"Planar Bazaar" campaign

[Mighty Halfling]

In the next few weeks its expected that the campaign I'm playing in will end (prematurely) because the DM's is moving away.
I've volunteered to be DM next.
My thought is to really try to shake things up for the players, and I'm thinking of assembling a game that revolves around a lot of plane-hopping as the players work off a debt that they've incurred. I'm loosely basing my ideas off Robert Aspirin's "Myth Adventure" series.
Money isn't really going to be a big issue for them because their debtor will be supplying them with everything I need, he just will make a big deal about it.
But here's the key change in the campaign ... most of the standard D&D races are going to be barred from player use.
Instead, I've come up with a new list of available races, all from WotC books.
• Human – Exactly as listed in the Player’s Handbook. Favored class: Any Level Adj.: +0
• Half-Giant – Medium-sized, massively built hulks. A race from the Expanded Psionics Handbook, but minus its psionic abilities. Favored class: Fighter Level Adj: +1
• Half-Orc – With some adjustments. See changes here. Favored class: Barbarian Level Adj.: +0
• Mephling – Small-sized elemental-flavored tricksters. A race from the Planar Handbook. Favored class: Bard, Druid, Sorcerer or Monk Level Adj: +1
• Neraph – Medium-sized toad-like hunters. A race from the Planar Handbook. Favored class: Ranger Level Adj: +0
• Tiefling – Pesky human/fiend half-bloods. A race from the Planar Handbook, among other WotC releases. Favored class: Rogue Level Adj: +1
• Uldra – Small-sized fey from the frozen wastes. A race from Frostburn. Favored class: Druid Level Adj: +1

We would start out at second level to even out things for the +0 LA PCs.

Here's the thing though: Two of the four players are die-hard core D&D addicts. Everything else is worthless to them. The other two are interested in non-core stuff.
Question 1 -- Are these races suitable for both? Should I give in and allow one or two more core races?
Question 2 -- Half-Giants: Am I hurting them too much by stripping their psionics? I don't really want to use the psionics book, but I like the race. I've basically eliminated their Stomp psionic and their Psionic bonuses. What, if anything should I use to replace these?

 

[DreadArchon]

My reflexive complaint is that there's too few races with a +0 LA. Both as a Core-junky and a Splat-junky (I'm indecisive ), I'm mildly offended by having less than four or five LA +0 races. I'd be inclined to throw in Air Goblins and Water Orcs at the very least (though I don't have access to many sources of races, so you can probably find something better).

 

[MrFilthyIke]

I play in a planar campaign where all the pcs are "pets" of an efreet lord in the city of brass. He sends us around doing things, and gives us supplies and magic as needed. It's fun, and the characters are a mix:

Wild Elf Binder
Drow Fighter
Human Dervish (homebrew Prince of Persia-inspired 20-level warrior class)
Tiefling Bard
Tiefling Rogue
Merfolk Sorcerer
Brass Dragon Wyrmling

An eclectic mix.

 

[Wik]

Add one or two races from the PHB, but change 'em a bit - earth dwarves, fire elves, something like that.

Give the Half-Giant's something (a feat, maybe?)

Your core-only players will be tough to please, but I think you'll be alright.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

If the plane-hopping aspect is anything like Planescape, then there's really no reason to bar anything. I personally find "kitchen sink" campaigns to be entertaining just based on the craziness players come up with. As for the half-giant, the goliath out of Races of Stone has the powerful build thing without the psionics. I wouldn't take the psionic racial traits away from them though, if you do decide to go with half-giants. Just don't allow psionic classes if you don't want to mess around with it.

For your "core-only" junkies, playing core races as "strangers-in-a-strange-land" would certainly be different for them.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I agree with everyone so far. (When was the last time that happened? )

One simple solution is to give the Half-Giants a free feat selected from the list of fighter bonus feats.

I would expand the list of allowed races to include some of the Unearthed Arcana alternates: fire gnomes, water elves, air goblins, etc.

 

[Mighty Halfling]

Based on your reccommendations, I'll probably stick elves back into the mix. I picked this race in particular because I know one player has been wailing that he hasn't been able to play an elf yet.
I've also determined that their debtor will be a Mercane, a dimension-hopping magic dealer that first appeared in the Manual of the Planes. The race's background fits perfectly with the Planar Bazaar theme.