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...

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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?

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“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.
 

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Michael Tresca

Michael Tresca

Hriston

Dungeon Master of Middle-earth (He/him)
Of course not, which is why I said "direct influence", but IMO 4E was one of the most contra-Tolkien editions: Among other changes, halflings were intentionally moved away from being hobbits with the serial numbers filed off and they introduced a lot of decidedly odd races (there's that word). Dragonborn in the first PHB, to say nothing of those weird races like the crystal guys whose name eludes me now.

OK, but presumably the developers could have picked up a copy of Tolkien's work and had it inform their idea of what a Half-Elf is in assigning a bonus to CHA. Of course it's pure conjecture on my part. I'm almost completely unfamiliar with 4e.
 

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pemerton

Legend
Social construct, remember? If everyone pretended it didn't exist, it wouldn't.
This isn't true. People can't change their social formations just by wishing. Even if this wasn't obvious, there are enough illustrations of the point through the history of the 20th century to make it pretty clear.
 

james501

First Post
What is your evidence for this assertion? Surveys? Systematic social inquiry? Your own intuition?

Common sense.

Race in thereal world was usedto seperate humans.
In fantasy race is sued to seperate different sepcies : elves, dragons, orcs etc.
All humans there are a single race.

Also the fact that millionsnof people had enjoyed thethese things for decades with only a recent tiny invisible subset trying to argue otherwise.
 

Jay Verkuilen

Grand Master of Artificial Flowers
OK, but presumably the developers could have picked up a copy of Tolkien's work and had it inform their idea of what a Half-Elf is in assigning a bonus to CHA.
Well they could have but I find the notion that they'd take six steps away from "traditional" Tolkien-esque fantasy and one step towards it more than a little reach.

Even if they did, I don't really get the notion of how Elrond and Elros had particularly high Charisma---I'm not sure that's true about Elrond---would therefore translate to all half-elves having it. D&D half-elves have essentially never been particularly like Tolkien's half-elves anyway. They have always been decidedly mortal, for instance, and have no particular "choice of which kin" to make.

I think the 4E designers mostly wanted to find some what to mechanically differentiate half-elves from elves and humans and settled on the notion of "well they live in both worlds and have to navigate them... sounds like a Charisma bonus!"

Of course it's pure conjecture on my part. I'm almost completely unfamiliar with 4e.

Um....
 

Hussar

Legend
The diseases of political correctness spreads. People are absolutely terrified of the few extremists in the vocal minority.



You don't converse with extremists on either the right or the left. There's no point.

The irony of these two paragraphs in the same post is just too much for me. :p
 


Hussar

Legend
Different context, different meaning.
In the context of fantasy race doesnt have the connotations of racial theory and people are able to separate the contextual usage of the terms.

"cult" also has negative baggage, but it can still be used contextually in fiction without offense.

Well, let's unpack that one shall we?

The various "good" clergy in D&D are never, ever called cults. There is no Cult of St. Cuthbert. There's a church of St. Cuthbert, but, surprisingly, no cult.

Yet, every "evil" clergy, particularly any that worship demons or devils are almost always called cults.

So, the negative baggage of cult is being applied pretty clearly in D&D.
 

Hussar

Legend
Heh, I'm not going to get dragged back into your age old battle-lost delusions.
I've been doing Medusa correct to the myth for decades. You are the one with the longstanding record of putting words in other people's mouths. Hell, I haven't engaged with you for what, a year? And you bring me up here with the specific point of telling other people what *I* said, when it isn't what I said. So I think any rational person who just registered today could read nothing but this brief exchange and readily see who is doing the revisions.

Enjoy

Yup, absolutely. Totally agree that you've been doing the Medusa correct to myth for decades.

What you haven't done for decades though, is use the D&D Medusa the way it was and is written.

Like I said, thank you for providing such a perfect illustration of my point.
 

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