We don't typically pay much attention to it in a D&D-style "adventurer fantasy" game set in frontier settings. D&D characters are generally weirdo outsiders in their society, but they are weirdo outsiders capable of blasting your crappy little kingdom into atoms, or solving its various monster problems, or both. Decorum and appearances matter less than a good sword hand or supernatural powers.

In our pseudo-historical game, appearances count much more. Indeed, you are how you look - without modern identification systems, if you can don an outfit and convincingly act the part, you are considered that person - a clergyman, a minor noble, a tavern wench, a lackey, or a landsknecht. If you don't make a major slip-up, people have no reason not to take you at face value - first. Appearances, presentation, and social conventions have a central role, and in a civilised society, they matter a lot.

Quote from: Melan;1123630We don't typically pay much attention to it in a D&D-style "adventurer fantasy" game set in frontier settings. D&D characters are generally weirdo outsiders in their society, but they are weirdo outsiders capable of blasting your crappy little kingdom into atoms, or solving its various monster problems, or both. Decorum and appearances matter less than a good sword hand or supernatural powers.

Beautiful description.

Quote from: Melan;1123630In our pseudo-historical game, appearances count much more. Indeed, you are how you look - without modern identification systems, if you can don an outfit and convincingly act the part, you are considered that person - a clergyman, a minor noble, a tavern wench, a lackey, or a landsknecht. If you don't make a major slip-up, people have no reason not to take you at face value - first. Appearances, presentation, and social conventions have a central role, and in a civilised society, they matter a lot.

While they may not have a reason not to take you at face value, your appearance doesn't give them any particular reason to trust you. Pre-modern society is even more about personal connections than is our own. So identification is frequently personal. Someone who is already known, and reputable, in the society you are entering vouches for you or you draw connections based on birth and marriage to someone who is connected to a known and reputable person.* You may be able to fake that connection, but to do that you can't just look the part, you also need specialized knowledge about the (presumably distant) family you are pretending to be a member of.


* And if you are unlucky you may inadvertently connect yourself to an enemy of the person you are trying to impress. When two strangers meet, figuring out whether they have familial or very strong friendship ties or enmities is a one reason epic heroes list out family relationships and personal accomplishments when they meet.

Appearance is important in most of my games.

The James Bond 007 game had a great idea that Beautiful and Ugly people drew attention and the more extreme, the more memorable.

Thus, in non-point buy games, I generally let players describe their PC's appearance. If they choose an extreme, then there are benefits and repercussions.

Bren: There is certainly a difference between a cursory glance and close scrutiny. I am a fan of 17th-18th century picaresque novels, and they are full of situations where someone (mostly the unlucky protagonist) pretends to be Sir So-and-So or Abbé Such-and-Such, gets accepted, only to have the disguise collapse in a hilarious and horrible way when he meets someone who has in-depth knowledge he does not. I am referring to that level of subterfuge - a set of clothes may let you bypass a guard or even commandeer a squad of soldiers, but you need to stay on your feet to keep the charade going. Which is the effect I desire in the game, really.

Quote from: Melan;1123672Bren: There is certainly a difference between a cursory glance and close scrutiny. I am a fan of 17th-18th century picaresque novels, and they are full of situations where someone (mostly the unlucky protagonist) pretends to be Sir So-and-So or Abbé Such-and-Such, gets accepted, only to have the disguise collapse in a hilarious and horrible way when he meets someone who has in-depth knowledge he does not. I am referring to that level of subterfuge - a set of clothes may let you bypass a guard or even commandeer a squad of soldiers, but you need to stay on your feet to keep the charade going. Which is the effect I desire in the game, really.

Agreed. Being armored like a knight and mounted on a warhorse (assuming you can ride fairly well) would let you pass as a knight at least up until the point where you have to walk and talk like a knight. And what acting like a knight requires will vary depending on what knightly behavior entails in that particular place and time. If an example of the possible difficulties is needed, see My Fair Lady or Pygmalion. (I just happened to rewatch the former recently.)

That's one reason that the outlier character in a group may take on the role of someone from very far away to provide an excuse for any unusual behavior or appearance.

Like Kirk's attempt to explain Spock's ears to a policeman from earth in the 1930s

   Kirk: My friend... is obviously Chinese... I see you've noticed the ears; they're actually easy to explain... [looks to Spock helplessly]

Spock: Perhaps the unfortunate accident I had as a child...

Kirk: The unfortunate accident he had as a child. He caught his head in a mechanical...rice picker... But fortunately, there was an American...missionary living close by who was actually a, uh, skilled, uh, plastic surgeon in civilian life--

Quote from: Bren;1123791Agreed. Being armored like a knight and mounted on a warhorse (assuming you can ride fairly well) would let you pass as a knight at least up until the point where you have to walk and talk like a knight. And what acting like a knight requires will vary depending on what knightly behavior entails in that particular place and time. If an example of the possible difficulties is needed, see My Fair Lady or Pygmalion. (I just happened to rewatch the former recently.)

That's one reason that the outlier character in a group may take on the role of someone from very far away to provide an excuse for any unusual behavior or appearance.

Like Kirk's attempt to explain Spock's ears to a policeman from earth in the 1930s

   Kirk: My friend... is obviously Chinese... I see you've noticed the ears; they're actually easy to explain... [looks to Spock helplessly]

Spock: Perhaps the unfortunate accident I had as a child...

Kirk: The unfortunate accident he had as a child. He caught his head in a mechanical...rice picker... But fortunately, there was an American...missionary living close by who was actually a, uh, skilled, uh, plastic surgeon in civilian life--

And that is how you depict a high charisma character completely blowing the bluff check

Fashion and its contextual rules is very much a thing in most of my games. It is a form of treasure and distinction, along with cultural and status designation -- even symbolism for more obscure meaning. Same goes for other aspects of presentation, like language. How you present yourself, and to whom, matters deeply in the majority of my campaigns. It is a soft form of setting contextual control, versus the typical hard form of rules mechanical control.

Quote from: Ghostmaker;1123802And that is how you depict a high charisma character completely blowing the bluff check

This is the one I think of as classic.

Spoiler

Han Solo: Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal.

Comm Voice: What happened?

Han Solo: Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?
[winces]

Comm Voice: We're sending a squad up.

Han Solo: Uh, negative, negative. We have, uh, a reactor leak here, uh, now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Uh, large leak, very dangerous.

Comm Voice: Who is this? What's your operating number?

Han Solo: Uh...
[ZAP!]
Boring conversation anyway. Luke, we're going to have company!

Quote from: Bren;1123791Agreed. Being armored like a knight and mounted on a warhorse (assuming you can ride fairly well) would let you pass as a knight at least up until the point where you have to walk and talk like a knight. And what acting like a knight requires will vary depending on what knightly behavior entails in that particular place and time. If an example of the possible difficulties is needed, see My Fair Lady or Pygmalion. (I just happened to rewatch the former recently.)

That's one reason that the outlier character in a group may take on the role of someone from very far away to provide an excuse for any unusual behavior or appearance.

Like Kirk's attempt to explain Spock's ears to a policeman from earth in the 1930s

   Kirk: My friend... is obviously Chinese... I see you've noticed the ears; they're actually easy to explain... [looks to Spock helplessly]

Spock: Perhaps the unfortunate accident I had as a child...

Kirk: The unfortunate accident he had as a child. He caught his head in a mechanical...rice picker... But fortunately, there was an American...missionary living close by who was actually a, uh, skilled, uh, plastic surgeon in civilian life--

Kirk's explanation was as plausible in that universe as any of the tech explanations.

Quote from: HappyDaze;1123818Kirk's explanation was as plausible in that universe as any of the tech explanations.

You have a point. It ain't called technobabble for no reason.