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[FantasticDorf]

The distinction of the altar is mostly in its purpose of place, which is similar to a lot of other objects in the game which have more than one purpose, like tables particularly which have a host of other functions depending on where they are currently located in a non-decorative capacity like for surgeries in hospitals and desks in offices.

I think it would free it up for other things to broaden the description of altars into low tables, given its current description of being like a coffee table can offer a lot more opportunities.

- You could play dice and games around it (altars already support dice)

- Use it as a socializing space in dwarven homes and common-meeting places (its very habitual for players to pair chairs and tables together, even if its not socially appropriate to eat in the temples and other places) or relatedly specially adapted togglable variant as a hearth for keeping warm with logs or coke to naturally congregate dwarves together.

- Special place for laying out morgue bodies in the Hospital before burial for postmortems, storage and practice dissections.

- Debating tables in the library and the guilds.

[Salmeuk]

hmm. I like these functions, but why not simply continue to call it an altar, which definitely supports these possibilities IRL?

and perhaps add the same functionality to tables, allowing the creation of 'game rooms' or whatnot

being able to turn wax into candles and thus adorn the altars with votive stands would also be great fun

[FantasticDorf]

Its not exactly respectful to have two priests playing blackjack across a altar if someone was to peek over your shoulder, than to just change the context to a another kind of table. 

The hearth was a idea i unironically lifted up from Songs of Syx funnily enough, which has a very nice simple system for keeping people warm in communal buildings seated around a raised bonfire with seating places. Campfires which exist for classic DF's adventure mode also are a bit too fiddly to set up inside, so its much more straightfoward to hollow out a low table (even one without legs just near the floor) and put a fire inside it.

[A_Curious_Cat]

IIUC,  In Greco-Roman religion, different deities had altars of different height.  On one end were altars that required the worshipper to reach upwards to place offerings on an alter above eye level, and on the other were altars that were basically a tray on the ground.  And then there was everything in between.  Typically the type of altar was related to the type of deity being worshipped,  with sky deities requiring very high altars and earth ones requiring very low altars.

[SixOfSpades]

IMO, it makes more sense to rename altars to "lecterns" instead. That would allow them to keep their existing functionality in temples, but also give flavor to spaces like throne rooms, lecture halls, courtrooms, etc. There's little point to having a "low table" furniture type--just give players the option to designate already-built tables as altars, or operating tables, or gaming tables, or fire pits, etc. Each designation would preclude its use for other purposes. (I've been wanting this functionality for a long time, actually. I like giving each dwarf his own table & chair in his bedroom, but they always go there to eat, even when I don't designate the table as a dining room, meaning they don't socialize in the tavern / dining hall as much. If I could specifically call the table a desk, that would discourage eating there.)

Typically the type of altar was related to the type of deity being worshipped,  with sky deities requiring very high altars and earth ones requiring very low altars.

Nice, but I hardly think that would justify the in-game existence of multiple types of 'altar' furniture items. Just let the player's imagination decide how tall the altar / table is.

[A_Curious_Cat]

A table is a container that holds it’s contents on it’s upper surface.  A bed is a table that holds sleeping dwarves… 

[TurboDwarf]

Thus anything capable of holding something on it's upper surface is technically a table. And by extension, a bed.

Okay, being serious, i do like this suggestion. And also agree with SixOfSpades that said surface should be called a "lectern", rather than "low table".

[FantasticDorf]

IMO, it makes more sense to rename altars to "lecterns" instead. That would allow them to keep their existing functionality in temples, but also give flavor to spaces like throne rooms, lecture halls, courtrooms, etc. There's little point to having a "low table" furniture type--just give players the option to designate already-built tables as altars, or operating tables, or gaming tables, or fire pits, etc.

I disagree for very much the same point you're trying to make, in that there are already too many functions for tables already, but primarily they are there to be eaten at and lecterns aren't compatible with chairs so it kind of invalidates the purpose of sitting around it sociably.

Typically the type of altar was related to the type of deity being worshipped,  with sky deities requiring very high altars and earth ones requiring very low altars.

Nice, but I hardly think that would justify the in-game existence of multiple types of 'altar' furniture items. Just let the player's imagination decide how tall the altar / table is.

As you can see between the two pictures, there's a very stark reality of difference that imagination doesn't cover. Except we can't call it a coffee table for obvious reasons of the setting not really having a viable cultural link to its contemporary name. A lectern also is too high up to actually use for the existing functions of rolling dice if you compare a *Obsidian Low Table* to a *Grown Cedar Lectern*

[SixOfSpades]

I disagree for very much the same point you're trying to make, in that there are already too many functions for tables already

Yes--functions which won't conflict with each other if the player designates them appropriately.
Want people to place candles, incense, & holy symbols on it? Designate it as an altar. No one will try to use it for eating or gaming (unless there are religious services that explicitly involve those activities).
Want people to use it solely for study, or writing/art? Designate it as a desk, no one will try to perform surgery or sacrifice animals on it.
Want people to sit around it & chat? Designate it as a fire pit. Dwarves may toast their food at it before sitting down--the thought of eating a hot meal should more than compensate for eating without a proper table.
Want it to be used only for playing games? Designate it as a gaming table, they'll go eat somewhere else.

Similarly, lecterns designated as pulpits will be used for storing religious texts, as well their more typical use; a position from where to address the assembled.

As you can see between the two pictures, there's a very stark reality of difference that imagination doesn't cover.

To clarify, I'm not trying to conflate lecterns with tables. I'm suggesting that the existing "altar"s be renamed to "lectern"s, & let player designation do the rest.
Furniture Item 1: lectern / pulpit
Furniture Item 2: table / desk / operating table / altar / gaming table / fire pit / others?

It's plausible that area designations would play a part in this distinction as well: When a space is designated as a Temple, Library, Hospital, or Office, that could easily cause all existing tables in that space to default to altars, desks, operating tables, or council tables respectively, and disallow their use for things like eating & gaming . . . unless the player then re-designates certain individual tables for different specific purposes, enabling them to create things like, for instance, a hospital cafeteria.

[FantasticDorf]

Im pretty much going to say stop right there and outright no that it conflicts with my suggestion's design, to continue talking to you about it on the topic within this thread as it supercedes the original post's content and could be its own thread.