a question of xenophobia (ashley,wes, steve- go away!)

[alsih2o]

i will be running a new campaign in my homebrew this saturday night.

i will spare the long storya nd just explain that the humanoid races of this continent have rarely seen humans. very few have left the boundaries of their smallish state.

the players will be guiding their characters out into the unknown, and eventually running into the first humanoids they have seen.

can anyone provide me any fun, funny, or tragic responses that would come from the various humanoid races upon seeing their first human?

 

[the Jester]

Perhaps they fear the midget ogres?

Or pity the poor, malformed, over-tall, clipped-ear elves?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

can anyone provide me any fun, funny, or tragic responses that would come from the various humanoid races upon seeing their first human?

I know it's not the kind of idea you're looking for. But when isolated civilisations finally meet, the result can be summed up in just one word: contagion.

Outbreaks of infectious disease transmitted by healthy carriers can wipe out entire populations in a matter of weeks. The more isolated the population has become, the greater the risk of contagion. Your PCs will not be able to walk anywhere without treading on the bodies and heads of dead humanoids. The land of your homebrew world will be piled with corpses.

Not a bad way to kickstart a campaign, actually.

 

[alsih2o]

I know it's not the kind of idea you're looking for.....

no worries, i am totally on this one

i was just looking for fun scenarios. but it is always noce to hear an idea reinforced, thanks

 

[Dogbrain]

Perhaps they fear the midget ogres?

Or pity the poor, malformed, over-tall, clipped-ear elves?

Obviously, since they are bearded, they are twisted Elf experimentations upon Dwarf prisoners of war--or even worse, they are an attempt to create Elf infiltrators into Dwarf holdings, starting with beards and working on size later.

 

[frankthedm]

The land of your homebrew world will be piled with corpses.

Not a bad way to kickstart a campaign, actually.

Isn't that the end result of most D&D campaigns?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

alsih2o, have you by any chance read Mike Resnick's "Chronicles Of Distant Worlds" series? I'm talking about three sci-fi novels individually called "Paradise", "Inferno" and "Purgatory", which are directly based on the real-world history of Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda.

These books are filled with the kind of hooks you're looking for. It's all about what happens when a culture which would have been better left alone encounters an expansionist civilization.

 

[alsih2o]

alsih2o, have you by any chance read Mike Resnick's "Chronicles Of Distant Worlds" series?

no, but i am off to amazon right now

thanks

 

[Kemrain]

Well, death, dismemberment and destruction are all wonderful results of xenophobia, but don't forget that some folks actually get excited about meeting new creatures, especially inteligent ones. You could get a suprisingly good result from First Contact... You never know.

- Kemrain the Xenopheliac.

 

[alsih2o]

Well, death, dismemberment and destruction are all wonderful results of xenophobia, but don't forget that some folks actually get excited about meeting new creatures, especially inteligent ones. You could get a suprisingly good result from First Contact... You never know.

- Kemrain the Xenopheliac.

completely agreed, i am looking for a full range, from "DIE!" to "welcome, love to get to know you" to "wow, i've never seen one of those. we simply must have one."