Tiefling, Dragonborn : have they gained traction ?

Ravellion · May 3, 2009

rounser said:
If you kitchensinked everything in the 4E core into every world, it would ruin them. Do you understand what this actually means? It's like using your entire spice rack on every dish. It's not good cooking, nor good worldbuilding.

Who is kitchensinking? And would it really ruin it? Do you really think the spice thing is a good analogy? I don't, but I'll run with it. Perhaps if I gave each race a perfectly equal place in the world, each with an entire fleshed out nation on the same continent. But I need not do that. Some of them are nothing more than a pinch of salt, and others are admittedly added by the spoonful.

If someone really believes your dish is too bland and needs some ground chilis, because he simply really likes spicy food, no matter how many times you tell him he'll just have to make do with the basil and the ginger already included, it isn't going to satisfy him.

Bumbles · May 3, 2009

I prefer the analogy of a buffet restaurant.

You can get Pizza, Salad, Steak, Fish, Dessert, and what you prefer on your plate can be a complete mish-mash that's totally different from somebody else's!

I don't know if the average campaign is a single table, or if the DM is like a parent preparing a plate for the children though..

Mark · May 3, 2009

Bumbles said:
I prefer the analogy of a buffet restaurant.

You can get Pizza, Salad, Steak, Fish, Desert, and what you prefer on your plate can be a complete mish-mash that's totally different from somebody else's!

I hope the drinks come with free refills while enjoying the desert.

Mad Mac · May 3, 2009

Anybody think the Deva, Shifter, Goliath, or any other race is going to join the ranks of the "common races" or have any other candidates?

As I mentioned earlier, it's too early to tell, but my hunch is that the Shifter and Deva (more Deva) have some traction, and the rest are pretty niche.

Goliath is a good race, power-wise, and a solid concept, but it doesn't own the market on being the big, tough race, or even the St/Con race. It's like releasing another small race when you already have halflings and gnomes. It doesn't have a lot of space to gain traction, but I still rather like it.

Gnomes are still popular among gnome fans, who are very devoted but not very numerous. I think the revamp will help a bit, but I don't expect Gnomes to take off and become the new elves or anything.

Half-Orcs...well, let's just say that there was a far bigger uproar about Gnomes being left out of the first PHB, and there inclusion in PHB2 doesn't seem to have generated much interest either. I like how their St/Dx split makes them ideal Brutal Rogues, and I don't find anything objectionable about how they were implemented in 4th, but being the angry dude with overbite doesn't seem to have the same kick when Dragonmen, Mini-Giants, and beastmen are standard race options. And that's coming from someone who liked playing Half-Orcs a lot in 3rd edition.

Just my opinion of course, but I haven't seen anyone try to play one yet.

Bumbles · May 3, 2009

Mark said:
I hope the drinks come with free refills while enjoying the desert.

Only the soft drinks. Not the Orange Juice.

Bumbles · May 3, 2009

Mad Mac said:
As I mentioned earlier, it's too early to tell, but my hunch is that the Shifter and Deva (more Deva) have some traction, and the rest are pretty niche.

Which niches would you say they best fill? The Shifter and the Deva compared to the others that is.

Gnomes are still popular among gnome fans, who are very devoted but not very numerous. I think the revamp will help a bit, but I don't expect Gnomes to take off and become the new elves or anything.

MyfavoritengnomesarethetinkeronesbutwhatdoIknow?

Mephistopheles · May 3, 2009

Across the three groups I'm playing in we've got the following representation:

6 humans
3 dwarves
3 elves
2 eladrins
2 halflings
1 tiefling
1 goliath
1 half-orc

(Disclaimer: one of the groups started out with players restricted to human characters but later relaxed the restriction and now has six humans out of seven characters.)

Fallen Seraph · May 3, 2009

When it comes to setting up a game, I don't have anything concrete till myself and the players mutually agree on stuff. I think up general ideas, themes, campaign type, etc. Then we together hash it out, talk about what we would like and go from there.

In my games I outright tell my players to just look at the stats. Since it can be refluffed. So if they just want to play a Dragonborn then they are brought into the world. If they want to play something that appears as one but has another race's stats then those appear in the world, etc.

Dire Bare · May 3, 2009

Mark said:
I prefer people to at least attempt to communicate accurately and it has become apparent that he has trouble in that area.

Bumbles said:
Then I can only say that I feel you're relying too much on your interpretation of his hyperbole as meaning something more literal. I'm afraid it's coloring your perceptions. Now I personally don't like it when people use made-up statistics, I prefer not to use them myself, but I also try not to interpret them as meaning anything significant.

All I can say is, Mark, you don't get me. It must be my lack of communication skills. Or we have a fundamental difference of understanding when it comes to the use of percentages. Bumbles, man, you understand. You feel me!

Bumbles said:
Anybody think the Deva, Shifter, Goliath, or any other race is going to join the ranks of the "common races" or have any other candidates?

I think the classic aasimar, now the deva, does have a bit of traction, but not nearly as much as the Tiefling. The new deva doesn't quite do it for me completely, but I'm warming up to it. Shifters rock and have become popular, but they have a ways to go before becoming an integral part of D&D. I love goliaths too, and the niche they fill, half-giant, is an important one. But I don't think they've earned their place yet either. Whether they become a "necessary" part of the D&D experience depends on how well WotC develops them over the next couple of years or so.

Mark · May 3, 2009

Dire Bare said:
All I can say is, Mark, you don't get me.

Oh, I understand well enough. I just don't find it condusive to getting a campaign off on the right foot. Sadly, you seem to realize that and just not care.

Tiefling, Dragonborn : have they gained traction ?

Ravellion

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