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<blockquote data-quote="Sunseeker" data-source="post: 6749257">I don't consider the problems minor.&nbsp; Differences of opinion and all that.Because the default fluff for numerous races is BAD.&nbsp; I had a long discussion with my wife over this and more fully expressed what I do: I analyze all the races as though they were human.&nbsp; If you strip away the &quot;they're aliens and therefore different&quot; and address the fluff as though you were talking about humans, the fluff is often hugely racist, stereotypical and in many cases downright offensive.Because I find the more fae-centric lore of Gnomes more interesting?&nbsp; Because Santa's Little Helper is dumb? I ask you conversely: where is the fun in &quot;I'm different because I'm different, deal with it?&quot;&nbsp; What I've taken away from them is the &quot;race card&quot; as a defense.&nbsp; They can't defend their actions with &quot;Kender steal everything!&quot; or &quot;Dwarves are drunk every waking moment!&quot; they have to defend their actions with &quot;I willfully chose to make my character a thieving jerkward and a ranging drunk.&quot;&nbsp; When you take away the race card, you produce more critical thinking about character concepts.There's plenty of fantasy to role-play in my games.&nbsp; Besides, this argument only applies to the utmost few of existing races.&nbsp; Elves are ostensibly tree-happy humans, Dwarves are rock-happy humans.&nbsp; Halflings are literally short bumpkin humans.&nbsp; Etc...&nbsp; Players can add all the flair and pizzazz any of these races possess simply though good roleplay.&nbsp; If you can't find anything interesting or different in a fantasy universe without having to be a special snowflake, your character concept is fundamentally broken.&nbsp; No, not stereotype much.&nbsp; &quot;rape baby&quot; was the WOTC official background for half-orcs in every prior edition.&nbsp; Now instead of women being stolen like property, they're sold like property, as half-orcs are now written as the result of arranged marriages.&nbsp; AKA: soft rape.I HATE greyhawk.&nbsp; I hate the books.&nbsp; I hate the lore.&nbsp; I hate the characters.&nbsp; (The Dark Side also has cookies).&nbsp; Pot, kettle.&nbsp; I do a lot of things.&nbsp; You're in no position to judge me.&nbsp; I had no idea that's what the races were for.&nbsp; I was under the impression we had non-humans because it was a trope of fantasy.&nbsp; Half the races you've mentioned weren't even playable until recent editions.&nbsp; I don't play an elf to escape from being a human.&nbsp; I play an elf because it better fits the concept I have in mind.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sunseeker, post: 6749257"] I don't consider the problems minor. Differences of opinion and all that. Because the default fluff for numerous races is BAD. I had a long discussion with my wife over this and more fully expressed what I do: I analyze all the races as though they were human. If you strip away the "they're aliens and therefore different" and address the fluff as though you were talking about humans, the fluff is often hugely racist, stereotypical and in many cases downright offensive. Because I find the more fae-centric lore of Gnomes more interesting? Because Santa's Little Helper is dumb? I ask you conversely: where is the fun in "I'm different because I'm different, deal with it?" What I've taken away from them is the "race card" as a defense. They can't defend their actions with "Kender steal everything!" or "Dwarves are drunk every waking moment!" they have to defend their actions with "I [I]willfully[/I] chose to make my character a thieving jerkward and a ranging drunk." When you take away the race card, you produce more critical thinking about character concepts. There's plenty of fantasy to role-play in my games. Besides, this argument only applies to the utmost few of existing races. Elves are ostensibly tree-happy humans, Dwarves are rock-happy humans. Halflings are literally short bumpkin humans. Etc... Players can add all the flair and pizzazz any of these races possess simply though good roleplay. If you can't find anything interesting or different in a fantasy universe without having to be a special snowflake, your character concept is fundamentally broken. No, not stereotype much. "rape baby" was the WOTC official background for half-orcs in every prior edition. Now instead of women being stolen like property, they're sold like property, as half-orcs are now written as the result of arranged marriages. AKA: soft rape. I HATE greyhawk. I hate the books. I hate the lore. I hate the characters. (The Dark Side also has cookies). Pot, kettle. I do a lot of things. You're in no position to judge me. I had no idea that's what the races were for. I was under the impression we had non-humans because it was a trope of fantasy. Half the races you've mentioned weren't even playable until recent editions. I don't play an elf to escape from being a human. I play an elf because it better fits the concept I have in mind. [/QUOTE]

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