How important are fantasy races to you?

[Mark CMG]

Sentient species (races? Never cared for that misapplied term) are best dealt with in a setting context, IMO. Unless a ruleset is developed for a specfic setting, it might be best to deal with that matter as notes on how the ruleset might be employed with various types of settings, in an optional or variant context. If sentient species are assumed to be the norm for a ruleset, it might not function as well once those sections are excised. However, as an addendum with a setting in mind as a separate overlay, such considerations can be handled more completely, showing how other species fit in the big picture.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I prefer having a broad selection of races available in fantasy games, as long as they are all distinct and vibrant-- they need to have identifiable culture and a niche to occupy in the setting. Where D&D falters in having too many races is that they have too many races that are distinguished by nothing more than trivial mechanical differences; six breeds of elf with different ability score modifiers and favored classes, a goblin for every CR rating, and so forth.

I think Original D&D had the right idea, with each race having its own distinct class. In this way, the races were fundamentally different, both from humanity and from each other. Adding new PC races to the game meant defining them in a much more thorough fashion.

 

[Achan hiArusa]

I just dislike it when races are used as shorthand for nationalities. Humans have six or so cultures and each race has their own culture. Why don't the nonhuman races have multiple cultures? Well, barring story reasons for having only a single culture.

Races can add to the flavor of the game. There is nothing wrong with a game with standard Tolkein tropes. Or if you want Elves to be the Meliboneans or the Vadhagh instead of Tolkien's Noldor, you can do that. In Eberron the Warforged have a definite background rooted in the game. In Skyrealms of Jorune the Ischin Races, the Acubon, Salu, Boccord, and Maudra as well as the alien races all have their own backstory. Same with Empire of the Petal Throne with the Hlaka, Ahoggya, Pe Choi, and other races that add flavor to an already flavorful game.

But then if you run every race in the monster manual as a player race with no backstory of unique culture then it becomes humans in funny suits.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I voted "Depends on the setting."

Looking at the fantasy I've read, authors have given me enjoyable worlds with only humans (Turtledove, Ash, Carey, Niven), only humans as protagonists but with other races out there (Lieber, de Lindt), classic fantasy races all around (JRRT, Brooks), humans and classic races reimagined (Moorcock, Lee), humans mixed with completely unfamiliar fantasy races (Barker, Gaiman), and fantasy races dominating the action with humans almos a side-show (Pini, Constantine).

(And some writers have worked in multiple categories above...)

So, as long as it coheres, I'm good with it. And the same goes for RPGs based on or inspired by such settings.

 

[scourger]

Depends on the setting. Since the proferred example is Shadowrun, I'll offer that I've never understood the very classic D&D races transported to a modern setting. Fantasy races (Humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes & half-orcs) work for player characters in D&D type games with orcs, trolls etc. being for the foes. I and most groups I've played with don't use them in other settings. Most other settings are human-centric. We never even had a dragon PC in Rifts, although my friends wrecked one game right out of the gate by making an entire party of dog boys (which I think would have been fun had I been there).

 

[Herobizkit]

My most recent epic campaign setting ended up having an area where humanoids became the dominant species - drow, hob/goblins, duergar, and gnolls. It became an accidental nod to the World of Warcraft Barrens and Orgrimmar... which, for me, is proof positive that a fantasy world can exist with non-humans en masse.

 

[JohnRL]

I like them to be included but it's not a must.

Some of my favourite fantasy novels and short stories have had few or no non-human races. R.E. Howard's Conan stories, Fritz Lieber's Newhon stories and the Thieves World collection were populated almost exclusively by human characters. Non-humans were few and far between, and usually on the edges of civilization. All-human fantasy has some impressive examples, and though demihumans are an accepted staple of swords & sorcery, they are not a defining feature.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

I like them to be included but it's not a must.

I don't think I've ever played a FRPG without them, but I'd have no problem with a Human only game. But, IMNSHO, Runequest has the best races. Vegatable Elves, rock Dwarves, and where else can you play a Duck?!

 

[Hungry Like The Wolf]

I think fantasy races are a must but I prefer if they are estranged from the players and are there purely as alien plot devices.

 

[karlindel]

I am fairly indifferent to fantasy races. It really depends on the setting and the campaign. I think that a campaign is more fun if there are only a few important races, and if the races that exist are very different from each other. If all of the races are just humans with makeup, or if they aren't particularly integrated with the setting, I'd prefer not to have them.

As others have said, I am fine with human only for PCs, with other fantasy races existing as NPCs. I think this can help to showcase that those races are very different from humans.

As far as Shadowrun, I never thought the races felt shoehorned in, any more than the magic or the cyberpunk elements were shoehorned in. The different races were just part of the setting. I liked the rising and falling magic affecting an untapped genetic variance, so that during times of high magic certain traits would be expressed (resulting in orcs, elves, etc) and during times of low magic those traits were suppressed (resulting in them becoming human. I will note that Shadowrun had more than just the standard tolkienesque races, there were variations in supplement books (I recall the cyclops and giant options), even if those in the main book were tolkienesque.