Human-only campaign

[Tequila Sunrise]

I once ran an Exalted [as in the Creation setting] using 4e rules. My players were disappointed that they wouldn't be able to use demihuman racial powers, so I let them play humans with demi racial powers. [We simply ascribed racial powers as one more benefit of exaltation.] I don't know if that strictly counts as a human-only campaign, but my players were happy with it!

I'm not a big fan of demi-humans, being one of those people who believes that another race of being would have totally inscrutable thoughts and should be some sort of monster class. Although not necessarily hostile.

I'm one of those gamers who treats demihumans as humans with pointy ears or stocky builds. When I play demis that's how I rp them, and as a DM I assume my players will do the same.

It might be shallow, or unrealistic or whatever, but that's D&D! In fact, I've never seen anyone rp demis as anything other than essentially human, I've never read a D&D book which convincingly described them as truly different, and I've never read a D&D novel that portrayed them as different in any meaningful way. (For example, the DL Elven Nations novels are all about how different and snow-flakey the elves are. But in the end their portrayal boils down to "really graceful people who live a really long time.")

Still, even when I don't outright say, "No elves or dwarves or whatever," there really aren't many. People like humans, and with good reason.

I've found the opposite to be true, IME. People like demihumans. In fact, I'm the only player I know who prefers humans -- although I tend to play more demis in 4e because of they're more exciting rules-wise.

 

[Smoss]

My current campaign world is ALL about being all human. Other races are quite alien and not normally available to players. However, the humans are broken up into several different cultures that are quite varied. Each leans towards certain strengths and has their own abilities they can choose from - Some of which only that culture may choose. Some of the others require training in that culture to be able to take the abilities.

It has been great. I really wanted a more "Conan" feel to the world. Monsters are MONSTERS but rare and powerful. Humans usually have to deal with each other's plots and machinations. Makes for an interesting and fun campaign.
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Smoss
Doulairen

 

[Hungry Like The Wolf]

I play a lot of low-magic pseudo-medieval games, so human-only is kind of default. I love it, although we usually give the other PC races a place but as mysteriously sinister fey.

I've never found it limiting in anyway, shape or form. Humans are usually designed as very flexible PCs. If anything, non-human PCs tend to get a bit boxed in.

I'd say give it a go, you'll either really enjoy it or really hate it.

 

[Ktulu]

I wrapped up a 2 year campaign just last week in which I used only humans. However, to ensure there wasn't a lack of choices, as you put it, I made differing cultures the different races:

The most common were human, populating the largest empire
The northern barbarian tribes were Goliath in mechanic, but human in description/culture
Halfling mechanics (removed low-light and size issues) became the S'danzo gypsies.
Tieflings were changed to have poison resistance and were snake-worshipping humans.
half-orcs were the mighty, war-like Azurians (think spartans in near middle ages).


There were a few others, but you get the idea. It allowed the multiple race/class mechanics that are favorable to 4e, while the differences were cultural, not some origin/racial change.

 

[Umbran]

I'm running a Deadlands game. Playing non-humans isn't an option, and my players seem to be happy with it.

 

[Dragonbait]

I've never played in an all-human campaign and while the idea is not abhorrent to me, it does not excite me either.

I've always felt that the D&D demihumans were typically played as being so very human that they might as well BE human. People rarely played an elf or a dwarf for the culture, but rather the racial abilities.

Now, a setting where humans are the standard PC race, and more monstrous races are possible but very unusual and different (maybe 1 nonhuman for every 4 PCs kind of thing). That's a setting that interests me.

 

[Diamond Cross]

I've used the idea. After the Drizzt books came out all anybody every wanted to do was run Drizzt characters and be Drow Elves. Or nobody would play humans.

So my basic idea was a world in turmoil in which the Demihuman races were at war with each other and humans, so it's not likely that there'd be different races in an adventuring party.

But they didn't like that idea and wouldn't play anything other than elves or Drizzt variants so we stopped playing.

 

[The Human Target]

I'd be interested in seeing what editions of DnD people are playing when they're doing these human only campaigns.

 

[Diamond Cross]

Mine was 2e.

 

[Water Bob]

Has anyone experimented with this sort of a campaign? Did you/your players feel overly constrained by the lack of choices for the PC races?

It's not Greek Mythos, although the Hyborians do have a proto-Greek/Roman feel to them. But, I am running a human-only Conan RPG campaign that is very popular with my players and one of the most rewarding campaigns I've ever run.

In a human-only game, there really is no "lack of choices" as humans can be as different from one another as a dwarf from an elf. Consider a Zamorian Scholar and a warrior from one of the Pict tribes. Those two are football fields apart.

As far as "lack of choices" go, get this: When I started this campaign, I told my players that they would all be Cimmerians of the Barbarian class, and that we were going to start the campaign when they were just 12 years old (getting them to 15 years old over four game sessions). I only allowed one race and one class for player choice.

Nobody balked. They were intrigued.

As I said, this is one of the best campaigns I've ever run--certainly the best in recent memory.

You can read more about it here: CIMMERIAN BLOOD .