Word Variety

I was wondering if there were other ways to refer to someone who is of greater station. The overuse of words like -rhya wears on me a bit.

Rhya really only needs to be added to someone two ranks above you or higher. So, for us, since we're Cliath, Adren or above is rhya. Everyone of equal to us is yuff.

Ah, thanks for the clarification!

No problema. It gets on my nerves too. In fact, as I get to know people, I don't even bother with the honorifics. Unless it's a high stress, high political situation. Go with the gut. If you think they're needed, use em. Otherwise, most are laid back enough to not even worry about it. Granted, you occasionally get the popmpous ass who requires it...but that's for a different time.

Cool deal. Perhaps I can get away with a "common sense" in the event someone does care, mostly because I can't quite tell who outranks me. Like, and automatic respect for higher ranks for the boards to attempt to curb it. I can definitely state that I'm disrespecting someone on purpose, though it's extremely unlikely to happen.

Here's the best bit of advice I can give you. Buy 2 or 3 dots of etiquette. Seriously, it will literally save your ass. If you screw up, and don't address someone the right way, and they end up having a problem with it...expend an etiquette, your words get sort of rewound and you say what you should have said. Etiquette is your very best friend in the world. Plus, you're a Shadow Lord...people freaking expect SL to have etiquette on sheet.

Well, the "-rhya" thing should usually be used for anyone of higher rank (so if you are a cliath this will need to be used for Fosterns too.)

Keep in mind that it only would need to be used when you are addressing the person directly. If you are unsure of their rank, you can always just opt not to say their name. :-) Thats usually what I do.

Kasey - Actually according to the book, under the privilages of Rank being called Rhya is specifically listed at Adren. I know cause in Eerie Moon Speaks and Riley once almost went to the mound over it.

Adren specifically have the right to demand that it be used. That doesn't mean it's inappropriate for use in other cases.

Not inappropriate, but in a game where all of us are Cliath? Not needed. The only rhya currently is the Alpha. Otherwise...we're all equals.

I agree, although I have seen some interesting cases where a Metis deferred to a non-Metis' supposed superiority by tacking on a -rhya. It can allow for some interesting social dynamics.

Thank you for the clarification, Chris.

Most cliath raised in a traditional manner are more likely to refer to a Fostern as "-rhya" even if it is not technically required.

Ulysses Sprague wrote:I agree, although I have seen some interesting cases where a Metis deferred to a non-Metis' supposed superiority by tacking on a -rhya. It can allow for some interesting social dynamics.

True facts.

Metis are inherently inferior in Garou society so I like this.

-Rhya has nothing to do with being a pompous ass. It's just a suffix in the genre for denoting respect. It's kind of like sir or ma'am in that respect. Someone who has the ability to demand being called that has the right to being called that. That's how the genre reads.

-yuff is for those equal to you.

-anrae is those lower than you (but this one is rarely used because it makes you look like a jerk)

-ikthya is a Fallen Garou.

Etiquette shouldn't be used as an "oops I screwed up" as often as people tend to. I know that you are allowed to by the book but I feel it weakens roleplay when people rely to heavily on it. I've had many characters never pick up an ability like etiquette simply because they would never have bothered to pick up a book on manners leading to many good scenes when I could retcon something I said. The best course is to role play through and the fact that you are playing a Metis will make for a better dynamic for this sort of thing anyway.

I think Etiquette is great as written if you want to play a Garou who genuinely cares about the social expectations In-Character. Many Garou PCs were raised with the rules impressed upon them. I'm glad there's a mechanic to make up for the fact that none of the players were raised that way.

To each his own!

Oh, and -lurf is for Ronin!

Your mom's a lurf.

And the ST just got told...

It is true that many PCs had the rules beaten into them, although there are Garou that get to Cliath hardly knowing those prefixes and suffixes. Take someone who grew up in a Bone Gnawer caern - by genre, in such a caern such terms may not even be used, replaced with terms such as Uncle/Aunt, Grandma/pa, Pappa/Momma and the like. Such characters know the terms, but rarely think to use them.

<3

I was aiming for the social dynamic that Metis<All. Not that my metis particularly believes it's her fault, just that it's a way of making up for her parent's weaknesses, and to show that she will not make the same mistakes. (She technically can't being sterile, but you catch my drift.)

I don't like the idea of wasting precious points on etiquette, if I can accomplish the same thing in my RPing. It's far more interesting to get called out, and punished anyway, in my very personal opinion. It's not like the punishment will be something you can't eventually undo. I <3 Angst.

Wholeheartedly agree with Karla here.

Truman makes a good point too. The ability does have it's place for characters who should have it.

I still feel though that the ability itself reflects a lot more than just a "redo" and should be role played accordingly. If I'm going to play a character with a non-physical ability (i.e NOT brawl, melee, dodge etc.) than I should do a -little- research so I can pull off a modicum of what I'm talking about as I RP. Etiquette isn't that hard to grasp basics of. Looking through a "Ms. Manners" will cover most of that.

I'm an extremist for some of these instances though, such as my study of Lakota culture and practices for my Native American character. The extra steps really add to suspension of disbelief IMO.

`C

In my opinion, the Etiquette ability falls into the same skillset as the Common Sense merit. Sometimes, a player doesn't know the proper way to approach something where a character may have had the experiences to know. While I can appreciate the character research in common forms of polite society, sometimes it's all fictional.

If you had a character who walked into the presence of the Ard Righ, maybe they know the proper Garou way to deal with that person. But the player can't exactly research it. So, having a level of the Etiquette ability is helpful for those.

In my mind, Etiquette is half education and half being able to read a social situation to know the right way to act. An ability should represent that rather than a player saying "Oh, I totally wouldn't have done that."

HST Justin wrote:In my mind, Etiquette is half education and half being able to read a social situation to know the right way to act. An ability should represent that rather than a player saying "Oh, I totally wouldn't have done that."

Carrot this.

Thank you for better phrasing what I was trying to get across.

You leave the thinking and the talking to me. When I want a lantern jawed action hero from Texas, I'll come find you.

<3

OMG LMGDFAO

I just Lol'd all over myself. >.<