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Oh, the Humanity! Exotic Races, Anthropocentrism, Stereotypes & Roleplaying in D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 8137514" data-attributes="member: 7023840"><p>So, a few issues that I see, IMO.</p><p></p><p>The first is one that might be peculiar to the area I am in, but seems to be somewhat common. Despite the fact that enworld attracts DMs like Citizen Kane attracts proponents of the auteur theory, there tends to be a lot more people that want to <em>play </em>D&D than want to <em>run </em>D&D. Which means that, for the most part, the issue really is explaining the exotic races.</p><p></p><p>In other words, it's about the work involved. If a DM is running the game, and creating a setting, they may not want the additional cognitive work, or any additional work, in adding more exotic races and explanations into the game. </p><p></p><p>In many (most?) cases, this might not be a big deal. In a kitchen-sink setting, it can just be ignored. After all, who would notice one more alien in the background of Mos Eisley? On the other hand, if the setting is more themed, or has more tight integration, politics, etc., it might be more difficult. </p><p></p><p>I think the formulation in your last sentence is interesting. Couldn't it also be stated, "If the players can't be bothered to roleplay exotic races well, then the DM shouldn't be bothered to make them fit into their world?" Is either that formulation or yours accurate?</p><p></p><p>I reminded of what I wrote in my conclusion-</p><p></p><p><em>For the most part, I think the fault lines tend to go down the usual sides- it's the whole "DM sets the rules and strictures for the campaign" v. "Player Agency, you don't tell ME what to do" arguments that get repeated, just with a new coat.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 8137514, member: 7023840"] So, a few issues that I see, IMO. The first is one that might be peculiar to the area I am in, but seems to be somewhat common. Despite the fact that enworld attracts DMs like Citizen Kane attracts proponents of the auteur theory, there tends to be a lot more people that want to [I]play [/I]D&D than want to [I]run [/I]D&D. Which means that, for the most part, the issue really is explaining the exotic races. In other words, it's about the work involved. If a DM is running the game, and creating a setting, they may not want the additional cognitive work, or any additional work, in adding more exotic races and explanations into the game. In many (most?) cases, this might not be a big deal. In a kitchen-sink setting, it can just be ignored. After all, who would notice one more alien in the background of Mos Eisley? On the other hand, if the setting is more themed, or has more tight integration, politics, etc., it might be more difficult. I think the formulation in your last sentence is interesting. Couldn't it also be stated, "If the players can't be bothered to roleplay exotic races well, then the DM shouldn't be bothered to make them fit into their world?" Is either that formulation or yours accurate? I reminded of what I wrote in my conclusion- [I]For the most part, I think the fault lines tend to go down the usual sides- it's the whole "DM sets the rules and strictures for the campaign" v. "Player Agency, you don't tell ME what to do" arguments that get repeated, just with a new coat.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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