Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Edena_of_Neith" data-source="post: 3552650" data-attributes="member: 2020">Actually, what you are both saying (Roger, Green Adam) is extremely relevant here.&nbsp; We have the elves as per the RAW.&nbsp; We have the elves as per Tolkien (doomed to fail.)&nbsp; We have the elves as per other authors.&nbsp; We have them as per the settings.&nbsp; But these don't have to be YOUR elves.&nbsp; YOUR elves can be anything you WANT them to be.&nbsp; That's how it should be:&nbsp; nobody else should ever tell you how you can play your elves, or how you should run your game.&nbsp; And actually, in my games, I allow my players who play elves to play them as they please.&nbsp; They *never* play them as the pacifists I've described.&nbsp; They typically play them as fiercely aggressive warriors and wizards.&nbsp; I do not interfere:&nbsp; as players they have the right to rp anyway they please.&nbsp; But there is another point here, and the very fact you debate on it shows that it is relevant.&nbsp; Elves are, in the final thought, a point of contention.&nbsp; Who are they?&nbsp; What are they?&nbsp; And even, why are they?&nbsp; If they are chaotic good, what does chaotic good *mean*?&nbsp; If they are not chaotic good, what are they?&nbsp; Why are they?&nbsp; If they are a doomed race, why is that?&nbsp; If they are not doomed, why is *that*?&nbsp; It's the difference between playing a paladin and a neutral evil thief.&nbsp; The neutral evil thief might be easy to play because he can do anything he wants.&nbsp; But the paladin requires thought, pre-planning, working with the DM, and careful rping.&nbsp; I would say that roleplaying an elf is a lot more thought intensive than roleplaying, say, an orc.&nbsp; In 1st Edition, is was written that elves are frivolous, flighty, and merry.&nbsp; It is written that they are chaotic good, although PCs need not be so.&nbsp; It is written that elves like to dance and sing and frolic in the woods.&nbsp; And yet, they are capable of producing elven chain, magical weapons, powerful spells, and exquisitely advanced stonework, woodwork, craftsmanship, and construction.&nbsp; They are powerful warriors, magically adept and strong, and one very dangerous opponent to face.&nbsp; Remember Dragonlance kender? (created by the well known and respected - I respect them! - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman)&nbsp; You know that kender don't make sense ... and they weren't meant to.&nbsp; They are a special case, existing within the bounds of disbelief, and a crucial part of the Dragonlance setting.&nbsp; *Elves* are like that.&nbsp; (And some dare to argue, IC, that elves and kender are related ... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> )&nbsp; Elves are food for thought.&nbsp; They are an impossibility.&nbsp; Yet there they are.&nbsp; How to deal with that?&nbsp; Anyway you want, but you do have to deal with them (or, ban them from your campaign, or simply ignore them altogether ...)&nbsp; But the question remains:&nbsp; how can elves be elves in the sense depicted?&nbsp; How do they do it?&nbsp; The question infuriates and maddens, and stirs one up to creative and imaginative answers.&nbsp; For 25 years, gamers have struggled with the question and the answers.&nbsp; What I would like to hear are *your* answers.&nbsp; What are *your* elves like?&nbsp; How do *your* elves behave, react, and cope?&nbsp; What kinds of civilization do *your* elves create?&nbsp; How do *your* elves hold out against an endless parade of enemies?&nbsp; Edena_of_Neith</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Edena_of_Neith, post: 3552650, member: 2020"] Actually, what you are both saying (Roger, Green Adam) is extremely relevant here. We have the elves as per the RAW. We have the elves as per Tolkien (doomed to fail.) We have the elves as per other authors. We have them as per the settings. But these don't have to be YOUR elves. YOUR elves can be anything you WANT them to be. That's how it should be: nobody else should ever tell you how you can play your elves, or how you should run your game. And actually, in my games, I allow my players who play elves to play them as they please. They *never* play them as the pacifists I've described. They typically play them as fiercely aggressive warriors and wizards. I do not interfere: as players they have the right to rp anyway they please. But there is another point here, and the very fact you debate on it shows that it is relevant. Elves are, in the final thought, a point of contention. Who are they? What are they? And even, why are they? If they are chaotic good, what does chaotic good *mean*? If they are not chaotic good, what are they? Why are they? If they are a doomed race, why is that? If they are not doomed, why is *that*? It's the difference between playing a paladin and a neutral evil thief. The neutral evil thief might be easy to play because he can do anything he wants. But the paladin requires thought, pre-planning, working with the DM, and careful rping. I would say that roleplaying an elf is a lot more thought intensive than roleplaying, say, an orc. In 1st Edition, is was written that elves are frivolous, flighty, and merry. It is written that they are chaotic good, although PCs need not be so. It is written that elves like to dance and sing and frolic in the woods. And yet, they are capable of producing elven chain, magical weapons, powerful spells, and exquisitely advanced stonework, woodwork, craftsmanship, and construction. They are powerful warriors, magically adept and strong, and one very dangerous opponent to face. Remember Dragonlance kender? (created by the well known and respected - I respect them! - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman) You know that kender don't make sense ... and they weren't meant to. They are a special case, existing within the bounds of disbelief, and a crucial part of the Dragonlance setting. *Elves* are like that. (And some dare to argue, IC, that elves and kender are related ... :) ) Elves are food for thought. They are an impossibility. Yet there they are. How to deal with that? Anyway you want, but you do have to deal with them (or, ban them from your campaign, or simply ignore them altogether ...) But the question remains: how can elves be elves in the sense depicted? How do they do it? The question infuriates and maddens, and stirs one up to creative and imaginative answers. For 25 years, gamers have struggled with the question and the answers. What I would like to hear are *your* answers. What are *your* elves like? How do *your* elves behave, react, and cope? What kinds of civilization do *your* elves create? How do *your* elves hold out against an endless parade of enemies? Edena_of_Neith [/QUOTE]

Verification