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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Mar 2004 : 22:28:04
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About a month ago (or the day before yesterday in game time) the PbeM I'm in went through a night of relaxation at an inn in Berdusk. One thing I noticed was, surprisingly, how many of them were roleplaying being drunk.
Beer, ale, and other common liquors were only recently considered "hard," historically speaking. In the historical period covered in the Realms (high middle ages to the beginning of the Renaissance), such beverages were just that -- simple beverages that were consumed as a common drink.
Part of the reason for this was that the distilling process removed the unwanted impurities in the drink, which made unboiled water decidedly dangerous to drink. An average man in the middle ages often drank (if I recall correctly) five gallons of beer a day to stay hydrated. That can't be done today, since modern distilling produces a much purer product, in terms of alcohol content.
Therefore, one would expect that the same would follow for the Realms, that alcohol would be limited in its percentage for the common drinks. I believe it was only after the use of pasteurization came into play that one could easily make a modern alcoholic drink without aging it for a long time (such as with wines, and actually wine-making was the first industry to use pasteurization).
Since pasteurization came about because of observations through a microscope (specifically of the asymetry of organic compounds), I would venture a guess that it is an unknown process in the Realms. One could, of course, make an argument on magical intervention, but that would significantly raise the price.
So, what are the ways you deal with alcohol in your games? Do you treat them like modern beverages, or like the older versions they should be?
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Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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The Cardinal
Senior Scribe
Canada
647 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2004 : 23:33:02
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Truthfully we never gave such a thing much thought, although we totally agree with you. In the games We've played alcohol is rather much like a beverage. Everyone (and their dog... sometimes literally ) seems to be drinking it, and also granted very few actually got drunk.
We must say though, we doubt that any went into further detail on whether they are the originals or modernized versions (after all our groups more often than not, used alcohol as mere drink... it was various.... 'herbal items' that seemed to get the band into more trouble, generally as well as lawfully  ) |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2004 : 06:03:40
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I'm confused . . . . Was that your party, or your playing group?   ::innocent look:: |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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The Cardinal
Senior Scribe
Canada
647 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2004 : 06:46:56
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Witht the exception of us, We had trouble telling the difference between them sometimes .... |
It has to be Certain, the Gods Hate Me. For whatever irrevokable Fate, I have been made the walking Joke. Either that, or Beshaba is overlyfond Of Me.
-Unknown |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2004 : 15:09:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
I'm confused . . . . Was that your party, or your playing group? ::innocent look::
Drunk playing group or drunk DM? <Innocent whistling> Nope, never saw any of that ever.... |
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Hymn
Senior Scribe
Sweden
514 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2004 : 21:57:16
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Strange things happen when the group and DM are drunk fore sure, hrrmm. PG 20 rated stuff.
Any how I treat inns, as in the english kind of way. People gather each day after work to chat about happenings of the day etc etc. So they drink quiet alot, and as a good barkeep always does, the ale is also watered. |
Sauro moki kara ochiro - Even monkeys falls from trees.
The path that leads to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant - Miyamoto Musashi |
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Alcohol in the Realms
