A mystery race ?

[Rechan]

Is that something I missed on a blog somewhere? Where do you get that idea?

The development article mentions Eladrin. Also, something else somewhere (I think Wyatt's Dungeoncraft article) mentions Eladrin are basically fey that live in the prime material.

 

[TwinBahamut]

I would say Orcs.

Forget Warcraft, it is the Eberron setting that makes Orcs non-evil and worthy of being included as a core PC race. Of course, warcraft helps a lot too. They make a very interesting "noble savage" race, and are far more interesting as such than being yet another "evil horde" race. There are too many of those already, and orcs have a chance to surpass that. I don't see why we should be bound to Tolkien's idea of orcs, when D&D has been working a long time to expand beyond being the "unofficial LotR RPG".

 

[Reaper Steve]

And I say the opposite. Not everyone plays Heroic Fantasy. The core rules should give the options, rather than the restrictions.

Well, the core rules have an implied setting. As I see it, that implied setting is trying to stay pretty close to the common concept of fantasy, while adding just enough to make it uniquely D&D. I think Orcs as core PCs steps too far over that line.
The MM will provide the options to play some monstrous races as PCs, from what we've been told.

 

[Rechan]

Well, the core rules have an implied setting. As I see it, that implied setting is trying to stay pretty close to the common concept of fantasy, while adding just enough to make it uniquely D&D.

You mean with its race of demon-tainted people as PCs and its class that gets power from deals with devils?

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

Come to think of it, I believe Dragonquest had Orcs as a PC race. In 1980.

 

[Aldarc]

Well, the core rules have an implied setting. As I see it, that implied setting is trying to stay pretty close to the common concept of fantasy, while adding just enough to make it uniquely D&D. I think Orcs as core PCs steps too far over that line.
The MM will provide the options to play some monstrous races as PCs, from what we've been told.

And tiefling do not?

 

[Irda Ranger]

To all you people who're suggesting orcs, tauren, and all those other WoW races, I just have this to day: harm yourselves. D&D will never be World of Warcraft, despite what some boneheads say.

Dude, that's not called for. Not at all. If you don't thing D&D is (or ever) being like WoW, make the contention is a clean and civil rhetorical style.

Also, I just have this to "day": proof read.

 

[broghammerj]

I'm hoping it's half-dragon, half-troll half-celestials. Who wield not double, but triple-bladed swords. With blades 1' wide and 6' long.

And the designers will say "it's super cool!"

 

[The Little Raven]

Is that something I missed on a blog somewhere? Where do you get that idea?

In the elf articles they released, they referred to them as being related to eladrin, and in the monster podcast, they mentioned drow in reference to "other fey." The combination lead me to the conclusion I presented (which is why I said "seems," since it's not carved in stone.

Actually that was me being dyslexic. I meant half-elves. Have they specifically mentioned the breakdowns you are listing above?

Yeah. In the elf article, they basically point out that elves will be the sylvan/wood/wild elves, and eladrin will take the arcanist high/gray/sun elf image. Since drow have always been the "dark elves," I suspect they will remain much the same.

 

[Reaper Steve]

And tiefling do not?

I thought I covered that base a few posts up. That's a part that steps across the line in an effort to uniquely define D&D.

Not that I'm trying to win an argument... (there is no argument here, just us expressing opinions for and against monstrous PC races) but I realize that we've reached the point we have to agree to disagree.

I realize plenty of other games have had orcs and other monsters as PCs. But I think WoW is the major force in making them popular.

I've also never liked monstrous races as PCs, and I fully realize that's my opinion and I'm not trying to change anyone's. But I just don't think that Orcs belong in the PHB as a core race. I like my Orcs like Tolkein's orcs...evil, nasty, and totally unredeemable. But I must admit that that is just one interpretation of orcs these days.