One thing I have not seen any MMO do is something I have really liked about the Whitewolf PnP RPGs, for example Werewolf. As part of the lore on each werewolf tribe is a short box out that describes how that tribe views the other tribes. One tribe may see another as deceitful and without honour, while another tribe finds them more or less useful but not to be trustly implicitly. This is above and beyond the "global stereotype" more traditionally given by MMORPGs, for example: "Dark Elves are evil" and therefore all races see them as equally evil.
Taken from Werewolf: The Foresaken, the Hunters in Darkness view the other tribes thus:
Quote:
Blood Talons: We can always count on the Talons’ support if we need it, whether we ask for it or not.
Bone Shadows: Is there something inherent to the physical world that drives them to the deepest reaches of the Shadow Realm, or are the
mysteries they find there more compelling than our responsibilities here?
Iron Masters: They say that they must change as the world changes, but they overlook the ways in which the world hasn’t changed. Is that a sign of ignorance or a symbol of their trust in us?
Storm Lords: They often howl and bare their fangs when a low growl from the shadows will suffice, but that makes them no less successful in their efforts than we are in ours.
Ghost Wolves: The plague that dwells in human hearts affects even our kind. Scared, scattered, they don’t even know what they are.
|
Compare this to the Iron Masters view:
Quote:
Blood Talons: They’ve got more to learn from us than the latest review of human military tactics. They just haven’t realized it yet.
Bone Shadows: They’ve helped us identify and comprehend some of the newer spirit types that urban landscapes give rise to, but we’re better at figuring out how those spirits fit together in the big picture.
Hunters in Darkness: They don’t quite have the knack for blending in and disappearing into the urban environment that we have, but they’re fast learners. Maybe faster than we would be out there in the wilderness.
Storm Lords: We don’t mind deferring to the competent ones, as long as they’re willing to admit when they’re out of their league.
Ghost Wolves: There but for the grace of Luna go we. Literally.
|
You can see that the perceptions of these two tribes, while in some ways shared, are skewed by their own tribe's outlook on the world. The Hunters in Darkness are protectors of the wilderness, the Iron Masters, by contrast, are urban.
Does anyone have any thoughts? Do you think this would be a useful thing to have for Vanguard? How do the dwarves view the Kurashasa, and how do the Kurashasa view the dwarves?
Right now, the closest we can get to this sort of information is the odd journal entry such as:
However, we know the attack is viewed as cowardly, but do this race (I'm assuming this is one of the flavours of Qalian humans) view the entire Dark Elf race as cowardly, ontop of their more global reputation as xenophobes?
There was also an entry where a Kurashasa attacked a Dark Elf in a town square, ending up with the Dark Elf dead and the Kura dragged away by the town guards. Is there a specific racial emnity between these two peoples, or did this particular Kurashasa decide to stick a knife in the Dark Elf's gut out of nothing more than "gank him before he ganks me"?