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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6520064" data-attributes="member: 4937">Why only extremes?Surely there is a point where elves and dwarves are somewhat different than humans but still close enough to humans that it is within the realm of human imagination how such beings would think and behave?  After all, we aren't really taking about - even in my examples - something that is completely and utterly alien.  Even in the two examples I gave, there is an amazing amount in common between the races - two genders, childhood, mortality, two hands, two feet, eat food, breath oxygen, eyes as primary sensory devices and ears as secondary senses, manipulative digits, at least the sensation of free will, symbolic language, appreciation of music, some form of government, etc.The most alien allowed PC races in my game are the fey, which are probably too alien for a human to understand, but they make up for that in that there is no wrong way to play a fey.  The fey are so incredibly diverse that regardless of how you were to play one, it would be right for that particular fey.  This is doubly subverted by the PC in my current game, who has the disadvantage Misanthrope (Human) which means in effect, his behavior is so unsettlingly close to being human that other fey find him weird and unapproachable.  It's a humorous example, but the House Elves in JK Rawling's Potterverse IMO are an example of a fairly well realized fantasy race -despite some of the typical problems seen with portraying such characters (see for example Planescape: Torment for a long list of examples).  There is something both relatable and inhuman about them, and the characterization of them eventually becomes really deep and at times stirring as we begin to empathize with the way they see the world.</blockquote>

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