RPG Evolution: Do We Still Need "Race" in D&D?

The term "race" is a staple of fantasy that is now out of sync with modern usage. With Pathfinder shifting from "race" to "ancestry" in its latest edition, it raises the question: should fantasy games still use it?

“Race” and Modern Parlance​

We previously discussed the challenges of representing real-life cultures in a fantasy world, with African and Asian countries being just two examples. The discussion becomes more complicated with fantasy "races"—historically, race was believed to be determined by the geographic arrangement of populations. Fantasy gaming, which has its roots in fantasy literature, still uses the term “race” this way.

Co-creator of D&D Gary Gygax cited R.E. Howard's Conan series as an influence on D&D, which combines Lovecraftian elements with sword and sorcery. Howard's perceptions may have been a sign of the times he lived in, but it seems likely they influenced his stories. Robert B. Marks explains just how these stereotypes manifested in Conan's world:

The young, vibrant civilizations of the Hyborian Age, like Aquilonia and Nemedia, are white - the equivalent of Medieval Europe. Around them are older Asiatic civilizations like Stygia and Vendhya, ancient, decrepit, and living on borrowed time. To the northwest and the south are the barbarian lands - but only Asgard and Vanaheim are in any way Viking. The Black Kingdoms are filled with tribesmen evoking the early 20th century vision of darkest Africa, and the Cimmerians and Picts are a strange cross between the ancient Celts and Native Americans - and it is very clear that the barbarians and savages, and not any of the civilized people or races, will be the last ones standing.

Which leads us to the other major fantasy influence, author J.R.R. Tolkien. David M. Perry explains in an interview with Helen Young:

In Middle Earth, unlike reality, race is objectively real rather than socially constructed. There are species (elves, men, dwarves, etc.), but within those species there are races that conform to 19th-century race theory, in that their physical attributes (hair color, etc.) are associated with non-physical attributes that are both personal and cultural. There is also an explicit racial hierarchy which is, again, real in the world of the story.

The Angry GM elaborates on why race and culture were blended in Tolkien's works:

The thing is, in the Tolkienverse, at least, in the Lord of the Rings version of the Tolkienverse (because I can’t speak for what happened in the Cinnabon or whatever that other book was called), the races were all very insular and isolated. They didn’t deal with one another. Race and culture went hand in hand. If you were a wood elf, you were raised by wood elves and lived a thoroughly wood elf lifestyle until that whole One Ring issue made you hang out with humans and dwarves and halflings. That isolation was constantly thrust into the spotlight. Hell, it was a major issue in The Hobbit.

Given the prominence of race in fantasy, it's not surprising that D&D has continued the trend. That trend now seems out of sync with modern parlance; in 1951, the United Nations officially declared that the differences among humans were "insignificant in relation to the anthropological sameness among the peoples who are the human race."

“Race” and Game Design​

Chris Van Dyke's essay on race back in 2008 explains how pervasive "race" is in D&D:

Anyone who has played D&D has spent a lot of time talking about race – “Racial Attributes,” “Racial Restrictions,” “Racial Bonuses.” Everyone knows that different races don’t get along – thanks to Tolkien, Dwarves and Elves tend to distrust each other, and even non-gamers know that Orcs and Goblins are, by their very nature, evil creatures. Race is one of the most important aspects of any fantasy role-playing game, and the belief that there are certain inherent genetic and social distinctions between different races is built into every level of most (if not all) Fantasy Role-Playing Games.

Racial characteristics in D&D have changed over time. Basic Dungeons & Dragons didn't distinguish between race and class for non-humans, such that one played a dwarf, elf, or halfling -- or a human fighter or cleric. The characteristics of race were so tightly intertwined that race and profession were considered one.

In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the changes became more nuanced, but not without some downsides on character advancement, particularly in allowing “demihumans” to multiclass but with level limits preventing them from exceeding humanity, who had unlimited potential (but could only dual-class).

With Fifth Edition, ability penalties and level caps have been removed, but racial bonuses and proficiencies still apply. The Angry GM explains why this is a problem:

In 5E, you choose a race and a class, but you also choose a background. And the background represents your formative education and socio-economic standing and all that other stuff that basically represents the environment in which you were raised. The racial abilities still haven’t changed even though there is now a really good place for “cultural racial abilities” to live. So, here’s where the oddity arises. An elf urchin will automatically be proficient with a longsword and longbow, two weapons that requires years of training to even become remotely talent with, but a human soldier does not get any automatic martial training. Obviously, in both cases, class will modify that. But in the life of your character, race happens first, then background, and only later on do you end up a member of a class. It’s very quirky.

Perhaps this is why Pathfinder decided to take a different approach to race by shifting to the term “ancestry”:

Beyond the narrative, there are many things that have changed, but mostly in the details of how the game works. You still pick a race, even though it is now called your ancestry. You still decide on your class—the rulebook includes all of the core classes from the First Edition Core Rulebook, plus the alchemist. You still select feats, but these now come from a greater variety of sources, such as your ancestry, your class, and your skills.

"Ancestry" is not just a replacement for the word “race.” It’s a fluid term that requires the player to make choices at character creation and as the character advances. This gives an opportunity to express human ethnicities in game terms, including half-elves and half-orcs, without forcing the “subrace” construct.

The Last Race​

It seems likely that, from both a modern parlance and game design perspective, “race” as it is used today will fall out of favor in fantasy games. It’s just going to take time. Indigo Boock sums up the challenge:

Fantasy is a doubled edged sword. Every human culture has some form of fantasy, we all have some sort of immortal ethereal realm where our elven creatures dwell. There’s always this realm that transcends culture. Tolkien said, distinct from science fiction (which looks to the future), fantasy is to feel like one with the entire universe. Fantasy is real, deep human yearning. We look to it as escapism, whether we play D&D, or Skyrim, or you are like myself and write fantasy. There are unfortunately some old cultural tropes that need to be discarded, and it can be frustratingly slow to see those things phased out.

Here's hoping other role-playing games will follow Pathfinder's lead in how treats its fantasy people in future editions.

 

[Lylandra]

Right, but then it shouldn't be an issue, for as long as we constrain ourselves to Tolkien-esque worlds where each biological group has its own unified culture and there is no inter-mixing. The reason why half-elves and half-orcs exist is because humans might conceivably bump into these other groups and mix with them, where it's inconceivable (from a worldbuilding perspective) that an elf could ever mix with a dwarf.

(Cue the Princess Bride meme)

But no, I actually mean it this time. The default fantasy setting (the same one where dwarves and halflings can't be wizards, and only humans can be paladins) is a world where an elf and dwarf would never mix under any circumstances. If your world doesn't fit that model, then feel free to change things until they make more sense, but there's definitely a reason for why things are the way they are.

Yep, but modern fantasy settings for roleplaying games are more often not really Tolkien-esque. And even Tolkien had Aragorn who was basically raised by elves, plus a Maia and an elf, as well as humans and elves conceiving children.
(and really, kids being raised by someone else but their people is a tale old as dirt. See Romulus and Remus. Or the Ugly Duckling. Or Godfather Death. Or the Herculean myth.)

If you take a look at even 3.x campaign settings for D&D you'll see mixed populations in almost every city, especially human cities.

So I doubt what you describe is the default fantasy setting published today. It might have been true for AD&D. But certainly not for Pathfinder. Or D&D 4e/5e.

 

[DemoMonkey]

Look, there's only TWO types of people in this argument. The ones unshakably convinced of the correctness of their opinion, and that anyone who disagrees with them deserves only contempt, and...ummm...

...

Look, there's only ONE type of people in this argument....

 

[Celebrim]

“People” works well as a substitute for race. The Elven People, the Dwarven People, the Orcish People, etc.

In this contact, I think you are right. On the other hand, if someone puts a prompt of "People:" followed by a blank, it might not be very intuitive what they are asking for. I also think that "people" and "race" are just synonyms in this context, and as such I don't see what you are actually gaining by switching from the accurate and conventional terminology.

And I'm rather disturbed by the people who tout the advantage of "Ancestry" in that it would allow us to have a racial template for different ethnic groups. That just weirds me out to be honest, especially because the proponents of that are all on about how they aren't the racists ones, it's everyone else. Like really, you want have "Mwangi" or "Keleshite" when you choose your race? That sounds like a dumpster fire waiting to happen. So, I guess I like 'People' better than 'Ancestry' despite the awkwardness of the term, just because it helps kill that as an idea.

 

[Obryn]

So uh hey, it's 20 pages in.

Has anyone mentioned that PF2 is just following in the footsteps of the outstanding Shadow of the Demon Lord, which has been using Ancestry since its release?

edit: Wait, found one on Page 10!

 

[Mercule]

Look, there's only TWO types of people in this argument. The ones unshakably convinced of the correctness of their opinion, and that anyone who disagrees with them deserves only contempt, and...ummm...

...

Look, there's only ONE type of people in this argument....

Dude, I'm just here for the popcorn and to debate the mechanical implications of removing racial packages from the game.

 

[DemoMonkey]

"and to debate the mechanical implications of removing racial packages from the game."

I don't think that's been explored, actually. If we eliminate race, should we also eliminate the elements that make the races different? Should Darkvision, Stonecunning, Trance (or "Keebler Coma" as my group calls it) and all the rest be available to every character in a mix-and-match fashion?

Is the very concept of biological differentiation - not just the terminology - an undesirable relic?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

"and to debate the mechanical implications of removing racial packages from the game."

I don't think that's been explored, actually. If we eliminate race, should we also eliminate the elements that make the races different? Should Darkvision, Stonecunning, Trance (or "Keebler Coma" as my group calls it) and all the rest be available to every character in a mix-and-match fashion?

For D&D? IMHO, nope.

Is the very concept of biological differentiation - not just the terminology - an undesirable relic?

IMHO, nope.

 

[Obryn]

I can see where this thread is leaning and obviously there's going to be no talking to people who can't see past their own misplaced views. I don't give a crap about a person's color, I have friends from all walks of life, people I love and respect. The final word here is that your ignorant views on race and racism have nothing to do with a fictional game. This thread has gotten way too out of hand and is leaning way too left.

"Some folks find the word 'race' problematic because despite its gaming history, it has real-world connotations that may be uncomfortable to some people. Maybe it's time to use a more respectful word without the baggage."

But nah. You figure - "I'm a good person. I have friends from different cultures. How could I do wrong? How dare anyone insinuate I'm making anyone uncomfortable, or ask me to do anything differently than I am right now?"

Because really what you're saying is, you can't be bothered to change anything to make the game more welcoming. And real peoples' discomfort is meaningless compared to your desire for nothing to ever change, or the mere suggestion that something you've been doing for years might not be the best thing you could possibly do.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’m a black gamer. I never had a problem with “race” in a FRPG context...though “species” was something I always found a more appropriate term.

But though I am a black gamer, I am not all black gamers. Some are touchier about it than others..or so I hear. (Only met 2 others since 1977, and didn’t play RPGs with either of them.)

 

[DM Magic]

"and to debate the mechanical implications of removing racial packages from the game."

I don't think that's been explored, actually. If we eliminate race, should we also eliminate the elements that make the races different? Should Darkvision, Stonecunning, Trance (or "Keebler Coma" as my group calls it) and all the rest be available to every character in a mix-and-match fashion?

Is the very concept of biological differentiation - not just the terminology - an undesirable relic?

Just spitballin' here, but the way I see it is, what is now called race would be called a heritage or ancestry. And that would only include biological goodies. This would remove half-orc and half-elf and other half races -- you would just have orc or elf or whatever ancestry. As for the biological goodies, people with orc-ancestry would have the stuff that comes with having orc blood (superior strength or whatever) and people with elf ancestry would have the stuff that comes with having elf blood (darkvision or whatever). Stuff like automatically having proficiency in weapons would be moved to backgrounds.