Professor Murder
Hero
Do "elfs, dwarves, ect have an obligation to be racially diverse?"
No. Because they are not real.
Players are real.
DMs are real.
Players and DMs have an obligation to build inclusive environments.
If you don't feel that way, please see my previous statement about the danger of siding with scoundrels.
Thought experiment: If you are set on having a given people, be they elves or dwarves or halflings be ethnically homogeneous, that is your call. Perhaps in your setting, there is only a single elven nation, with a singular culture. All good. Step back and look at your cultural signifiers ascribed to the race. Are they all Euro-pastiche? What does that tell you.
You don't have a moral obligation to the accuracy of your setting. You have a moral obligation to the people at your gaming table. If you craft a setting where you, for example, tell a black player, "You want to play an elf? Great. Just can't be black. Sorry. It would ruin the setting." don't be shocked when others think ill of you.
No. Because they are not real.
Players are real.
DMs are real.
Players and DMs have an obligation to build inclusive environments.
If you don't feel that way, please see my previous statement about the danger of siding with scoundrels.
Thought experiment: If you are set on having a given people, be they elves or dwarves or halflings be ethnically homogeneous, that is your call. Perhaps in your setting, there is only a single elven nation, with a singular culture. All good. Step back and look at your cultural signifiers ascribed to the race. Are they all Euro-pastiche? What does that tell you.
You don't have a moral obligation to the accuracy of your setting. You have a moral obligation to the people at your gaming table. If you craft a setting where you, for example, tell a black player, "You want to play an elf? Great. Just can't be black. Sorry. It would ruin the setting." don't be shocked when others think ill of you.