D&D General Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings of Color

[hopeless]

I'm not seeing the problem that character's skin color is whatever that player wants it to be.
There is no problem with inclusivity only attempts to make out there is one.
Its YOUR game, the problem isn't with the players since its their character.
As long as you aren't forcing them to do something they don't want to as I said this isn't a problem.

 

[Yora]

Awkward but complete serious question. And I am entirely open to the possibility that I know nothing and asking something really stupid. Totally willing to be corrected, but the goal here is to advance everyone's understanding.

Are goliaths "coded" black?

Now I am of the opinion that taking northern European folkloric creatures and giving them dark skin is a very poor way to make fantasy worlds more inclusive. We all accept that skin color doesn't define anything and that prejudices are all about cultural differences. So thinking the issue is addressed by changing the skin color of existing peoples seems very dishonest to me.
If we want to have fantastic peoples who are not based on Northern Europeans, I think we should instead add new peoples that culturally reflect other parts of the world and their cultures. And it immediately got me thinking if goliaths are intended to do that?

 

[reelo]

Outside of settings like Planescape or Spelljammer, I don't think any setting can have more than 10-12 sentient humanoid lineages, including enemies, without losing cohesion-- but, I don't think they need to be, or should be, the same 10-12 lineages in every. single. setting. year after year after year.

So much this!

 

[Yaarel]

How I wish companies would start to create more fantasy cultures in their fantasy games instead of just copying real world cultures and then have people complain that said cultures in fantasy games are not faithful enough to the real world (or what they imagine how faithfulness would look like).
I am tired of seeing notChina, notJapan and notEgypt, etc.

For me there is a simple rule of thumb.

If one uses a name from a reallife culture, then stay as mythologically accurate as possible.

If one wants to invent a different kind of character concept, then invent a different kind of name for it.

(Obviously Gygax rarely followed this rule. But it is a good rule, and avoids some of the cultural landmines.)

 

[Yaarel]

I am excited about the concepts of the Duende of Spanish and Latino cultures. I want D&D to make these as mythologically accurate as possible.

 

[Casimir Liber]

I am excited about the concepts of the Duende of Spanish and Latino cultures. I want D&D to make these as mythologically accurate as possible.

time to do some research then......

 

[Yaarel]

time to do some research then......

You gave me a good start with your links. But I would rather a Spaniard or a Latino do it. Much of the most accurate research is in Spanish or Portugese, which I dont speak.

Heh, of course, there is always the option of doing it myself, and then running it thru the cultural landmines.

 

[Casimir Liber]

You gave me a good start with your links. But I would rather a Spaniard or a Latino do it. Much of the most accurate research is in Spanish or Portugese, which I dont speak.

Heh, of course, there is always the option of doing it myself, and then running it thru the cultural landmines.

We can also find someone who speaks spanish to translate and work with. Anyway, some ferreting around is in order...waiting for someone to do it could take another 40 years

 

[MGibster]

How I wish companies would start to create more fantasy cultures in their fantasy games instead of just copying real world cultures and then have people complain that said cultures in fantasy games are not faithful enough to the real world (or what they imagine how faithfulness would look like).

I don't believe those games would prove very popular as having the fantasy setting divorced entirely from real world cultures would prove to be quite a barrier for many players. Like it or not, one of the reasons D&D is so popular is because most Americans can jump right in and be familiar with the trappings of the setting while retaining modern liberal ideas of freedom.

 

[Thunder Brother]

I don't believe those games would prove very popular as having the fantasy setting divorced entirely from real world cultures would prove to be quite a barrier for many players. Like it or not, one of the reasons D&D is so popular is because most Americans can jump right in and be familiar with the trappings of the setting while retaining modern liberal ideas of freedom.

Hence why Runequest is still very much a niche game.

Not to say the world of Glorantha doesn't take inspiration from real cultures, it very much does, but many of those cultures don't have the same broad familiarity that medieval Europe does for American audiences.

Also it's fundamentally impossible to divorce a fantasy culture from a real world one; there's only a single well to draw from at the end of the day, no matter how much you mix and match.