D&D (2024) How did I miss this about the Half races/ancestries

[Faolyn]

It doesn't,

So you were just making that up?

but whatever you present in the official material is what a lot of folks, including nearly all new players, are going to assume is the way the game is played, and that limits the worlds they may create, and the adventures they engage in, to a circle far smaller than other forms of media allow.

Why would "nearly all new players" assume the game is played the way it was years or decades ago? Wouldn't they assume the game is played the way the books say it was, or the way modern streamers play it, or the way modern video games are played?

 

[Micah Sweet]

...

OK, take a look at Level Up. Inclusive. It doesn't suggest anyone is lesser. Orcs are treated with respect in the AG; they aren't monsters, they aren't commonly discriminated against. Look at the Stoneworthy culture. It's a neolithic-type culture, but it's called worthy and it's shown to be as civilized and decent a culture as any other; members of that culture aren't treated as stupid barbarians. In fact, Level Up doesn't have barbarians. They changed the name--and the name of the monks as well--in order to be more welcoming to the players. Remember the discussion about the warlords, and how that name evoked some very troubling and harmful aspects (specifically, modern-day usage of the term)? The name warlord was dumped for Marshal instead.

You like Level Up. Why do you want D&D to be not as inclusive as it?

D&D has a wide variety of settings, many of which are not as inclusive as the modern mind-set desires. I would much rather D&D made their own new setting(s), as Level Up and other games have done, that conform to the sensibilities they want to promote, rather than change existing worlds to shoehorn them into the 21st century.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So you were just making that up?


Why would "nearly all new players" assume the game is played the way it was years or decades ago? Wouldn't they assume the game is played the way the books say it was, or the way modern streamers play it, or the way modern video games are played?

I'm saying it can be played in a lot of different ways, not just the way modern streamers and video games are played.

 

[Incenjucar]

I'm saying it can be played in a lot of different ways, not just the way modern streamers and video games are played.

It's an RPG. It can be played in pretty much infinite ways. You can have a 20-person anime harem game with dragon magical girls and it's still D&D.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It's an RPG. It can be played in pretty much infinite ways. You can have a 20-person anime harem game with dragon magical girls and it's still D&D.

Sure, but if all you show is D&D through the lens of modern streaming and video games, that's all a lot of folks will see, and that's all they'll play.

This has nothing to do with me personally. At this point I'm just engaging in debate and expressing my thoughts. I have everything I need to play D&D.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Game of Thrones already exists for players who really need to have horrible people all over the place in their fantasy content.

I mean, GoT isn't a DnD setting and has to be manually converted.

Imo the core books should be setting neutral, and outright not deal with the hard topics. And then the initial setting book should also be inclusive as well.

But I also think that there should be an official setting like Dark Sun which is willing to cover more controversial topics which not every player will enjoy. And that will be fine as they're not forced to buy that setting book.

 

[Faolyn]

I'm saying it can be played in a lot of different ways, not just the way modern streamers and video games are played.

Sure. How does making a setting more inclusive for both players and characters prevent games from being played in many different ways.

D&D has a wide variety of settings, many of which are not as inclusive as the modern mind-set desires. I would much rather D&D made their own new setting(s), as Level Up and other games have done, that conform to the sensibilities they want to promote, rather than change existing worlds to shoehorn them into the 21st century.

So basically, you want D&D to die off like a dinosaur, unable or unwilling to adapt.

 

[Faolyn]

Sure, but if all you show is D&D through the lens of modern streaming and video games, that's all a lot of folks will see, and that's all they'll play.

This seems to assume that new players have no imagination.

 

[Incenjucar]

Sure, but if all you show is D&D through the lens of modern streaming and video games, that's all a lot of folks will see, and that's all they'll play.

This has nothing to do with me personally. At this point I'm just engaging in debate and expressing my thoughts. I have everything I need to play D&D.

I'm 100% comfortable with people only ever seeing D&D as an inclusive thing where people don't have to deal with racism at the table. Nothing is lost if horrible history becomes something you have to research instead of experience.

 

[Minigiant]

I mean, GoT isn't a DnD setting and has to be manually converted.

Imo the core books should be setting neutral, and outright not deal with the hard topics. And then the initial setting book should also be inclusive as well.

But I also think that there should be an official setting like Dark Sun which is willing to cover more controversial topics which not every player will enjoy. And that will be fine as they're not forced to buy that setting book.

Hence why "always evil" and "mostly evil" orcs wont be in the new PHB.

Now WOTC have to design a culture, society,and mentality for orcs and promote a setting with good orcs.

HalfElves and Half Orcs are being removed because never promoted a fleshed out version of them in the default setting nor the official standard setting.