While making the regiment with my group, one of my players noticed something funny: the whole squad is illiterate. Not only that but, rules-as-written, unless the regiment hails from a Schola or an Imperial World, every single class starts not knowing how to read or write, since you need to be trained in Linguistics to do so, which no one is

I understand that education is hardly a given in the grim darkness of the 41st millenium, but found it funny that people like the Comissar or the Missionary, who should have had a more enlightened upbringing, also start being illiterate. 

Now I just have to wonder whether such a thing was an oversight or a feature.

Well, under the actual Linguistics Skill on p82, it states that All Imperial Guardsmen know Linguistics (Low Gothic) and Linguistics (Imperial Codes), but this isn't shown in the character generation section.

I think they've just managed to miss it out, so yea, both of these should be added as a default skill for everyone.

I agree, there is still no Linguistics (Low Gothic) or something similar.  Except if it is somewhat understoood that everyone speak Low Gothic from the get go, sorta like writing down how your character is a human and adding that he's got 2 legs, 2 eyes and 5 fingers on each hand.

Oh well that was explained quick enough.  But yes, they should add this info in chapter 2 or 3.

I sent an e-mail over to the devs pointing out the problem - hopefully they'll add it into the next Update, but at least we know that everyone should get Low Gothic and Imperial Codes at Known for free.

Well, in the description of the Linguistics skill in p82 it says that "Any character who has Linguistics as a Skill knows how to read and write in their primary language (which for most Guardsmen is Low Gothic)".

I think that implicitly implies that if you don't have linguistics as a skill you don't know how to read or write. Again, this is hardly uncommon in the Imperium and many careers had to pay good XP in DH to learn how to read or write. I just found it funny that Enginseers, Missionaries and such aparently learned their trade through oral tradition. 

In the Different Languages inset, last sentence of the first paragraph, it says: "All Guardsmen know Low Gothic and Imperial Codes…"

I never would have seen it if it hadn't been pointed out to me. This is definately something that needs to be made clearer in the character creation rules.

LuciusT said:

That's the bit I was looking at

I would certainly hold that most Imperial Guardsmen are illiterate (or at least a significant minority). Sits well with me.

It's not exactly like if reading that Uplifting Primer is actually going to give them useful information…

Officers, and probably most NCOs, will be able to read.

@borithan

Actually, parts of the Primer are useful - identifying guard vehicles and heavy weapons, having useful infos on medical stuff and containing a few prayers which would be considered useful in a religious setting. Just stay away from the xeno section.

While I know the names of rank's in DH are largely meaningless, its notable that a guardsman character in DH would have access to the literacy skill by the time they are called "guardsman."

As others though, Lingusitics(Low gothic) very much should be clearly visible as a skill PCs are trained in. I would recommend placing it in as a skill with the home world.