Well, Taking RPGs As a Whole, Yes. Fantasy Isn't Everything. There Are Lots Of Settings And Genres In Which Humans Are The Only Choice: In Noir Detective Campaigns, In Pulp Adventure Campaigns, In Contemporary Spy & PI Campaigns, In Historical Swashbucklers--What Else Would You Play?
Do You Prefer to Play a Human PC When RPGing?
ForceUser
Explorer
Not to mention the question was asked on a D&D board. It's just assumed.Corinth said:
In the south, everyone calls a soda a "Coke," even if they're ordering a Sprite. Same thing.
WAITRESS: "What'll you have, sug?"
SOUTHERNER: "Think I'll have a Coke."
WAITRESS: "What kind, babe?"
SOUTHERNER: "Mountain Dew, thanks."
Li Shenron
Legend
Mark said:
Human is like a blank page, a "tabula rasa", upon which you can write any personality, background, ideals, etc. etc. For me it is a safe choice to develop a character.
Playing other races can be great, an I do it about 1/3 of the times, but there is a fundamental question: should you play a nonhuman differently from a human or juse the same?
In my humble opinion, they should be played differently, and the difference should be at least 50% of the reason to play that race, with the other 50% being mechanical reasons. Almost always IMXP people play a nonhuman race instead because of (1) mechanical advantages to their character build, (2) romantic reasons for it to be their favourite race or (3) cool factor - especially for new and monstrous races.
These are not bad reasons per se, but the problem I have experienced is that... most players end up roleplaying an elf, an immortal outsider, a half-dragon ogre, an undead or a shapechanging giant blob of vampiric filth in the same damn way they roleplay a human!
I'm not saying it's easy: it's challenging, but that's one of the main points of playing nonhumans. Already when roleplaying a creature like an Elf, you should think about some basic implications: e.g. they live 5 times longer than a man, so they probably have a different way (at least slightly) to conceive time. They have a much longer individual and collective memory about history, they have a stronger bond with nature and with magic. Maybe they almost never mate during their life, so they see romantic relationship in a completely different way.
Roleplaying an outsider or an undead should be much more different. Because I'm not always confident that I can roleplay them well, that's why mostly I play humans after all.
Hairfoot
First Post
It's impossible. Humans can only play non-humans as abstracted humans.Li Shenron said:
No one can really play an elf or dwarf convincingly; only as a human analogue. A race which lives for centuries and doesn't sleep? Or someone who remains an adolescent til age 50, with geneology and rigid codes of behaviour drummed into them all the way?
Really, fantasy races are human sterotypes writ large. Otherwise they'd be in the RP zone reserved for gods or insects. Actually, only insects, because RP gods behave like humans with extra resources.
mhacdebhandia
Explorer
I voted "no", which is not to say that I prefer to play a non-human character.
Most of my characters have been human, historically, even in games (like my first Third Edition D&D game, a Planescape campaign) where they weren't necessarily the dominant race.
However, this isn't because I prefer playing them; it's just that most of the time I find myself seized by a character concept which has no reason to belong to a nonhuman race.
Most of my characters have been human, historically, even in games (like my first Third Edition D&D game, a Planescape campaign) where they weren't necessarily the dominant race.
However, this isn't because I prefer playing them; it's just that most of the time I find myself seized by a character concept which has no reason to belong to a nonhuman race.
GandhitheBFG
First Post
i don't prefer them, but when I realised I basically played non-humans as humans with stat bonuses, I started playing humans more.
Unless it's a monster one-off/campaign, wherein I dig out my most clichéd and fun to play character; Narsk, the minotaur barbarian. Who I *don't* play as a big hornéd human. I play him by saying 'rarg' a lot, and running at things headfirst.
*sigh* I wish I could rp properly.
Unless it's a monster one-off/campaign, wherein I dig out my most clichéd and fun to play character; Narsk, the minotaur barbarian. Who I *don't* play as a big hornéd human. I play him by saying 'rarg' a lot, and running at things headfirst.
*sigh* I wish I could rp properly.
Yes and no.
Yes I like human flexability in most of these games. Humans as a catch all race often gives them a leg up in terms of utility. On the other hand, I have no objections to non-human races when a specific build is specified ahead of time.
The problem is that most non-human races don't just have a prefered class, they seem built around classes! It's freaking hard to play an elven fighter as anything but a weapon finese twf.
Yes I like human flexability in most of these games. Humans as a catch all race often gives them a leg up in terms of utility. On the other hand, I have no objections to non-human races when a specific build is specified ahead of time.
The problem is that most non-human races don't just have a prefered class, they seem built around classes! It's freaking hard to play an elven fighter as anything but a weapon finese twf.
Li Shenron
Legend
Hairfoot said:
You may not roleplay them perfectly, but you can roleplay them convincingly enough, but most players just don't even try. If someone was able to conceive them and attempted to write books or fictions, if they can be played in a movie or theater, then they can also be roleplayed at the gaming table.
I'm not saying I demand players to roleplay a masterpiece elf or undead. It's obviously always humanized, but at least I think it should be tried.
