D&D (2024) How did I miss this about the Half races/ancestries

[Incenjucar]

In any event, groups of people dehumanize (or in fantasy-relevant terms, depersonize) their enemies in order to make it easy to do harm to them without feeling guilty about it. The Romans applied it with their lovely little slur about how someone else's language was just "barbar" to them, but it can be assured that the people they conquered at sword-point weren't terribly impressed with how "civilized" they were as they enslaved and subjugated them, even if they later had to cope with being stuck under their rule.

 

[AnotherGuy]

In any event, groups of people dehumanize (or in fantasy-relevant terms, depersonize) their enemies in order to make it easy to do harm to them without feeling guilty about it. The Romans applied it with their lovely little slur about how someone else's language was just "barbar" to them, but it can be assured that the people they conquered at sword-point weren't terribly impressed with how "civilized" they were as they enslaved and subjugated them, even if they later had to cope with being stuck under their rule.

No one is disagreeing with this...

 

[Vaalingrade]

Reductionism for the win

As reductionist as 'this culture was built on colonization and slavery.' 'Yeah, well some of them invented things... and I'm going to cite things that were already invented rather than the catalogue of Hero of Alexandria'.

It's like countering the issues with the turn of the century by going 'well, Thomas Edison! Boom!'.

 

[MGibster]

Why is it that racism threads always eventually lead to Roman apologia?

Do you like gladiator movies?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Do you like gladiator movies?

I'm not usually entertained.

 

[Incenjucar]

The best part of gladiator movies is when the gladiators turn on the people who forced them into the arena.

 

[AnotherGuy]

As reductionist as 'this culture was built on colonization and slavery.' 'Yeah, well some of them invented things... and I'm going to cite things that were already invented rather than the catalogue of Hero of Alexandria'.

It's like countering the issues with the turn of the century by going 'well, Thomas Edison! Boom!'.

I'm so with you
50 years of 2-3 pages in monster manuals per edition, a couple of supplements and showcasing in a few modules = Roman history = barbaric raiders. You got my vote!

 

[Minigiant]

Like I saying 90% of my posts about settings.

A lot could be avoided by either not blindly repeating tropes that are 50 year old or more AND seriously delving into the mental and physical aspects of D&D races and developing cultures and histories with the findings.

There is a myth the WOTC and TSR believe that some D&D elements are timeless. That's why they ran into walls. Because few things in full catalogs of itselfthat are tireless.

Few thing age well 100%. And D&D fans have to get that.

Some things you or I believe now will be outdated in 50 years. They will.

 

[Guest 85555]

The best part of gladiator movies is when the gladiators turn on the people who forced them into the arena.

That definitely was one of my favorite moments in Spartacus

 

[MGibster]

A lot could be avoided by either not blindly repeating tropes that are 50 year old or more AND seriously delving into the mental and physical aspects of D&D races and developing cultures and histories with the findings.

I don't know if D&D is that kind of game. I've always considered it a rather simplistic game revolving around good guys clobbering bad guys. It's one of the things I think makes the game so successful.