Anachronisms

a·nach·ro·nism (&-'na-kr&-"ni-z&m) n. - The representation of something as existing or occurring at other than its proper time.

One of the easiest traps to fall into while roleplaying in AL is to allow modern concepts and assumptions to creep into your character. The social and technological development of Accursed Lands is approximately equivalent to that of Europe during the Dark Ages in real life.

It is important to remember that contemporary attitudes are, in most cases, very different than they were during the Dark Ages. Advanced forms of government (representative democracies, socialist states, etc.) are as out of place in Terrinor as lasers, automobiles, and Styrofoam.

The following are examples of inappropriately modern terms:

Business

* "Public Relations"
* "compound interest"

Psychology

* "... complex" (inferiority complex, Oedipus complex, etc.)

* "... disorder" (ADHD, OCD, etc.)

Mathematics and Sciences

* "calculus" (also "integral" and "derivative" in this sense)
* "algorithm"
* "logarithm"
* "gravity" (in the scientific sense)
* "... system" (nervous system, digestive system, etc.)

Slang

* "cool" (in a non-temperature, non-metaphorical sense)
* "sweet" (in a non-taste, non-metaphorical sense)
* "groovy"
* "gay" (in a disparaging sense)

Technology

* "web", "net" (as referring to the Internet)
* "electric", "electronic", "electricity"

Social Sciences

* "vegan" (herbivorous races exist, but all cultures on Terrinor rely

            on animal products in some ways)

* "pacifism" (though some political regions are not aggressive, they will retaliate against all attacks; also, individual conflicts and violent acts occur among virtually all cultures of Terrinor)

* "atheist" (tribal cultures of Terrinor would have difficulty understanding a countryman's disbelief in tradition, and most philosophical mindsets are still focused on the ethereal)

Unfortunately, in many respects Terrinor is not completely true to this period. It is understood that Terrinor differs from the Dark Ages in the following ways:

* Personal liberty:  Generally, most people in feudal Europe were tied to the land they were born in and enjoyed little freedom to travel and almost no possibility of social mobility.  In the interest of playability, the masses of AL enjoy considerably greater freedom.

* Banking:  Whereas usury has existed for thousands of years, organized banking has not.  In fact, the earliest banks probably developed around the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  Currently, bank accounts are universally honored, and all locations use the same currency; this may or may not remain the case.

* Literacy:  While literacy in the Dark Ages was pretty much exclusively the province of the rich and/or ecclesiastic, AL characters are generally assumed to be able to read a language with approximately the same proficiency they peak it. CAVEAT:  This may change in the future; if so, it will be perfectly feasible to play an illiterate character

* Sexual equality/sexism: In order to allow a variety of roleplaying possibilities for female characters, sexual equality is assumed for all (currently released) races.

* Plate armor: Plate armor did not enjoy wide use until the late Middle Ages, a century or two after the Dark Ages. In the interests of playability, it exists here.

* Coal: In Europe, in the Dark Ages, coal was not in widespread use.  In much the same manner as plate mail, coal is widely present in the game, however.

* Technology: Different races/communities have mastered different levels of technology; in some instances the technology level may be closer to the early Renaissance than to the Dark Ages.  These exceptions are fairly rare, however.

If you find any other anachronisms in the game, please report them on the balance board via the 'note' command.

See also: roleplaying, roleplaying tips, note, OOC, is it ic