Well, I happen to be a Bookbinder, and I do love the skill. However, one of the main problems I tend to have is simple reason to practice the skill aside from when I want to write, or have a request for a scroll. One thing I would LOVE to see is more work translating things, or such.

Imagine if some quests, or denizens and such gave or dropped, say, a Treasure map. To find the treasure on the map, you would have to have a bookbinder translate (or restore) the map so that you may find the treasure. That would add a fun exploration element (Imagine those that have never been to the Undervault running down there to grab treasure), require actively seeking out those of the trade, and even give bookbinders a way to actively use their skills when their creativity is lacking. And yes, while I understand bookbinding isn't about the money, can there really be something wrong with giving them an advantage, however small it may be, on certain quests, or cause them to be more noticeable by the community? Plus the loot given would be at least useful given that they may have to sell or give it away. Also, newer players would be required to work with their elders in finding locations.

You could probably also tier the difficulty of the map so that you need High levels in the skill to do harder maps. That way you have another reason to raise the skill. I don't know, thought it was an idea worth mentioning.

Any problems with or additions to this idea? I don't find this particularly unbalancing, or even that unfair. Admins could certainly play with the rarity of said maps.

I think it's a good idea, kinda

I'm a bookbinder myself, though I'm not very high up (Only up to MagicScroll and have two other languages).
I can translate Loboshigaru and Aslari and can make scrolls, which is about it.
There's nothing really interesting about bookbinding, nothing really useful about it, except that you can make MagicScrolls for Healing and Protection scrolls and scrolls/textbooks/ things for orgs and whatever.
So I think your idea will make more people think about bookbinding, perhaps.
I'd certainly give the quests ago, but then people will complain about it only being for bookbinders, heh. Or they'd find a bookbinder to hire for it, therefore getting us more business

Either way, this is a v.good idea, in my eyes.

EDIT: though, if this did happen, I'd want a lot of credits to just trans bookbinding to get more languages and be able to translate those harder maps. But I don't have enough gold now for the credits, or buying them OOCly.

First off: The administrators HATE bookbinders, with a passion, fairly sure it was a bookbinder that bludgeoned Estarras parents to death... with a book...

Anyway, onto seriousness, it's an ok idea but the restoring thing seems a little... specific, and having to put maps into quests would limit the quest in what you need to do, better to occasionally throw in documents or some such that are in fitting languages (as in, nothing written in elfen if the community the quest is based in is Aslaran), but even then you shouldn't make the clue vital, just helpful.

No, it was a forger. And it was with their mallet.

Enchanting robes is pretty annoying too...especially if you're OCD like 90% of this MUD.

You make profit, we do not

We're a rare breed.