D&D General D&D Settings with No Problematic Areas?

[jayoungr]

So the races would be more like Rodians, Twileks, Ithorians, Devorians, Duros, Wookies, etc. -- basically there would be hardly any inner-race conflict because the real battles are between the good faction and the bad faction which are both primarily human.

Do you mean the Jedi and Sith, or the Republic and Empire? None of those are canonically primarily human. It's just that we usually see human characters in the stories for reasons of ease of costuming and/or relatability for the audience.

 

[ART!]

Lets not forget religion, thats on the chopping block next. No gods or religious sects. So long Cleric and Monk, nice to know you.

As a class in D&D, clerics don't needs gods. Ancestor reverence, animism, and other spiritual forces could be used as the source/explanation of a cleric's power.

And monks definitely don't need gods or religious sects.

 

[GreenTengu]

Do you mean the Jedi and Sith, or the Republic and Empire? None of those are canonically primarily human. It's just that we usually see human characters in the stories for reasons of ease of costuming and/or relatability for the audience.

Both. And I am not sure a "yaaactually, in the Star Wars Extended Universe..." comment given that the franchise is centered on movies and in the movies we can see that the Empire and Rebellion are both led and made up of mostly humans. The Imperium was made up of humans with British accents and the Rebellion was made up of humans with American accents. And I recall the Empire being explicitly anti-non-human in all the books I read growing up. And even if it weren't, it is very much besides the point because if there had been a greater array of races on both sides, it would just further drive home the point.

Which would be better for the next D&D setting

A) The races are still distinct factions in and of themselves, they just all have a mix of positive and negative traits that makes it difficult, but not impossible, for everyone to get along so everyone is often at war as a result. But no one is the out-and-out "the bad guys" in all imaginable ways.

B) All races are just mixed up together and the real conflict is between two political factons, let that be LE vs. CG or LG vs. CE, and any race could imaginably belong to either faction.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

While Xen'drik has its curses that stop civilization, it's (intentionally!) coded as "The Darkest Continent". Xen'drik is the South America that Indiana Jones is exploring in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Xen'drik is the Africa of pulp comics from the 50's. The main inhabitants have consistently been the drow, who have in many unfortunate pieces of art been cast as "jungle savages". That's what Keith is talking about - breaking that coding by adding depth to Drow culture, even within the constraints of the curses on Xen'drik.

Yes, but even as-is, it can be re-coded to remove some of the colonialist tropes without changing and lore.
Instead of "Untrammelled wilderness that has never seen the touch of real civilisation other than the occasional lost city" it is "Postapocalyptic wasteland with still lingering effects and ruins filled with advanced technology."
The Drow, rather than being "Uncivilised and savage natives" are "Grim survivors of the cataclysm that learned to live in said wasteland." - for the vulkoor. The Sulatar and Umbragen could be regarded almost as vault-dwellers in fallout terms.

Rather than Khorvairans looting the continent for precious metals and indigenous art, they are searching for advanced technology and knowledge.

 

[jasper]

Unfortunately, they are connected. I've been told on this forum, after expressing that I wished politics could stay out of games, that art and politics are inseparable. I worry that forcing artists (I've also been told here that elf games are art) to walk on eggshells will not end until the political mess is solved.

Solution. As writer, go indie. That way you just have to pay Amazon their cut. And the cover artists. And an editor. I generally by an indie author's work the day after he says in on Amazon. He has about 50 books.
As an artists you need to make "good" saleable art. If it sells it is good. If you want just to make "good" art don't quit your day job.
And once you get paid, pay zero attention to reviews and critics.

 

[R_J_K75]

As a class in D&D, clerics don't needs gods. Ancestor reverence, animism, and other spiritual forces could be used as the source/explanation of a cleric's power.

And monks definitely don't need gods or religious sects.

I disagree on the cleric. Clerics were usually one who travelled to spread the word of their lord/deity. But suppose you could look at it in the terms you put, but I wouldnt do that in my game.

 

[R_J_K75]

As a class in D&D, clerics don't needs gods. Ancestor reverence, animism, and other spiritual forces could be used as the source/explanation of a cleric's power.

And monks definitely don't need gods or religious sects.

I disagree on the cleric. Clerics were usually one who travelled to spread the word of their lord. But suppose you could look at it in the terms you put, but I wouldnt i

 

[R_J_K75]

Oops double post, can anyone tell me how to delete it?

 

[prabe]

Oops double post, can anyone tell me how to delete it?

You could edit your second post to say something like "deleted double post." Then you might need to edit your third post ... ;-)

 

[R_J_K75]

You could edit your second post to say something like "deleted double post." Then you might need to edit your third post ... ;-)

Thats too much work everyone will just have to look at my ugly mug twice.