Scott Christian
Hero
Sometimes. As a player, I think it depends more on the DM and how they implement it.My question is: does that appeal to you?
I have not minded campaigns other people have run that have many races. The stories have been fun. That said, I have appreciated the world building of DMs that are more selective in their approach regarding races. Their stories seem to reach a deeper level, mostly because races have distinct cultures.Do you like a campaign world that has dozens or even hundreds of player option races?
As a DM, if I am building a world, I want it to have two things: depth and logic. I can't think of any other way to do races than to give them very distinct cultures, and then subcultures within the culture, and then an individual panache. When a place is mixed (more than one race), it is the culture of the place, then the race's culture, then the subculture of the races, and then the individual.If so, why? What's the upside?
I think culture intersects with all of it.
I think contrasts play an important role regarding races too. A race that is deeply rooted with family that borders on a hive mind versus a race that is all about individualism. A race that is xenophobic versus a race that is always welcoming. A race that is deeply devoted to nature versus one that has lost connection with nature. Without these contrasts, the opposites become less special, and therefore, harbors less depth. Without the mass society deeply rooted with family, the individualistic society is just like everyone else. Without the racist xenophobes, the open society doesn't stand out as special. Without the nature loving society, the semi-industrial society is just another place.
There will be some that say you could replace the word culture with race in the above paragraph, but I disagree. And it has to do with part two of world building - logic.
It seems illogical to me that to have dozens of cities with twenty races running around, one where they all just get along, can host many of the insulated society values that seem to take place in a "typical" D&D world. If it is one special place, like some otherworldly, planar city, sure. But when it's a lot of them, it makes no sense. There are just too many logic gaps for it to feel cohesive.
Even Star Wars, noted for its "Cantina," harbors the race view. Luke's home world, Tatooine, was racially divided, and each race had their own culture. It was the major cities that weren't, but they also had the ability to travel almost in an instant. In a D&D world, how many people can travel like that? If your campaign is almost everyone, then, I guess, you have a valid point for having this intermingling so common. But if not, then the race is somewhat insulated.
Just my two copper.