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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 9724069" data-attributes="member: 4937">Yes.  In my game for example, elves are "usually" chaotic good.  This doesn't mean that all elves are chaotic good only that they are by biological or spiritual inclination (which is the same thing in a fantasy) more inclined to be free spirited and altruistic by inherent nature than humans.  Humans are "usually" neutral meaning that without cultural indoctrination they are typically not inclined toward anything.  If for example only 8% of humans tend to be Chaotic Good, then if 48% of elves tend to be Chaotic Good then it is very noticeable a very strong social tendency that elves have to certain sorts of communities than humans have, and yet we can't say this particular elf is chaotic good or this particular human isn't.  On the whole though humans have more diverse communities and philosophies than elves, for better or (probably) usually worse.If anyone reads this as my elves are making a comment on particular human ethnicities then that's their reading and is completely disrespectful to my actual intent, which is to discuss humanity by contrasting it with invented things that are very much not human as a sort of mirror into who we are.  That most humans are "usually neutral" is a topic you could discuss in a framework of that being a commentary on humanity and you could argue, "That's not realistic because humans are usually evil" or "humans are usually good and evil is learned as a social construct" and that would be an interesting discussion because humans are real and in my fictional game I've said something about them, but it would be wholly wrong to say that the elves are meant to be seen as humans much less a particular sort of humans.A wood elf industrialist that wants to raze forests is a lot more unlikely than a human with those traits but isn't impossible.  A wood elf fascist that decides everyone that doesn't like forests the way he does needs to go on the other hand is not only plausible but the sort of thing that does happen, and also the sort of thing that other wood elves might not notice at first in their "everyone's entitled to their opinion" and "I can sympathetic with where you are coming from" normal way of looking at the world.  That line crossing is an interesting point as people's underlying motives aren't always clear and even bad guys can sound like they have a real point, especially when they can point to real injustices that they are supposedly responding to.Goblins have been "people" in my game world since the early 1990s.  They are "usually lawful evil" but not exclusively so.  Why they are like they are is part of the games deep lore that I don't need to get into, but I'm no more commenting on humanity or a specific part of it directly with goblins than I am with elves.  Rather, the whole point is to have a non-human contrast to act as a mirror to help see ourselves in comparison to imagined alternatives.  To the extent that we can see ourselves in goblins, it's a universal human failing that all human tribes are subject to (seeing ourselves as tribe first and all other tribes as enemies to subjugate).  For that matter to the extent, we can see ourselves in elves, the typical failing of elves is a universal human failing as well (seeing ourselves as individuals first with no connection or obligations to anyone who isn't close kindred or friend).  Whereas Gnolls are "Varelse" in my setting.  They aren't people or else the "peopleness" of the Gnoll is irrelevant since one cannot ever form an equal relationship with them on the basis of sympathetic communication.  The Gnoll is a hardwired lesser demon lacking the characteristic diversity and volition to overcome their own natures seen in humans, elves, or goblins.  They are like the Xenomorphs of Alien(s), so alien and so predatory in their creation that no meaningful dialogue can be had with them.  Nuking them from orbit just to be sure is a perfectly moral and reasonable thing to do.  I make no apologies for having one dimensional bad guys in my setting that are there just to oppose and slaughter without any intention to have a complex dialogue about that.  If you want to bring up how people have in the real world denied the peopleness of people in order to justify treating real people as non-people, then that's fine and all and that also happens in the setting, but that still doesn't mean you get out of denying the complexity of there also being stuff that is equivalent to sentient small pox and having to also deal with that at the same time.  Instead, you have to deal with that while avoiding the temptation to put everything that is slightly different in the same category of as a Gnoll or a Succubus, or conversely staying clear about what a Gnoll is even as you celebrate the peopleness of a Goblin or Elf.If someone doesn't like it.  Fine.  I'm not asking for anyone's validation.If someone thinks I'm being immoral and they are displaying greater virtue?  Also fine.  Interesting discussion.  I feel the same way myself looking out in the other direction and unsurprisingly feel rather vindicated by how I see things playing out.The fact you have a deeply realized cosmology is cool.  The fact that you feel the need to call it a "workaround" makes me sad.</blockquote>

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