Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 7926120" data-attributes="member: 4937">I agree with both of these rules. One thing that gives me the willies and makes me really uncomfortable is when different ethnic groups of humanity are modeled as if they were separate species with separate origins. It's an ancient belief system, but the history of humanity could be summarized as one dang genocide after the other, and the view that we are &quot;people&quot;, we were created this way, and the other tribes were different peoples with different creation stories is one of the classic ways that ancient racism was justified. And you sometimes even encounter that to the present day.So while it might be respectful of the historical record and ancient myths, I've no interest in a setting where different human ethnic groups are different spiritually, physically, and by heritage. I've seen some really well meaning recent authors go down that path imagining that they are being respectful, and I am really uncomfortable with where that path goes in its ultimate conclusion.In my own campaign, I don't allow a PC from a racial group that isn't people.&nbsp; There is no point whatsoever in playing say a minotaur or a gnoll, because those species are essentially complex automatons incapable of making a real choice.&nbsp; They are evil and always will be evil, so what's the point?&nbsp; Perhaps even more to the point from a process of play perspective, the player can &quot;do it wrong&quot;.&nbsp; In the case of a &quot;people race&quot; - whether humans, elves, or goblins - how the player chooses to play his character is always correct, because he's playing a being with free will.&nbsp; Since how the player chooses to play the character is always correct, there is no need for me as a GM to interfere with the player's agency.&nbsp;&nbsp; If the player were playing a thing that wasn't a person, that is a being without free will, then either they agree to play the thing how I think it ought to be played or they aren't &quot;doing it right&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp; That's not really fun for anyone.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 7926120, member: 4937"] I agree with both of these rules. One thing that gives me the willies and makes me really uncomfortable is when different ethnic groups of humanity are modeled as if they were separate species with separate origins. It's an ancient belief system, but the history of humanity could be summarized as one dang genocide after the other, and the view that we are "people", we were created this way, and the other tribes were different peoples with different creation stories is one of the classic ways that ancient racism was justified. And you sometimes even encounter that to the present day. So while it might be respectful of the historical record and ancient myths, I've no interest in a setting where different human ethnic groups are different spiritually, physically, and by heritage. I've seen some really well meaning recent authors go down that path imagining that they are being respectful, and I am really uncomfortable with where that path goes in its ultimate conclusion. In my own campaign, I don't allow a PC from a racial group that isn't people. There is no point whatsoever in playing say a minotaur or a gnoll, because those species are essentially complex automatons incapable of making a real choice. They are evil and always will be evil, so what's the point? Perhaps even more to the point from a process of play perspective, the player can "do it wrong". In the case of a "people race" - whether humans, elves, or goblins - how the player chooses to play his character is always correct, because he's playing a being with free will. Since how the player chooses to play the character is always correct, there is no need for me as a GM to interfere with the player's agency. If the player were playing a thing that wasn't a person, that is a being without free will, then either they agree to play the thing how I think it ought to be played or they aren't "doing it right". That's not really fun for anyone. [/QUOTE]

Verification