“Monstrous” NPCs

[R_J_K75]

I wish I still had enough close friends to do that. Most of mine have moved on from tabletop or passed away.

I really don't keep in touch with a lot of the people I used to play with much anymore either. As we get older other priorities take precedence over gaming. I could probably round up a few more players if I really tried but I know that they wouldn't be able to commit enough to make it worthwhile. Scheduling would just become a nightmare and I can see people not showing up more often than they do. Every so often I'll run into someone I used to game with and when I bring it up there's some interest, but it never gets much further than that. Just not worth the aggravation.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I really don't keep in touch with a lot of the people I used to play with much anymore either. As we get older other priorities take precedence over gaming. I could probably round up a few more players if I really tried but I know that they wouldn't be able to commit enough to make it worthwhile. Scheduling would just become a nightmare and I can see people not showing up more often than they do. Every so often I'll run into someone I used to game with and when I bring it up there's some interest, but it never gets much further than that. Just not worth the aggravation.

Yeah, that's how it is with me too, coupled with the fact that one of the friends who passed away was load-bearing, as the group pretty much disintegrated afterward.

 

[R_J_K75]

Yeah, that's how it is with me too, coupled with the fact that one of the friends who passed away was load-bearing, as the group pretty much disintegrated afterward.

Thats too bad sorry to hear. Thats why I don't get too attached to playing anymore. It's fun and I enjoy it, but I know that it could end at any time.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Thats too bad sorry to hear. Thats why I don't get too attached to playing anymore. It's fun and I enjoy it, but I know that it could end at any time.

I get most of my gaming fun nowadays from reading and worldbuilding. And talking on EN World.

 

[R_J_K75]

I get most of my gaming fun nowadays from reading and worldbuilding. And talking on EN World.

I think I spend more time on EN World than I do prepping and playing.

 

[Professor Murder]

For me, the only way this would work is if non-pc species don't have intellect. It is limiting, but creativity can be born out of limitations.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Thinking further on it, im guessing some folks might be more comfortable with white hat black hat style of gaming. Monstrous folk are firmly in the black hat territory and any attempt to humanize them is seen as out of bounds. Im not saying, im just saying.

Even black hat/white hat-types don't believe this in my experience - they may have a very clear dividing line between goodies and baddies but that doesn't extend as far as "only demihumans can be talky NPCs" - that's going a lot further.

I was considering whether this view could come from videogames, but even there, the vast majority of RPGs have non-demihuman questgivers, whether they're CRPGs, MMORPGs, JRPGs, or whatever, and further this goes back deep into gaming history. So I don't think that's plausible either.

I think what the OP encountered was what is colloquially known as a "kook", TTRPGs have always had more than their fair share of them - people who have truly bizarre and unsupportable views/takes, and feel like being a DM in a TTRPG entitles them to inflict those takes on others.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

That's ridiculous. Everyone knows that orcs (or at least real orcs) hate vanilla ice cream. Instead they have a passion for pistachio ice cream. "It tastes like elves."

Why that's what some weak-kneed Mork-lover would say!

Gork told us vanilla is the one true flavour!

 

[rhythmsoundmotion]

Why that's what some weak-kneed Mork-lover would say!

Gork told us vanilla is the one true flavour!

Are you an orc with a sweet tooth? Come out to the ice cream truck

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

For me, the only way this would work is if non-pc species don't have intellect. It is limiting, but creativity can be born out of limitations.

Two of my read-only fiction settings, one fantasy & one sci-fi (alt-history with psi abilities) have humans as the only sapient species.

It's "standard" to have multiple sapient species in a game, because the earliest games were that way, but it isn't necessary, and I'm not convinced that it's actually all that limiting. It does require breaking the "each race has one culture & one kingdom" habit of thought that often comes with a multi-species setting. But I'm happy to dispense with that convention even in settings where I do have multiple sapient species.

And if you want to be really different, have just one sapient species that's NOT human, e.g. a game where everyone is a centaur and there are no humans, or elves, or minotaurs, or any other sapient species besides centaurs. Not even as NPCs.