D&D General Do you like LOTS of races/ancestries/whatever? If so, why?

[EzekielRaiden]

Because nobody is playing with every player of D&D as a whole? Why wouldn't the answer be dependant on local conditions?

Because there is a difference between "playing with literally every player" and "playing with players you don't necessarily know or have not developed years of rapport with." The former is, as usual for this thread, a ridiculous hyperbolic strawman. The latter is an extremely common occurrence and one that warrants reasoning based on commonalities, trends, and universals rather than particulars.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Not a good analogy IMHO. Players are not asking for hamburgers in a Korean restaurant. You're opening your table to a game of D&D 5e and players are expecting D&D 5e playable options that they can find in the D&D 5e player option books.

Except that's not the restaurant (5e Game) I created and advertised. I made and advertised a Korean Restaurant (A flavor of D&D). I did not create and advertise an International Delights Restaurants to tastes the flavors from around the world. You (general) may not like my menu selection, but you knew it before you started eating.

So, yes, it's a perfectly good analogy.

 

[Scott Christian]

A race is an idea.

It is. I agree. But my question was specific because I am asking if that was the claim or was it actually arguing ideas. While one is an idea, all ideas are not races. Ideas encompass many things.

For example, a player wants to implement a new style of tool not in the PHB, say a specific spelunking tool that helps determine depth, oxygen content, and the lightest gusts of airflow. They wrote down how it would work using string and glowing rocks, small sparks against white chalk, and egret feathers. Cool beans. We make a neat little DC table (or they make it), and have fun. As DM, I get to plug in something fun for his toolkit, maybe if they go down a certain route, give them and their kit a chance to avoid an encounter or dangerous area or maybe even save an NPC. That too is also an idea. A new weapon is an idea. A change in flavor text for spells is an idea. A new spell is an idea. A new class, or altering an existing class, is an idea.

All these present a much larger argument than can I be a lobster person?

 

[Minigiant]

It would be more interesting to see how or why DMs or Players come to agreement than repeat replies to the effect of "I'm rubber you are glue."

It would be.

The vast majority of people in this thread, and every thread on this topic, are for reasonable compromise first and foremost.

I think this is true.

I think the crux of the issue comes from DM and Players desiring things well past the assumed standard of D&D play.

I also think it mostly comes from D&D's expansion past Middle Earth fanboys of the 70s so a noticable amount of DMs and players have vastly different preferences.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

The vast majority of people in this thread, and every thread on this topic, are for reasonable compromise first and foremost.

As am I. I'm just not hip on the whole "the DM must accommodate." Part of a reasonable compromise is: We find other people to play with and there's no hard feeling.s

As a player, I've gone to games where I didn't like something about it. Sometimes it's race selection. Sometimes other things. I simply left amicably and found a group that catered to what I was after. If I couldn't find that, I just didn't play. It's not like I need D&D to live. It's just a game.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Nope. Give me the PHB only and I’m good.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

It would be.

I think this is true.

I think the crux of the issue comes from DM and Players desiring things well past the assumed standard of D&D play.

I also think it mostly comes from D&D's expansion past Middle Earth fanboys of the 70s so a noticable amount of DMs and players have vastly different preferences.

I also think it comes from D&D (and RPGs in general) growing past the kitchen sink aspect of the Forgotten Realms "fanboys" as you put it, where "anything went" to more focussed stories. Keith Baker was indeed forced, because he was paid by WotC, to include a few new races in his setting (rightly subverted as everything else was), but his regular answer on his blog with regard to new race is "why do you want to include them in your Eberron? What role would they play that what is already in isn't providing"? Unless the player had a compelling story, he wouldn't want Tiefling in his game... even if they have become a somewhat common expectation based on the idea that "if it's in the rules, it must be in the game".

 

[Doc_Klueless]

I guess where I'm failing to understand arguments is when "the Player goes and finds another game" is a bad thing. I think it's a very good thing! That way everybody gets what they want or, at least, doesn't have to get something they don't.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Nope. Give me the PHB only and I’m good.

This is usually my baseline as well. But I make sure that's known before someone sits down at my "table." I'm the same way with other games. By keeping things at the PHB (or Corebook or whatever), it makes it easier for me and, sometimes, removes some decision paralysis from the players.

 

[Mecheon]

Players are not asking for hamburgers in a Korean restaurant.

I mean, a Korean fried chicken place might do burgers.

.... I started this post like 20 minutes ago and got distracted looking for any nearby places that do it