D&D General No More "Humans in Funny Hats": Racial Mechanics Should Determine Racial Cultures

[Paul Farquhar]

I am not actually a halfling, but I am also not a fantasy human from a land where magic is real and who has completely different life experience than me. But I can pretend to be either.

Yes, that's the point, you can imitate their behaviour, but you cannot actually think like them. You are "wearing a funny hat". I'm pretty sure someone who might actually die whilst fighting a dragon would behave rather differently.

Of course, halflings are a bit of a special case. They where invented by Tolkien as people who think like a Tolkien.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Yes, that's the point, you can imitate their behaviour, but you cannot actually think like them. You are "wearing a funny hat". I'm pretty sure someone who might actually die whilst fighting a dragon would behave rather differently.

But the same applies to portraying a human that is not you. We can ever truly know what it is to be ourselves.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But the same applies to portraying a human that is not you. We can ever truly know what it is to be ourselves.

Sure. So any appeal to authenticity/realism falls at the first hurdle. PCs are only ever going to be versions of ourselves, no matter if we are playing a human or a flumph.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Sure. So any appeal to authenticity/realism falls at the first hurdle. PCs are only ever going to be versions of ourselves, no matter if we are playing a human or a flumph.

Then it is pretty needless to point it out.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Then it is pretty needless to point it out.

Just as needless as anything else in this thread.

 

[Umbran]

I do find it interesting that when you read "powergamer," you infer that the writer implies it as negative

It is not so interesting. The word has been in use in the community with negative connotations for decades.

I can understand trying to reclaim the term, but let us not pretend that this is some novel connotation.

 

[Scott Christian]

It is not so interesting. The word has been in use in the community with negative connotations for decades.

I can understand trying to reclaim the term, but let us not pretend that this is some novel connotation.

I don't. In my last post, I even stated it really should be used for a niche group that base all their choices on making their characters as powerful as possible. It has definitely been my experience that these people do not mind being called powergamers. Outside of that, the term should be dropped.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It's pretty clear, despite obfuscation that people are either using 'powergamer' here as some sort of 'AHA! So you admit your crimes' deal, then pretending it was just an 'innocent' question or are REALLY bad at communicating the question, defining 'powergamer' and also reading the room

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Just as needless as anything else in this thread.

It is pointless to apply it as a criticism of portraying non-humans when it applies equally to literally everything besides being your real life self.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

They can write how to pretend to be a kender, kobold or lizard folk. They can't write how to actually be a kender, kobold or lizard folk, because they are not a kender, kobold or lizard folk.

Anyone who has a pet cat and is observant can pretend to be a cat. But you are imitating it's behaviour, not the thought patterns that determine that behaviour.

Of course, that's all D&D is - pretend. I can pretend to be good at fighting or casting spells, but I am not actually good at either of those things.

Sure, though this doesn’t invalidate the desire or goal of the OP, nor does it mean that roleplaying can’t happen, which was what the tangential argument was about.