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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 8084296" data-attributes="member: 467">Most fantasy worlds have fantastically long histories. That is plenty of time for populations to shift by everything from conquest to peaceful migration to magical displacement. Ethnic diversity even among a relatively insular population ("Little SHire" on the outskirts of the city, or whatever) would not be especially surprising. New the end, Egypt was an extremely old civilization and had plenty of ethnic diversity, just as a real world analogue.There is no downside to art direction and editorial guidance that support and encourage diversity. As a form of entertainment, RPGs should be as inclusive and welcoming as possible, and a wall of muscle bound white dudes and hawt white chicks in itty bitty chainmail bikinis creates an unwelcoming environment. (By the way, I am not against a little cheese and beefcake art, but it shouldn't be the only style of character art; some people like to be sexy and others don't). All that said, I think it is best if D&D and secondary world RPGs in general avoid analog cultures, whether it's Scots dwarfs or Native American Elves. Not only do those cultures tend to get a stereotypical treatment, but it's boring an uncreative. I love Howard, too, but he admits in his own writing that he did the cultural stereotype mash out of sheer laziness. We don't need another Known World or Maztica. There's more creativity in the gaming industry than all of Hollywood combined. We can make up some pretty cool stuff without resorting to not-Japan and the like.</blockquote>

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