How would you describe these "hew-mons?"

[Dogbrain]

Could be used to put time pressure on the campaign. The PCs have X long to solve the problem before the world looks like the set to Reign of Fire.

The PCs have to start the Reign of Fire to purge the world of all life.

 

[Torm]

Ah, so elves are ignorant and delusional.

No, just virtual, apparently. Mister Dogbrain.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

The PCs have to start the Reign of Fire to purge the world of all life.

I know the PCs are going to be non/half humans - and this is a very cool way of getting them to do so, IMO.

What I was thinking is that different factions within the different races might want to tackle the human problem in different ways? In fact, having a variation of this very debate - are the humans evil, stupid, ignorant, misguided, etc.

Some might believe the humans can be changed. Some might feel they can beat them through force of arms, hiding from them or even a 'Reign of Fire' armageddon method!

I think it could be a fun angle for the PCs to explore - what do they do... which faction do they back? Who's 'right'?

 

[drothgery]

If you really wanted to, you could really play up the reverse colonial-era angle.

There are lots of different factions of humans, mostly hostile to the natives, who can be anything from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil. Some just wanted to get away from their old home so they could practice their religion without being bothered too much. Some want to find some place to build a farm. Some want to get rich. Some are running away from their past. Some want to bring civilization to the multiverse, at the point of a wand if necessary. Almost all will play the various groups of natives against each other and against other humans.

 

[Goobermunch]

Perhaps the human homeworld wasn't on the verge of collapse. Perhaps it was reasonably stable, with the humans and their natural predators, the dragons.

When the first expeditionary forces entered their world, the four races killed the draconic leadership (hey, they're big, scary, and predatory, I'd kill 'em too). Having "freed" the humans, they're now dealing with the consequences of introducing a species into an environment without predators . . . .

--G

 

[Graywolf-ELM]

There is a trilogy of fantasy books written by Stan Nicholls under the title Orcs: First Blood.

The books are Bodyguard of Lightning, Legion of Thunder, and Warriors of the Tempest. The main focus is purely from the Orcs' pov.

These describe pretty much exactly your campaign scenario, and cover of the points already posted above - with something extra - Humans are responsible for raping the world of mana/magic, and are montheistic crusaders as opposed to the polytheism of the elder races.

Not bad writing, either.

"In the land of Maras Dantias, peace once reigned. Then the humans came, wreaking destruction, killing the enchantment, and bringing war. Even the climate changed, with once-warm summers now autumnal."

I have this one. It added inspiration for the start of an Campaign with the party as a warband of Orcs and Goblins. The ending was a little weak IMHO, but otherwise I enjoyed the writing and story.

GW

 

[William Ronald]

If you really wanted to, you could really play up the reverse colonial-era angle.

There are lots of different factions of humans, mostly hostile to the natives, who can be anything from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil. Some just wanted to get away from their old home so they could practice their religion without being bothered too much. Some want to find some place to build a farm. Some want to get rich. Some are running away from their past. Some want to bring civilization to the multiverse, at the point of a wand if necessary. Almost all will play the various groups of natives against each other and against other humans.

This would be fairly complex, and allow many options for diplomacy and roleplaying. I suspect some of the elder races might play different human groups off of each other, once they understand some of their mutual history.

 

[Dogbrain]

Then you could run another campaign set 1000 years in the future. Elfs, Dwarfs, and Orcs wander about the countryside, commanding their enslaved hu-mons to fight for their pleasure in colorful displays. The hu-mons have been so thoroughly demoralized by their despotic masters that most of them can only utter their own names, over and over again.

 

[William Ronald]

Then you could run another campaign set 1000 years in the future. Elfs, Dwarfs, and Orcs wander about the countryside, commanding their enslaved hu-mons to fight for their pleasure in colorful displays. The hu-mons have been so thoroughly demoralized by their despotic masters that most of them can only utter their own names, over and over again.

Well, if you work a collectible card game into it, you could call the game "poke-hew-mon."

 

[Dogbrain]

This would be fairly complex, and allow many options for diplomacy and roleplaying. I suspect some of the elder races might play different human groups off of each other, once they understand some of their mutual history.

Like the Haudewawansee played the French and English off each other for so long.