I'm insulted by how humans are depicted in D&D.

[messy]

rant...

i can't tell if you're serious.

 

[Oryan77]

i can't tell if you're serious.

One of the things I always found funny on RPG forums is that gamers seem to have no clue if a writer is joking (no matter how obvious he is being) unless he uses a smiley face. I can say the most sarcastic and silly thing and a dozen gamers will reply as if I'm totally serious (and an idiot). I had never had to use smiley emoticons on a regular basis until I posted on RPG forums.

I purposely didn't add a smiley to my original post because I wanted to see how people would respond.

I thought for sure my last sentence would be a giveaway on the seriousness of the rant, "almost 100% humans"? Come on, that was a great line! This topic would be an insane thing to really be upset over.

No, I'm not serious.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I thought for sure my last sentence would be a giveaway on the seriousness of the rant, "almost 100% humans"?

I have seen cats who were excellent role players. Typically, they favor being dragons or rolling hills that appear out of nowhere.

 

[Umbran]

One of the things I always found funny on RPG forums is that gamers seem to have no clue if a writer is joking (no matter how obvious he is being) unless he uses a smiley face.

"Poe's Law" (named for Nathan Poe, not Edgar Allen) states that, lacking a clear statement of the author's intent, it is difficult to impossible for a reader to tell the difference between a sincere extreme position, and a parody of an extreme position.

The thing is not gamer specific. In general, humans are frequently observed holding some peculiar, apparently nonsensical, or even downright absurd positions. Real people think some really weird stuff. So, especially in text, where much nuance of speech is lost, and in venues where the readers generally don't know you well personally, folks don't know whether you're being serious or not.

 

[Foxwarrior]

It doesn't really matter whether the OP cares about the topic. What matters is that Oryan77 created a topic that gave people the opportunity to express observations that were previously not relevant.

Also, the special unique attribute of Humans in D&D is that they're abnormally boring and ordinary.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

"Poe's Law" (named for Nathan Poe, not Edgar Allen) states that, lacking a clear statement of the author's intent, it is difficult to impossible for a reader to tell the difference between a sincere extreme position, and a parody of an extreme position.

The thing is not gamer specific. In general, humans are frequently observed holding some peculiar, apparently nonsensical, or even downright absurd positions. Real people think some really weird stuff. So, especially in text, where much nuance of speech is lost, and in venues where the readers generally don't know you well personally, folks don't know whether you're being serious or not.

I ran into a similar problem back in grad school. I was the only member of my team (for one class) who spoke English as a native speaker. I volunteered to be the editor of our final paper. Even though the foreign students on the team were clear enough in person, handling their written prose was a challenge.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Very funnny, and a good point too. I've always created various races and cultures for my games. The world is a lot more fun that way.

I thought for sure my last sentence would be a giveaway on the seriousness of the rant, "almost 100% humans"? Come on, that was a great line!

Well, considering some of the gamers I've met, I couldn't be totally sure you were kidding ...

 

[Dethklok]

Dethklok endorses this page as evidence for a successful thread.

No, I'm not serious.

I could tell you weren't totally serious. Yet, I don't believe that you are totally not serious. And I am being serious when I say this.

"Poe's Law" (named for Nathan Poe, not Edgar Allen) states that, lacking a clear statement of the author's intent, it is difficult to impossible for a reader to tell the difference between a sincere extreme position, and a parody of an extreme position.

Poe's law, huh? *Files that away*

I've gotten a great deal of milage out of that in person. Often my actual positions truly are so bizarre relative to cultural norms that the average person will regard me as humorous and inventive if I just baldly state what I believe, but with the right face.

What matters is that Oryan77 created a topic that gave people the opportunity to express observations that were previously not relevant.

Yay! I feel less irrelevant already.

 

[Hussar]

Thanks for the morning giggle. Posrep on your way.

Taking it a little more seriously, this is the way D&D deals with virtually everything. Given the choice between something that's a PITA to deal with at the table and doing the expeditious thing, D&D chooses the latter almost every time.

Is it realistic? Oh, hell no. The idea of a common language that is as rich and complex as a mother tongue that is spoken by just about everyone you meet? Not going to happen. But, it makes the game easier and more fun. So, we hand wave it and move on.

 

[Jacob Marley]

"You must spread some Experience Points around before giving it to Oryan77 again."

Please, someone help me out with this one. [MENTION=18701]Oryan77[/MENTION]'s post is deserving of all the XP!