Settings where humans not dominant

[Blackrat]

Only in a scifi-campaign where humanity was actually the lowest-numbering species. Having lost earth in a war, they were reduced to about million compared to most of the aliens who were in tens of billions...

 

[an_idol_mind]

The Council of Wyrms campaign set for AD&D features a setting where dragons are dominant, demihumans serve as familiars in a way, and humans are rare dragon-slaying villaina. The setting is entirely self-contained in one boxed set (or one book, if you get the later revision), and it's one of the better settings that TSR put out, in my opinion.

 

[Robert Ranting]

The Lands of the Diamond Throne setting for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved is, for me, the quintessential non-human-dominated setting. The Diamond Throne itself is ruled by a benevolent race of civilized giants who liberated the continent from the thousand-year rule of the dramojh, hideous abominations that combined the worst aspects of demon, dragon, and spider. The only significant challenge to the giants' hegemony comes from the dragons, who claim the entire continent as their homeland, and likewise rule over the humans within their territory. Although one small, isolationist human empire and a smattering of independent city-states exist to the far south of the setting proper, no human nation in the history of Serran has lasted for more than 200 years before being conquered by non-humanoids, so it seems only a matter of time before they too, collapse. Although humans breed fast and are thus the most common of the half-dozen races of the setting, they hold almost no political power in the major nations, while three of the PC races (Giants, Verrik and Faen) rule their own nations in addition to intermingling freely with human cultures, and another maintains semi-independent tribal rule (the Litorians).

Robert "Giants Rule: Because Humans Have Already Proven Their Incompetence" Ranting

 

[Tetsubo]

Talislanta has many, many races. Humans are among them but I don't think you could say they are "dominant".

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

Funny, I was under the impression that "dominant" referred to prevalence, not political power. It's been one of my major peeves with all the settings I see that humans are always the most common race.

 

[Afrodyte]

Funny, I was under the impression that "dominant" referred to prevalence, not political power. It's been one of my major peeves with all the settings I see that humans are always the most common race.

That's sort of what I was getting at.

 

[pawsplay]

Talislanta has many, many races. Humans are among them but I don't think you could say they are "dominant".

Technically, Talislanta has no humans. Some of the Archaen races are similar to humans or elves, but they aren't really. Calling a Cymrilian a "green-skinned human" would be a tad misleading.

Elfquest. Humans are a Stone Age people beset by more advanced and powerful, if less populous, elf and troll races.

Albedo. Anthropomorphic animals.

 

[pawsplay]

Funny, I was under the impression that "dominant" referred to prevalence, not political power. It's been one of my major peeves with all the settings I see that humans are always the most common race.

In that case, Earth. Clearly, bacteria are the dominant race.

 

[Aeolius]

Try an undersea setting, sometime. In liquid space, humans are often referred to as "bait".

 

[Greg K]

Anybody know if ElfQuest would count?