Do You Prefer a Humanocentric RPG Setting?

[Nellisir]

No. I don't mind a human-centric campaign or world, but I don't prefer it. Considering just how many cultural and linguistic groups humans can diversify into in a small area, I don't find a number of quasi-human races all that hard to believe. Add in gods and magic, and...no. Not hard at all.

 

[Kid Socrates]

I voted "yes" on average, as my favorite settings are Final Fantasy (where nonhuman races exist mostly for flavor and NPCs, rarely does one join your party in-game and they're never the main character) and Warcraft (which is mostly a big mix of humans, night elves, and orcs, and not more human-centric than orc-centric). It's much easier to have the human base.

 

[Dragonbait]

I like humanocentric settings. Not because I dislike non-humans, but because it makes non-humans more unique. I like it when elves and dwarves still have their own culture and are a bit of a mystery to humans. I like it when half-elves, half-orcs, tieflings, aasimars and so on are incredibly rare (not 1% to 5% of a settlement's population) Adventuring groups are made up of unusual people. They do not represent the normal racial demographics of the world. However, it seemes that adventuring parties are becoming the way setting designers are basing their population divisions, rather than by flavor.

 

[buzz]

I voted "Yes". I have no problem with non-humans or aliens in a setting. But, since we know that humans, even in a fantasy or SF setting, are basically us, they're already far more interesting to me than most created races. Granted, most created races are just exaggerated facets of humanity, so there's still potential there.

Also, I think I'd have a harder time getting into a game/setting that was other-centric.

 

[Troll Bait]

I'm tired of the same-old Tolkeinesque "Humans are the young race taking over from the elves and dwarves who are the fading-away-elder-races blah blah blah."

How about humans are the race in decline, with the new races of elves, dwarves, halflings, etc. in ascendance?

Shadowrun was like that. I vote yes, because most games are exactly that. I have a buddy who runs a world dominated by badass elves, who are aloof and quick to put the players in their place but dont stop the BBEG. You will say, "Yeah we just killed the Vampire lord." And the DM will remind you that the Elven blademaster can kick your butt. I get so tired of it. i just might create a character with that one halfelven assassin PrC. you know the one that hunts elves.

 

[Ranger REG]

How about humans are the race in decline, with the new races of elves, dwarves, halflings, etc. in ascendance?

Sighs. Wish it was happening in real life. The only way to do that is expedite the matter ... with loads of nuclear strikes.

 

[majustismp15]

I like humanocentric settings, however, nobody in my group does. I have always played Halflings because I can understand them from the blurb of culture the PHB provides so I have no problem with that.

The reason I prefer humanocentric settings is because that is a human's only strength: they are in the majority.
One commoner holds little chance in a fair fight, but that commoner has lots and lots of family and friends to back them up.
Aside from that, how sucky would it be if "human" was a language you had to learn to talk to a human.....weak...

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I voted no. Not just "no", but "Hell no".

I'd like to see more settings where humanity didn't dominate, culturally or demographically.

I'd also like to see more settings where race is firmly and explicitly orthogonal to culture. Eberron's urban elves, gnomes, and halflings do this to a certain extent, but I'd love to see a setting where your average people were citizens of their nation first and members of their race a distant second.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Iron Kingdoms is my favorite campaign setting, and it is humanocentric. Eberron is my second-favorite, and it is mostly humanocentric, too. I think I do have a slight preference for humanocentric settings, because I like humans.

 

[Hairfoot]

Yes. My Non-Humans Are Rarely Any More Alien Than Could Be Played By Humans In Latex Masks. I Find Truly Alien Characters, Characters Who Think (In John Campbell's Felicitious Phrase) "As Well As A [hu]Man, But Not Like A [hu]Man") To Be Too Difficult To Sustain In A Long Adventure. Playing A Mostali [RuneQuest Dwarf) Made My Imagination Hurt, And I Simply Can't Imagine Playing A Dragonnewt Or RuneQuest Elf. So You Find A Few 'Elves' And 'Dwarves', 'Flyers' and 'Divers', Gathin, 'Naiads', Leshy, Giants, And Sprites In My Campaigns, But They Are All Essentially Humans With Makeup And Perhaps An Occasional Special Ability.

Why Did You Do That? Not Criticising, But My 'Shift' Finger Aches Already.