Going beyond humans in funny clothes?

[Lord Zardoz]

In one of the Bean Quartet / Enders Game books, there was an idea mentioned that I think applies here.

Basically, the idea was that the more 'alien' a species was, the more likely there was to be conflict, simply because communication becomes impossible. If you could communicate and had reasonably similar values, peace was possible. If communication was impossible, war was inevitable.

The classic demi human races are all easy to justify peace with. They can speak with one another and they all have reasonably similar values, (need food, protect the young). The only difference is that the non human races take some trait and exaggerate it.

In Startrek, it is not a surprise that the Borg are one of the most successful villain races, their mindset is just way too unlike a human mindset. They seek unity instead of individuality, they do not raise children, and they do not put much value on individual human life. Many human traits were simply reversed.

The further away you get from humans in funny clothes, and the more your just creating a new monster, not a new race for the players to interact with. On top of that, how exactly would you roleplay something that by definition, you cannot understand?

END COMMUNICATION

 

[JDJblatherings]

They seek unity instead of individuality, they do not raise children, and they do not put much value on individual human life. Many human traits were simply reversed.

Valuing the individual over the group is not a human trait it is a cultural trait. In some culutres the children are expendable, in others the old are; there are very few cultural traits that can be defined as human traits.

 

[hamishspence]

Warhammer as inspiration.

Warhammer elves/40K eldar: VERY strong emotions/senses. Repress these.

Dwarves: very hard, black and white views, more alien perspective than your average D&D dwarf.

 

[gamecat]

One dynamic this conversation brings to mind:

Consider a race with more than two genders - as in one that requires three, four, or even more individuals to procreate?

Discuss the implications.

"Alien, indeed, this monogamy of yours!"

 

[JDJblatherings]

Tekumel/ EPT has fairly alien races in it. soem with very different anatomies, some of that source material might be a useful read for someone tryign to beef-up races in a campaign.

 

[Aeolius]

Consider a race with more than two genders...

or simply one... parthenogenesis.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I was wondering if anyone had had success in making fantasy races that weren't just "humans in funny clothes" I'm talking about both the player side (portraying something as very different) and from the DM side (communicating that to players).

Because I'm stumped.

Change the rules.

IMC, each race has options that the other races do not. Some races have some severe limitations on their behaviour. These are enforced by rules. Decide how the race normally acts. Decide why. Then make rules that reflect why; bonuses for when they follow the norm and penalties for when they break it.

Of course, my humans are subdivided, too, and each has racial levels that differentiate them.

Good luck.

RC

 

[Mythmere1]

Vernor Vinge is another author who really comes up with interesting takes on aliens. "A Fire Upon The Deep" has quite a few examples, from the Tines, a kind of dog-like creature that is sentient in packs of 4-6 (fairly human in personality, but Vinge explores how different a sentient being can be who is made up of multiple parts) to the Skroderiders, which are kinda like a sea plant/sea anemone that has achieved sentience.

If I had to vote for the single best science fiction novel of all time, it is Fire Upon the Deep. And Vinge's Deepness in the Sky would come in the top ten as well (with Startide Rising, Pride of Chanur, Foundation and others).

The practical problem with roleplaying non-humans is that BOTH the GM and the player must understand the non-human mentality being played. It's hard enough for one person to come up with it and "get" it. But then it has to be communicated to the other player.

THe only time I've seen it work startlingly well was in a game where both I and a player were major fans of Jack Vance's Lyonesse series. He wanted to play an elf, and I told him that elves were like the fey in Vance's Lyonesse. With both of us using the same literary referent, the result was, as I said, startling. He had a character that didn't function anything like a human. But I never saw that before or since.

 

[fuindordm]

THe only time I've seen it work startlingly well was in a game where both I and a player were major fans of Jack Vance's Lyonesse series. He wanted to play an elf, and I told him that elves were like the fey in Vance's Lyonesse. With both of us using the same literary referent, the result was, as I said, startling. He had a character that didn't function anything like a human. But I never saw that before or since.

You mean Twisp and the folk of Thrispy Shee? That's an interesting idea, but I would sure find it hard to play a PC that way!

Ben