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<blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 4321757" data-attributes="member: 15538">That would really depend on what elves are like in the setting, wouldn't it? I think there is a problemw with the word realistic here, which is why I used it when I posed the question originally. There is no &quot;real&quot; elf so how can one be realistic? Insofar as they have traits similar to things that are real, we can judge whether they express those traits realistically. That really isn't a lot to go on.You can talk about whether an elf is expected, or stereotypical, or archetypal, or world-appropriate, or genre-appropriate, or personally resonant, or highly original. But you can't really say whether they are realistic or unrealistic.The above mentioned elf might be unwelcome in many D&amp;D games, but you can't say they are unrealistic. If you put one in the Forgotten Realms, there they are. No one can say, &quot;The Forgotten Realms aren't really like that!&quot; Because the Forgotten Realms aren't real. However you narrate them, that's how they are.Batman is &quot;unrealistic.&quot; He is not a real person, and further, he is not like a real person in many respects. But I would be mad if I were trying to run a Justice League game and he were played &quot;realistically.&quot; It's more important to me that he be played like Batman. I think playing an elf is a lot more like &quot;being Batman.&quot; Batman isn't real, but we ascribe certain traits to him. Elvese aren't real. But we expect certain things about them.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pawsplay, post: 4321757, member: 15538"] That would really depend on what elves are like in the setting, wouldn't it? I think there is a problemw with the word realistic here, which is why I used it when I posed the question originally. There is no "real" elf so how can one be realistic? Insofar as they have traits similar to things that are real, we can judge whether they express those traits realistically. That really isn't a lot to go on. You can talk about whether an elf is expected, or stereotypical, or archetypal, or world-appropriate, or genre-appropriate, or personally resonant, or highly original. But you can't really say whether they are realistic or unrealistic. The above mentioned elf might be [i]unwelcome[/i] in many D&D games, but you can't say they are unrealistic. If you put one in the Forgotten Realms, there they are. No one can say, "The Forgotten Realms aren't really like that!" Because the Forgotten Realms aren't real. However you narrate them, that's how they are. Batman is "unrealistic." He is not a real person, and further, he is not like a real person in many respects. But I would be mad if I were trying to run a Justice League game and he were played "realistically." It's more important to me that he be played like Batman. I think playing an elf is a lot more like "being Batman." Batman isn't real, but we ascribe certain traits to him. Elvese aren't real. But we expect certain things about them. [/QUOTE]

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