Tired tongue often speaks ill

[Angelalex242]

I've noted that the weary condition is the single biggest purveyor of ruined friendships, denied sanctuary, and other social bad things (At least as relates to NPCs.) It's the one thing nobody in Middle Earth, not Istari or Elves or Dwarves or even humble hobbits in the Shire has any patience for.

...so why is being tired the single worst thing to be socially on Middle Earth? And nobody seems to realize that, and if you need to rest somewhere, you have to negotiate with whoever owns the place....while tired. They won't wait to talk to you in the morning after you've had a good snooze.

It's an interesting quirk of the system.

[Stormcrow]

Haven't you ever snapped at someone because you were tired?

[Glorelendil]

Can I retroactively blame all my ill-considered posts on that factor?

/yawwwwwwwwwwn

[Deadmanwalking]

Yeah...speaking for the real me, my ability to be persuasive and likable really suffers when I'm tired. And that's with people I know. Making good impressions on others who don't like, know, or trust me would almost certainly be much more difficult.

[Angelalex242]

While all this is true, haven't you ever cut somebody a break because they were obviously too tired to be at their best?

[robert_pat]

Not really. If someone's being a jerk or doing a bad job, I don't make excuses for them. If I they're friends of mine that's another story. I'd be less critical, but still intolerant of rudeness. If a group of strangers came to me IRL, asking for some significant favor like staying in my apartment, and they were rude, I'd show them the door. I don't care if they're tired, that doesn't give them license to be unpleasant people.

[Deadmanwalking]

While all this is true, haven't you ever cut somebody a break because they were obviously too tired to be at their best?

Someone I know? Sure. Done it lots of times.

Someone I just met? I might be inclined to if I knew that's what's going on. But being Weary isn't 'can't keep your eyes open' sleepiness, it's being emotionally and physically rung out from the trail...which is a lot harder to spot, and frankly sounds like an excuse if brought up.

"Oh, so you insulted my entire culture because you were too tired to watch your mouth? That makes everything better then..."

So...if you already know and are liked by the people in question, yeah, they should give you slack for being Weary, but frankly, they should also not be forcing you to have Encounters with them straight off the road before a hot meal and a good night's sleep. Needing to persuade someone to let you stay with them is very much something that should only happen with people you don't know well.

[Matthew]

I would think that the system given it's emphasis towards story telling and creating a narrative that fits with Tolkien canon would easily adapt to seeking rest whilst weary.

One could gauge the empathy in the village elder (or individual village member) towards the weary companion just by seeing the state he's in and the inclination to help him if all he can get out is 'help me.. please.'

The companion can't do anything sophisticated in terms of a well thought out and coherent speach and perhaps this is reflected in his weary dice roll penalty but the toughness level might be moderated by other factors such as his condition, the local situation, his culture. His appeal for help/rest might not have to be too high...or even not involve having to make a roll at all.

Failure may just mean that he doesn't get the best hut in the village (because the villagers are wary) but has to make do with one of the animal shelters which delays his recovery slightly

[zedturtle]

If you end up needing to rest (outside, worse case) so that you can make the best possible presentation, I don't see where that's unrealistic and not matching the fiction.

[doctheweasel]

While all this is true, haven't you ever cut somebody a break because they were obviously too tired to be at their best?

The Elfking remembers people being too tired to be at their best ... at the FALL OF GONDOLIN!

If those noble elves could hold themselves together and die with dignity and grace, then random adventurers can remember to say please and thank you.

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On a more serious note, if the PCs are weary from their travels then allies should allow them first to rest and recover before moving on to more serious business.

If the PCs are heading into enemy territory to parlay with unfriendlies, then they should assign a diplomat and make their focus protecting them (and making sure they are ready for the difficult task ahead).