Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
No Humans? (Well, the players... but that's it.)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9305793" data-attributes="member: 6790260"><p>And? They're still different. The differences don't have to be dramatic and obvious to still be interesting. Dragonborn are pretty much just humans with elemental halitosis, egg-laying, higher-protein dietary needs, and overall shorter time from infancy to adulthood.</p><p></p><p></p><p>And if the difference isn't such a ridiculous extreme, but is still different? Theoretically all eladrin can short-distance teleport. Not often enough for it to alter how they design buildings, but often enough that it should have societal effects....but won't suddenly make their civilization incomprehensible to humanity.</p><p></p><p>I genuinely don't get this obsession with "if they aren't human it has to be TOTALLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE XENOFICTION or it's just not worth it." It's a false dichotomy through and through. Human-like but NOT human beings give us the chance to see the familiar in the strange. Just as fantastical humans being humans (and thus diverging from expectations) gives us a chance to see the strange in the familiar. It doesn't have to be differences as society-redefining as "everyone can fly" or "everyone is telepathic" or the like. Exploring the consequences of <em>subtle</em> differences is a huge part of what makes science fiction and fantasy interesting--and the authors who build entire well-thought-out, rigorous worlds with only small changes have well-earned their praise.</p><p></p><p>And that's not even touching on the possibility of (for example) fundamentally different number systems or the like. Dragonborn might count in octal or duodecimal, since they have only four digits per hand. Elves might associate having lights inside the home with opulent extravagance, since a small dwelling isn't big enough to have longer than 60' lines of sight. Tieflings, being resistant to fire, might eschew safety equipment or standards that other races rely on, causing friction in workplaces. Etc. Just because the gross, general approaches to life and living are pretty much the same doesn't mean there's <em>nothing</em> to see, nor that it's impossible to still have large differences that arise from small effects. Even something as small as the (4e) Dragonborn ability to heal more quickly from injuries could have altered human history dramatically.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 9305793, member: 6790260"] And? They're still different. The differences don't have to be dramatic and obvious to still be interesting. Dragonborn are pretty much just humans with elemental halitosis, egg-laying, higher-protein dietary needs, and overall shorter time from infancy to adulthood. And if the difference isn't such a ridiculous extreme, but is still different? Theoretically all eladrin can short-distance teleport. Not often enough for it to alter how they design buildings, but often enough that it should have societal effects....but won't suddenly make their civilization incomprehensible to humanity. I genuinely don't get this obsession with "if they aren't human it has to be TOTALLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE XENOFICTION or it's just not worth it." It's a false dichotomy through and through. Human-like but NOT human beings give us the chance to see the familiar in the strange. Just as fantastical humans being humans (and thus diverging from expectations) gives us a chance to see the strange in the familiar. It doesn't have to be differences as society-redefining as "everyone can fly" or "everyone is telepathic" or the like. Exploring the consequences of [I]subtle[/I] differences is a huge part of what makes science fiction and fantasy interesting--and the authors who build entire well-thought-out, rigorous worlds with only small changes have well-earned their praise. And that's not even touching on the possibility of (for example) fundamentally different number systems or the like. Dragonborn might count in octal or duodecimal, since they have only four digits per hand. Elves might associate having lights inside the home with opulent extravagance, since a small dwelling isn't big enough to have longer than 60' lines of sight. Tieflings, being resistant to fire, might eschew safety equipment or standards that other races rely on, causing friction in workplaces. Etc. Just because the gross, general approaches to life and living are pretty much the same doesn't mean there's [I]nothing[/I] to see, nor that it's impossible to still have large differences that arise from small effects. Even something as small as the (4e) Dragonborn ability to heal more quickly from injuries could have altered human history dramatically. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
No Humans? (Well, the players... but that's it.)
Top