D&D General Downplaying Humanity

[Stormonu]

Ran a goblinoid campaign where the PCs played orcs, goblins and the like trying to keep their tribe alive and improve their lot in life. While some of the adventures were intertribal conflicts for the most part humans were the enemy - trying to wipe the tribes out. The most fearsome enemy were elves - they were exceptionally rare, and favored sniping with bows but even up close they were one-men armies.

 

[Shiroiken]

I have created a world where humans are the outsiders. They came from a continent that was unified under a God-King, given a united theocratic culture. When a band of explorers found another continent, they called it the mythic land, as it was filled will all kinds of exotic creatures that worshiped a plethora of strange gods (i.e. everything in D&D). Settlers eventually came, but they are just one of many regions, rather than a dominate one. Many of the native races distrust humans, as they fear being conquered and displaced.

 

[Older Beholder]

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[Tonguez]

In one of my world Humans are newly arrived colonist starting to spread across islands which are already inhabited by giants, sahuagin, Ogres, Merrow, goblins, beastmen (Bugbears), lizardmen, yuanti, aakaarokaa, sidhe and spirits.

Adventures involved initial exploration, tresspassing on sacred ground, cultural misunderstanings, diplomacy dealing with the native rulers (which includes some ‘gods’) then establishing, defending and expanding a human settlement.

 

[Professor Murder]

Thanks for all the responses. Some really cool ideas!

 

[Aldarc]

In Monte Cook's Diamond Throne setting, the human kingdoms were conquered by demon-dragon hybrids (dramojh). After a few centuries, giants from across the sea launch a crusade against the dramojh, right down to the last dramojh, alongside their anthromorphic jackal allies (sibeccai). Afterwards, the giants imposed themselves as the ruling stewards of the lands. Dragons who were driven west by the dramojh claim that the giants are breaking an ancient agreement. Some humans want their sovereignty back. But the ruling class of the lands are the giants, who rule from the Diamond Throne.

 

[TwoSix]

I did a short-lived OSR game where the elves were the predominant race. The only class available to humans was "Human", which was a fighter-type class that was also the only class with Turn Undead, as the undead were driven away by the human's short-lived, fiery mortality. They also had a high hit die and a Con bonus.

 

[Oofta]

I'm kind of doing that now in my home campaign unintentionally. In the previous campaign (same world) there was an apocalyptic event that devastated all races (roughly 80% reduction in human population). However, dwarves didn't take the same losses because they could huddle underground and the elves had magic to sustain them.

So now, not only have "monstrous" races taken over large swathes of the world that were under at least partial human control, but the "elder" races are picking up the pieces. A lot of the political leaders and controlling factions are lead by elves and dwarves. In addition, while it's been a century since the cataclysm started (which lasted for decades) the longer lived races were the ones that kept some semblance of control.

So the remains of the city the PCs live in, which was once human dominated, is now run by a council of elves and dwarves which has a token human on it. Tensions are rising though because humans breed faster than the elder races.

Should be interesting to see where it goes since there's only 1 human in the party.

 

[Helldritch]

I once went to an only elves party. It was set in Greyhawk before the Suel and Baklunish became empires. Humans were simple tribesmen and elves were helping them to access civilization. Adventures could be decades appart sometimes a hundred years could pass between two adventures. They saw the rise of the Suel Empire and the rise of Vecna (which they had personally saved). They saw the Invoked Devastation and the Rain of Colorless Fire. It gave my players a unique perspective on the elven point of view and up to this day, my players play elves in a unique way that I rarely see from other players.

I did the same with Hobbits ahem... Halflings and Dwarves. The halfling campaign ended prematurely with the arrival of second edition but it show that halflings were not thieves to steal but to sneak around as their society did not value hoards of gold but valued the sharing of that gold. Halfling are not hoarders but gold spenders. And a lot is with friends, familly and even perfect strangers. It was also a reason that I never had problems with Kenders. My players understand the halfling way of life just about right. When you don't need gold to live a happy life, you do not tend to steal from companions.

 

[Nitrosaur]

In my current setting, not only humans are downplayed, but almost all of the humanoid races. It's a primal world where the wild hasn't been, and can't be dominated by humanity, and humanoid settlements must negotiate with elemental, fey and primal spirits to live in harmony with nature instead of against it, and/or reach an agreement with dragons and giant clans for protection and services (for example, a clan of semi-friendly fire giants or a bronze dragon is a formidable force able to scare away almost any menace to a humanoid settlement, and both parties can provide something for the other; fire giants get crops in exange for their protection and occasional metal work, the bronze dragon gets treasure in exange for protection and good weather for the crops).

However, the situation and the setting puts humanoids and humankind in the middle of the power pyramid. They can thrive, and aren't in risk of extinction, but there are so many things avobe them and competing with them that no humanoid race, be it human, dwarf, elf or orc can really get the numbers to become the dominant species. As a result, it gives me a world primal, untamed and dominated by the wild, where the societies that rise are those of the high powered monsters (mainly dragons and giants).