Human-only campaign

[Lord of Wyrmsholt]

I've been pondering ideas for my next campaign world. I've read a number of criticisms of (fantasy and science fiction) non-human races that are played as little more than exaggerations of very human traits.

Thus, I've been considering a "human-only" campaign in which other PC races (elves, dwarves, etc.) and human-like NPC races (e.g. humanoids/goblinoids/giants) don't exist. The main foes would be either other humans or fantastic monsters (sort of a Greek mythos type of feel).

Has anyone experimented with this sort of a campaign? Did you/your players feel overly constrained by the lack of choices for the PC races?

 

[Aus_Snow]

Has anyone experimented with this sort of a campaign? Did you/your players feel overly constrained by the lack of choices for the PC races?

Yes, and no, in that order.

I am so glad the people I play with are not the kind that would demand, for example, playable Elves, or Gnomes, or Goblins, or Dragon-men. . . or whatever else.

In each instance, the campaign setting itself - its "integrity" if you like - is vital, to us all. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Yes, and no, in that order.

I am so glad the people I play with are not the kind that would demand, for example, playable Elves, or Gnomes, or Goblins, or Dragon-men. . . or whatever else.

This. I play most of my characters as human, even though most tend to be half-elves. (With the occasional human, elf or dwarf.)

 

[Tonguez]

kind of

I declared that the half-elfs stats and half-orcs stats were varient types of humans and then barred all the other races - so Human only but with three varieties of human

I'm not sure if thats entirely the same thing however

 

[Aldarc]

I've been pondering ideas for my next campaign world. I've read a number of criticisms of (fantasy and science fiction) non-human races that are played as little more than exaggerations of very human traits.

Thus, I've been considering a "human-only" campaign in which other PC races (elves, dwarves, etc.) and human-like NPC races (e.g. humanoids/goblinoids/giants) don't exist. The main foes would be either other humans or fantastic monsters (sort of a Greek mythos type of feel).

Has anyone experimented with this sort of a campaign? Did you/your players feel overly constrained by the lack of choices for the PC races?

You could still have demi-humanoids exist, but you can just chuck them all into the Feywild as monsters and NPCs. Then you can focus on the developing human lands in the real world, but occasionally have mysterious faerie realms and otherworlds inhabited by strange creatures found in mythology. That has worked for me.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Obviously many other games and settings will be human-only, but my feeling is that choice of race is as much a part of D&D as choice of class is. Certainly there are sometimes good reasons for constaining such choices, but in general I'd prefer not to be limited to human.

 

[fba827]

I've been pondering ideas for my next campaign world. I've read a number of criticisms of (fantasy and science fiction) non-human races that are played as little more than exaggerations of very human traits.

Thus, I've been considering a "human-only" campaign in which other PC races (elves, dwarves, etc.) and human-like NPC races (e.g. humanoids/goblinoids/giants) don't exist. The main foes would be either other humans or fantastic monsters (sort of a Greek mythos type of feel).

Has anyone experimented with this sort of a campaign? Did you/your players feel overly constrained by the lack of choices for the PC races?

I would be indifferent to the idea based on what you've presented here (no strong like or aversion to it). Though I'd be more than open to try it and see where it took the game in terms of offering new potential ideas/themes/flavor.

Just be sure that it does in fact add something to the game. If it is theme and flavor, be sure to push it -- how exactly does just being human change what the players experience, etc. Maybe there are some monster races (just not playable as PCs and so there is instant persecution of them, and so on; or maybe you do push the feel of ancient greece in all the plots and such.)

Having said that, I know some players who would cry foul and insist you are stifling their image of their character concepts or just plain old making them play a boring race. So I think you need to decide how well you know your own players -- when making new PCs, have you heard them make comments about races and race choices, etc ? Are they generally go with the flow or inspired by a setting? Or do they make their character concepts first and then make it fit the setting? etc etc.

 

[anithri]

I would drop the races with overtly magical traits (Dragon born, Eladrin), and then call the other races human variants. Dwarves are just shout stout humans, Elves are lithe, etc... No cultural ties, just variations of humans.

 

[Aldarc]

Another suggestion: to add greater variety between human characters, you could opt for Traits akin to Iron Heroes that would distinguish humans from different cultural backgrounds.

 

[The Human Target]

A) The thing about DnD races being pretty much exaggerated humans is totally true. But thats intentional. Most people don't have the acting/rping chops to pull of something totally alien, nor do most people want to.

B) Never done it myself, and have no urge to. Not in DnD at least. Being an elf or dwarf or whatever is as much a part of the game as being a wizard or a fighter IMO.