Demonic Voices

[Nev the Deranged]

I was thinking about demonic voices.

Would demons speak in the ur-tongue that anyone can understand?  Or do they have their own infernal language?

I think it would be cool if every demon had a different voice.  Maybe one sounds like sibilant whispering.  Or glass being crunched under a boot.  Or a chorus of children screaming.  Stone grating against stone, or metal grating against metal... or metal grating against bone.  Maybe one sounds like the hum of electricity, either the soft buzzing of high power lines, or the snap crackle pop of a vandegraff (sp?) machine.  The possibilities for gross, horrific, or disturbing sounds is endless.

Moreover, I think that each demon's voice should be understandable only to the sorcerer who bound it.

Although, perhaps like in Drywall, the soulless (or Humanityless) would be able to understand the speech of other soulless entities.  Maybe the lower your Humanity gets, the more likely you will be able to understand other demons than your own... it could be a good tip off that you're starting to slip down the black spiral.  Suddenly realizing you're listening to the voice of a rival sorcerer's demon... and understanding it would probably scare the piss out of you.  Especially if you weren't certain why.

Just some thoughts.

[greyorm]

I'm having a hard time finding a question or discussable topic in the above. Could you expand on your reasons for posting this? It looks like game prep to me...any Actual Play to go along with it?

[Nev the Deranged]

Um... no, not game prep.  Just throwing something I felt was interesting out there.  If it's not interesting to you, my apologies.   I like to discuss ideas and creative sparks, mine, yours, anybody's.  Doesn't have to be deep or even specific to be interesting to me.  But maybe that's just me.

[John Harper]

I think this is a great idea. I've been considering keeping the PC's Humanity scores hidden from them, and instead giving them in-game clues about how far down they are. This device of the demon voices will work perfectly for that.

It also adds some paranoia. When they go into the abandoned warehouse and hear a cacophany of dripping water, is that just atmosphere, or a demon trying to tell them something?

[Nev the Deranged]

you see?  Feng gets it =>

I'm thinking it would be Lore vs Humanity to comprehend a demon's "speech", whether you were trying to or involuntarily... and yes, making the rolls in secret (although I know Ron frowns on this) would make for some kewl effects.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

I highly approve of this sort of aesthetics-first approach to Sorcerer prep and play. It's often the best way to get access to Humanity issues without directly or verbally laying it all out on the table. Some people prefer that and work out Humanity definitions and implications over several sessions, rather than before play in a nailed-down sort of way.

These folks do very well with sounds, sensations, and emotional elements in scenes involving interacting with demons. As long as this sort of in-play effort gets focused eventually on all that Sorcerer's Soul type stuff, it's all great.

Best,
Ron

[greyorm]

As long as this sort of in-play effort gets focused eventually on all that Sorcerer's Soul type stuff, it's all great.

This is mainly why I was asking...ideas are great and all, but they're just that: ideas. Gods know I've had my share of ideas, too, and usually that's all they remain because many times they remain unviable once explored.

In cases like this, I'm usually thinking "what's it got to do with Sorcerer, specifically as Sorcerer?" looking for the answer to the question right off instead of focusing solely on the visuals; hence the reason for the question.

Obviously, that makes me one of the direct/define sorts of players: it speaks to my desire to have the "rules" laid out ahead of time, rather than fuzzy and in-development, so I know what I'm doing and can experience play in context.

Definitely something for me to think about.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

So I'm right in between Feng and Raven, then. I like the visuals/sensation approach in the first session or two, in order to let the reactions and emotions set some Humanity parameters. (Granted, I like to start with some focus for Humanity, just not all nailed down) On the other hand, as Nev rightly anticipates, I avoid secret rolls techniques of play, and these days, I even let the Binding roll be open, sometimes.

Best,
Ron

[John Harper]

I hear ya, Ron. I'm not a huge fan of secret rolls, myself.

However, when I GM, I tend to err on the side of player preference, rather than my own, in most cases. My current players are fairly new to roleplaying, and they're all really enjoying "being" their characters. They don't like a lot of separation between player and character knowledge. Fortunately, we're playing a Sim game right now (GODLIKE) so this isn't much of an issue.

When I start running Sorcerer with them, I'll ease them out of strict Sim play gradually and hopefully show them that there are other ways of playing. They may not enjoy anything but Sim, but I won't know until I try.