D&D 5E Should the next edition of D&D promote more equality?

[Umbran]

Are we only allowed to recognize differences when there's a convenient offsetting benefit?

You, yourself, are allowed to recognize differences you perceive or wish to create in any way you darned-well please. In your own game. What you and your friends enjoy in the comfort of your own home is your business.

The thread is about what WotC should do, or not do, as a publisher of a highly visible RPG - the banner for the industry, really.

 

[thedroid]

AD&D used to have rules about aging, I believe. I never really saw any point to it, and I don't think they should bring them back. Nor should they limit ability by gender.

BUT, it's personally always bugged me when people make characters who are, let's say 5'10" and 160 lbs and have 18 Strength. Or any character who has the abilities of both an olympic weight lifter and an olympic gymnast. I know, it's fantasy, yeah, whatever. But I have wanted to design a chargen where you pick a physical "chassis," i.e. physique, and then figure out what you can build on it, because it seems a good way to balance ability scores. You want 18 Strength? No problem. You have to weigh 280+ lbs just to carry the muscle mass.

 

[Nellisir]

AD&D used to have rules about aging, I believe. I never really saw any point to it, and I don't think they should bring them back.

I believe those survived at least through 3.5, because I used them, as another poster said, to "twink out" my wizard. Totally worth it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

They did, indeed at least through 3Ed- I'd be surprised if it didn't survive the revision.

 

[TanithT]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

Right, because no one in this thread is advocating that authentic historical racism should be fairly represented in the core material of a fantasy game just because it's historical. They're only advocating that authentic historical sexism should be represented because it's historical.

Totally different. Or, not.

 

[WheresMyD20]

Right, because no one in this thread is advocating that authentic historical racism should be fairly represented in the core material of a fantasy game just because it's historical. They're only advocating that authentic historical sexism should be represented because it's historical.

Totally different. Or, not.

Not only was your first post a straw man, but this one is too.

 

[TanithT]

Not only was your first post a straw man, but this one is too.

Because it is so totally different to discriminate against someone in game play, based on their race rather than their gender?

Really gonna have to agree to disagree on this one, bud.

 

[Hussar]

AD&D used to have rules about aging, I believe. I never really saw any point to it, and I don't think they should bring them back. Nor should they limit ability by gender.

BUT, it's personally always bugged me when people make characters who are, let's say 5'10" and 160 lbs and have 18 Strength. Or any character who has the abilities of both an olympic weight lifter and an olympic gymnast. I know, it's fantasy, yeah, whatever. But I have wanted to design a chargen where you pick a physical "chassis," i.e. physique, and then figure out what you can build on it, because it seems a good way to balance ability scores. You want 18 Strength? No problem. You have to weigh 280+ lbs just to carry the muscle mass.

Never mind the 5' 10" human with an 18 strength, how about the 2' 60 pound halfling?

I mean, if you honestly thought that the strength difference between men and women was so great that it should be reflected in stats, I'd hate to see where you'd peg the max strength of a halfling or elf.

The thing to remember about stats is that they are more or less relative. How much faster is a Dex 16 than a Dex 14? or Dex 10? Well, we don't really know. It's not terribly important. Since Str is about the only concretely measurable stat, people tend to focus on that one.

But, how intelligent is a 15 Int? or a 13 Wis? What does that actually mean?

Other than max encumberance, what is the visible difference between a 16 str and an 18 Str?

 

[Paraxis]

People are way to sensitive about stuff in a fantasy game.
I would love to see a campaign world where the following existed:
> a few kingdoms females could not own land
> an amazonian society where men are only seen as slaves for labor or breeding
> a city with no orc blooded signs posted at the local taverns and stores
> a society that keeps halflings as house servents and sold on slave ships [they take up less space]
> where a church of a good religion persecutes those with alternate sexual preferences or identities
> a kingdom of elves that treat humans as slaves and considers them non people

ect....

Why would I want to run campaigns or play in such a world, because it gives you something to strive to change, overcome, or fight against besides dragons and undead.

And to the whole 5'5 and 130 lbs with an 18 strength, look at halflings in pathfinder or 3.5 starting they can have a 16 strength and are max 3'4" and 38 pounds.

It is a game people if something offends you change it/ignore it. By the way yes I would want buy in from all my players before running a game with the above campaign world it only works if everyone is having fun. Example ran a deadlands game with a very close black friend of mine who played a former slave turned doctor, we talked about it and yes some npc's used the "N" word but it was made very clear that those were the bad guys and he said it made the victories against them all the more sweeter.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

People are way to sensitive about stuff in a fantasy game.
I would love to see a campaign world where the following existed:
> a few kingdoms females could not own land
> an amazonian society where men are only seen as slaves for labor or breeding
> a city with no orc blooded signs posted at the local taverns and stores
> a society that keeps halflings as house servents and sold on slave ships [they take up less space]
> where a church of a good religion persecutes those with alternate sexual preferences or identities
> a kingdom of elves that treat humans as slaves and considers them non people

I've done a few of those, but not all in the same campaign.