I've been pondering about this for a while.
The game sets all PCs as people who know 1 language for level and then a few more. However, I don't think a Zamorian player should be able to WRITE poetry in Nemedian, Khitan and Old Stygian. Crude understanding of other languages is possible, as Conan showed, yet Conan isn't what I would call "generic" Hyborian Age person.
And what about the commoners who made up most of Hyborian Age population? I think most should be iliterate, as in Real Life Dark Age. Most peasants would have higher chances to be attacked by a demon than those of finding a book.
Yes, books should be true treasures... for the few enlightened scholars who understood their value. Life is so cheap in most corners of Hyboria that people have enough concerns with staying alive to care about learning history or maths (except for counting dead foes).
I try to remember quotes from Howard where you get to hear about written symbols, but I can't come with any which isn't related to some sort of sorcery (the Book of Skelos) or a intellectual elite (Nemedian scholars).
Scholar should be the rarest of current classes, since they are feared and shunned people. They are in a quest for knowledge, and know that knowledge is power, and this detaches them from most Hyborians. A scholar knowing a lot of languages doesn't stick as wrong. Also, a high born noble if so inclined could get the best education available in his country.
In another related matter, what kind of cultural achievements do you think Hyborians made? Did they have sewers on their cities? Messantias sourcebook says so, though Messantia is perhaps one of the richest cities in the world.
What did they know of physics? Were any maths available during this age?
What was lost with the Cataclism which caused Hyboria to sink?
What do you think?
The game sets all PCs as people who know 1 language for level and then a few more. However, I don't think a Zamorian player should be able to WRITE poetry in Nemedian, Khitan and Old Stygian. Crude understanding of other languages is possible, as Conan showed, yet Conan isn't what I would call "generic" Hyborian Age person.
And what about the commoners who made up most of Hyborian Age population? I think most should be iliterate, as in Real Life Dark Age. Most peasants would have higher chances to be attacked by a demon than those of finding a book.
Yes, books should be true treasures... for the few enlightened scholars who understood their value. Life is so cheap in most corners of Hyboria that people have enough concerns with staying alive to care about learning history or maths (except for counting dead foes).
I try to remember quotes from Howard where you get to hear about written symbols, but I can't come with any which isn't related to some sort of sorcery (the Book of Skelos) or a intellectual elite (Nemedian scholars).
Scholar should be the rarest of current classes, since they are feared and shunned people. They are in a quest for knowledge, and know that knowledge is power, and this detaches them from most Hyborians. A scholar knowing a lot of languages doesn't stick as wrong. Also, a high born noble if so inclined could get the best education available in his country.
In another related matter, what kind of cultural achievements do you think Hyborians made? Did they have sewers on their cities? Messantias sourcebook says so, though Messantia is perhaps one of the richest cities in the world.
What did they know of physics? Were any maths available during this age?
What was lost with the Cataclism which caused Hyboria to sink?
What do you think?