As languages came up in an interesting r/osr Reddit thread, and people seem to like this small tweak I've been using, I will leave it here for everyone else that doesn't frequent that particular cesspit of the internet :-) :
In (most of) my long-term games, exluding one-shots and short one and done adventures, Common is Trade Common, a signed language. This has several implications:
It normalizes signed languages.
Makes PCs have to drop their weapons to be able to communicate. Better chances of negotiation and faction play.
Implies that mostly humanoids will be using it. To speak with dragons, unicorns, oozes, etc you better come prepared and bring a wizard linguist or translator. Another money sink for wealthy adventurers!
Addendum(s)
In the above, I usually regard encounters where no language is shared between both parties (case #3) with a 3d6 take lower 2 reaction roll, then adding/substracting appropriate Charisma modifiers, of course. And make a heuristic X-in-6 chance for a given group of humanoids to have at least one individual speaking Trade Common (based on group size, remoteness and isolation, etc.).
Note that I think languages have a strong untapped potential, since it is hard (at least I think so) to come up with interesting and satisfying procedures and methods to make it as interesting as they are in the real world. It is a tough nut to crack!
I like what Dwiz proposes, creating a tree of languages and their relations before game starts. I also like things like Lamentations "Languages" skill, and giving different difficulties based on where the language is from in the game world, if it's a dead one, etc. The language tree could par well with this other tweak u/Falendor proposed on the Reddit thread:
Partial fluency can be quick and fun. I've rolled 2d6 and picket that many words the NPS and PC share. Required both of us to get creative. Idioms are great but take a little forethought in my experience.
You can of course go to one extreme, and make Everything be able to talk, as MartinO proposes. Which of course has profound worldbuilding implications and will change the flow of the game significantly, I suspect.
Of course, we cannot forget the importance of Alignment languages. I recently read Three Hearts and Three Lions, and one can see how prevalent the concept is throughout the Appendix N! It is, however, something that I think hasn't aged well, and most novice players not familiar with the sources scratch their heads at the concept. (At least that has been my experience.)
I'm sure there are a ton of neat house rules and procedures that have evaded my ageing eyes.|
Please share away!
