If you had to cut two core races from your game....

[Bagpuss]

Gnomes and Elves (which should get me half-elves as a freebie!).

Gnome just because they are a bad idea as a garden ornament but even worse as a PC race (unless they get a racial bonus to Profession (fisherman)).

Elves just because it would force some players to pick something different for a change.

 

[Quartz]

As PC races, I'd cheerfully cut everything except human.

 

[carmachu]

Elves and gnomes and halflings. Small size is a pain and elves are overdone

 

[Big Bucket]

Gnomes and half-elves with half-orcs as a close runner up. They just really do nothing for me. None of my group has ever played a gnome or half-elf, and there have only been a few half-orcs here and there.

And Quartz I agree with you - my group is playing in Thieves World (human only) right now and even a few of them have said its nice to be human and have mostly human opposition.

 

[Son_of_Thunder]

For me it was easy; Elf and by necessity, half-elf. Why, well it's my own prejudice coming out but I'm kind of sick of seeing the 'Eldar, Ancient, perfect at anything they do' race of superbeings. I do however like the drow

 

[Ealli]

Gnomes got cut because after handing out flavor to dwarves and halflings, there isn't much left for gnomes.

Elves got cut in part because I don't need a perfect race (or it would be the dragons), and in part because they were hunted to extinction because they come in so many delicious flavors.

 

[Frida]

Gnomes because I dont really see the point with them when you have halflings.
Dwarves because I would never feel the urge to play one.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

For me it was easy; Elf and by necessity, half-elf. Why, well it's my own prejudice coming out but I'm kind of sick of seeing the 'Eldar, Ancient, perfect at anything they do' race of superbeings. I do however like the drow

Glad to see a fellow elf hater, I too despise the annoying creatures however I wouldn't eliminate them, just make it clear they were a worthless and pitiful race substandard to and reviled by all others. Even ones everyone else hated.

 

[Herobizkit]

I voted Gnomes and Half-Orcs.

In my personal gaming history, there were only two reasons why people played Gnomes -- they either wanted to be or multi an Illusionist, or wanted to counter the group's infectious Drow fever with a hearty Svirfneblin. (To be fair, I actually like Svirfneblin much better than your 'standard' gnome). In my own campaign, Grippli have replaced the Gnome gniche.

Half-Orcs had the same stigma -- to play a Half-Orc meant that a player either wanted to be or multi an Assassin, or they wanted to juice up their UA Barbarian (assuming the Dragonlance Minotaur was unavailable; thanks to World of Warcraft's Tauren race, I now like Minotaurs much more than Half-Orcs).

Half-Elves used to be teh awesome in 2ed; having the widest range of multi-classing options was reason enough to play one despite their lack of ability mods. Heck, even Dragonlance gave the poor guys +2 to Dex. In its current incarnation, the Half-Elf is teh suck, and IMO is represented only because they are a "sacred cow" race (but the Minotaur isn't... har har har).

 

[Kalanyr]

Half-Orc & Gnome.

Honourable Mention to the Half-Elf and Halfing who just managed to escape annihilation.

Really if you're going to remove the nod to Tolkien that Halflings were whats the point ? Is there someone out there who is desperate to play midgets with a penchant for thievery ?