

already have its called the insult pages and everyone is welcome to add too it its a great destresser :twisted: :wink: 8)

 

[AURIKALKO]

quote"Anvil"
"I think it's alittle strange that the game designer included the ability innuendo. It sounds so specalised. Why weren't other similar abilities like 'Double Entendre' & 'Spoonerism', 'Satire' included.

Perhaps if it was something more generic like 'Play on Words'."

HI!

Thanks for your comments...

Phantom skills:
In my game we use the N/PC's Innuendo score to roll for taunts, adding all other bonuses/penalties... I see no other use for this skill, since it's not even mentioned in the rules' text & intrigue is not such a big part of my game!

There's another skill that's not mentioned neither in book not PC sheet but, that however crops up in the later supplements, alas!: the Intuit Direction skill. With this one, I've absorbed its' rolls into the Wilderness Lore skill... What do you think?

Also, I was wondering if anyone could give their take on what a Bard's "BOON" is... since this is mysteriously not present in the corebook also!

"Anyway, as far wikipedia..."

a REALLY DUMB & BASIC QUESTION:

What are "wikis" & "splats"? I keep reading mentions of these in forums, et al., but haven't the foggiest... Acronyms, I hope?


Thanks for the input! You're better than the so-called "rulesmasters"...
Aurik
Alko

 

[toothill man]

wilkipedia in a on-line encyclopedia hope that helps and thak you for the kind comments :wink: :lol:

 

[toothill man]

need to consult the books please give me a few days grace and will have your answers or at least my take on the skills

 

[Anvil]

It might help if you could tell me what exact supplement holds the stuff on Intuit Direction & Bard's Boon.

 

[toothill man]

must get round too this it is on my to do list :?