Monsters and Humanoid Races!

[Deadguy]

Because D&D is not and has never been meant to simulate myth, one-note wonders like mmadsen notwithstanding. In the 1E DMG, ColPladoh lists the various sources that were inspirations for the game. Vance, Leiber, REH, ERB, Haggard, Anderson, Tolkien all get a mention. Bullfinch's Mythology does not, IIRC.

Oh, I know what you mean hong, about it not being all-inclusive. But since myth is such a source of inspiration (be fair to mmadsen!), it's strange that the ball hasn't been picked up. The ones created have tended toward the Victorian "wee folk", rather than the goblin of myth, the Puck or bwgan, who is a frightening presence on the periphery of civilisation.

 

[mmadsen]

But since myth is such a source of inspiration (be fair to mmadsen!), it's strange that the ball hasn't been picked up. The ones created have tended toward the Victorian "wee folk", rather than the goblin of myth, the Puck or bwgan, who is a frightening presence on the periphery of civilisation.

Gygax himself, on a previous incarnation of these boards, listed classic folklore/myth as a major influence of his -- and Tolkien as a minor influence, almost forced on him by the popularity of the Lord of the Rings (which he didn't particularly enjoy). Given that, I find it particularly odd that we have N variants of the Tolkien Orc (Goblin, Hobgoblin, Orc, Bugbear, etc.) and nothing much like a classical trickster goblin.

Since D&D is such an amalgam, I'd expect Puck and his ilk to live right alongside Uruk-Hai. Instead, we have small, medium, and large Orcs.

 

[hong]

Gygax himself, on a previous incarnation of these boards, listed classic folklore/myth as a major influence of his -- and Tolkien as a minor influence, almost forced on him by the popularity of the Lord of the Rings (which he didn't particularly enjoy). Given that, I find it particularly odd that we have N variants of the Tolkien Orc (Goblin, Hobgoblin, Orc, Bugbear, etc.) and nothing much like a classical trickster goblin.

Oh well. Life's a sh*t, and then you die.

 

[SHARK]

*BUMP*

 

[mmadsen]

In D&D you have dozens of races competing for space and dominance.

Fortunately, most D&D races prefer different ecologic niches: elves prefer woods, dwarves prefer underground, etc. It also explains why dwarves would war with goblins/orcs.

 

[mmadsen]

In reading everyone's campaign examples, I'm struck by the fact that Halflings persist in almost every world. Why is that? What's the fascination with Halflings? Dwarves and Elves have so much history and are such archetypes (short & stout vs. tall & willowy), and Half-Orcs, if you strip away the notion that they're half anything and that they're half Orc, fit another (big brute), but Halflings seem so redundant. Is the child archetype that alluring? Or is it something else?

 

[hong]

In reading everyone's campaign examples, I'm struck by the fact that Halflings persist in almost every world. Why is that? What's the fascination with Halflings? Dwarves and Elves have so much history and are such archetypes (short & stout vs. tall & willowy), and Half-Orcs, if you strip away the notion that they're half anything and that they're half Orc, fit another (big brute), but Halflings seem so redundant. Is the child archetype that alluring? Or is it something else?

Halflings are three feet tall and have a flat head. The latest versions also have handlebars.

What's not to love?

 

[drnuncheon]

With so many humanoid races in the MM, the competition for space and resources must be neverending. A world like this would be at constant war. Not only that, but with so many intelligent species, at least some would go on to form organized societies, cultures, and nations that could truly threaten humankind.

Isn't that pretty much describing the standard D&D world? 8)

J