D&D 5E (2014) Do you restrict racial choices in your games?

[jmartkdr2]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

I don't. Either (almost) everyone wanted to play common races anyways, or at least two players need to debate who gets to play the character they wanted to play, and one of them is disappointed. (Assuming I'm not running an 'all dwarves and gnomes" game or something.)

I also find it's easier to just adjust the setting to what the players want to do than to make players want to play according to my own tastes. If no one wants to play elves but two want to be dragonborn - dragonborn are now common and elves are rare. This is also why I like to start in or near port towns - it gives you an excuse for anyone to be there.

 

[Zardnaar]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

I might restrict the numbers in themed games.

Eg Drow game out of 6 players I would want 4/6 being Drow and anything non Drow makes sense eg Duergar.

If I don't restrict the players that paid attention eg Drow nobles might get in game advantages.

I might restrict oddball PCs. Eg okay anything you want but only 1-2 per party, roll a d20 if to many players want xyz.

My next 5 themes are probably

Drow
Greek
Viking (Midgard)
Undead (Midgard)
Eberron

With a 6 person party probably ban pet classes.

 

[Jack Daniel]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

If any races are that rare in-setting, I'll either exclude them as a playable option altogether or (as I mentioned up-thread) only allow them as playable after the PCs have actually met some in-game.

 

[teitan]

In general I do not allow Drow without a compelling reason. I don’t mean murder orphans either.

 

[Hussar]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

Never bothered. Mostly because doubling up happens fairly rarely IME. Other than humans, it's pretty rare to see players taking the same races.

 

[Mecheon]

Not that I can ever get a game off a ground (australian time online is a curse), but for my attempts at starting I let everything in. Found something you like? Go nuts

Only thing I vet is homebrew races for obvious reasons, but if its compelling I'm generous

 

[turnip_farmer]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

No, I don't think that would make sense. There's no reason for a party to match the demographic distribution of society; if anything it makes more sense not to. People of my national background make up less than one percent of the city in which I live; but you'll often find us together with others of 'our own kind'.

If dragonborn are allowed and two players want to play them, let them. They know each other and are travelling together; or stuck together because they're happy to see another dragonborn face for the first time in ages.

 

[Voadam]

In general the more connections between the party the better in my opinion. I've run an AD&D campaign where two PCs were Drow and they came up with a shared background of being from the same clan that was on the losing end of an intra-Drow fight so they both escaped to the surface together. Another two PCs in the same party were Gurgach elven assassins who decided they were CE brothers exiled from their forest.

In a recent 5e campaign one woman in our group made an Aasimar and another made a Tiefling and came up with a shared parent half-sisters backstory that was pretty fantastic. So you can still make connections with some of the different racial backgrounds. I similarly made a human who was half-brother to a Half-Orc PC in another campaign which worked out well.

 

[iserith]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

I generally encourage the players to choose something other than what another player has chosen, be it race, class, feats, etc. for reasons I hope are obvious, but it's nothing I demand.

 

[CleverNickName]

Does anyone ever restrict number of races in a party? As in you say humans and dwarves are common so as many players as want to play either can do so, but dragonborn, elves, and gnomes are uncommon/rare so no more than 1 of each race can be selected. Then in game, the NPC demographics somewhat match so that the players commonly interact with humans and dwarves but only rarely come across the other 3 races and normally only as individuals or very small enclaves.

Nah, I don't think so. If I were going to restrict the players' choices this much, it would be easier to give them a list of pregen characters to choose from.