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<blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 5893989" data-attributes="member: 17106"><p>I can see what you're saying. (You seem to be assuming that I am not a "younger fantasy fan", though, which is debatable; I don't know what was going on two decades ago). The problem with elves and dwarves is that they've been done before.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, they're assumed. Everyone has some ideas about them, which means you don't have to establish much. Having to explain things to people is a barrier to getting them in the game. And yes, you have to explain to most people what the word "Tiefling" refers to. Expanding the game doesn't have to be about adding new races front and center, it can be a matter of doing the old ones better. For example, Dragon Age has done pretty well by simply giving us new takes on old tropes, as has Pathfinder.</p><p></p><p>Proliferation is also a problem. If you keep the basic races and start adding on to them, things just get confusing. A new player does not need to see ten or fifteen races to choose, and new races can't really be inserted in place of the old ones. It's really best to have a few standards on page 1 and then let people add a selection of other ones on later to spice things up.</p><p></p><p>And, for whatever discussion one wants to have about race options, it's important to remember that they are really icing on the cake. The majority of all D&D characters are probably humans, which somehow never get old.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ahnehnois, post: 5893989, member: 17106"] I can see what you're saying. (You seem to be assuming that I am not a "younger fantasy fan", though, which is debatable; I don't know what was going on two decades ago). The problem with elves and dwarves is that they've been done before. On the other hand, they're assumed. Everyone has some ideas about them, which means you don't have to establish much. Having to explain things to people is a barrier to getting them in the game. And yes, you have to explain to most people what the word "Tiefling" refers to. Expanding the game doesn't have to be about adding new races front and center, it can be a matter of doing the old ones better. For example, Dragon Age has done pretty well by simply giving us new takes on old tropes, as has Pathfinder. Proliferation is also a problem. If you keep the basic races and start adding on to them, things just get confusing. A new player does not need to see ten or fifteen races to choose, and new races can't really be inserted in place of the old ones. It's really best to have a few standards on page 1 and then let people add a selection of other ones on later to spice things up. And, for whatever discussion one wants to have about race options, it's important to remember that they are really icing on the cake. The majority of all D&D characters are probably humans, which somehow never get old. [/QUOTE]
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