The Tielfling and The Gnome: On the Set of 4th edition

[Toben the Many]

I'm a big gnome fan. And I mean, we've had full D&D parties of gnomes.

This made me like the gnome even more. I don't get what people are saying about how this disses gnomes. It makes them look great! It captured their fun personality even more! The badger minion? Priceless! "Who's my minion? Who's my little minion?"



It does make me even more sad that the gnome is not in 4e. Overall, gnome stole the show in the cartoon. It's a lot of fun sometimes being the plucky sidekick, rather than the lead character.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

But I do want to ask: why are we expected to empathize with "totally imaginary" characters like Hamlet or Othello, but not someone's Gnome character? Are the Shakespearean characters somehow more worthy? Does the fact that the Gnome had bug-eyes somehow make him so inhuman that he is worthy of death and ridicule? How many people here would feel bad to see an "imaginary character" they liked (whether Optimus Prime, Bart Simpson, or whoever) killed and robbed? Are you saying it wouldn't bother you even a little?

Maybe not. I have met a depressingly large number of humans who only care when its someone they know (or only themselves) that's hurt.

I don't take D&D any more seriously than any other game (little), but "people" (whether real people I meet on the street or cartoon people) deserve better than that. I can't help but feel bad for them if they are mistreated. And I have to wonder about the people who made the cartoon, or laughed at it: what's funny about someone being killed? what was funny when the tiefling kicked the badger? do you laugh when you see stray dogs run over in the street?

ha ha

In a thread so full of German, here's more: Schadenfreude. I know you're quite the paladin fan, but I think you're missing out on the pure, unparalleled joy to be found in laughing at the misfortune of others.

More seriously, Schadenfreude is in many ways a healthier outlook on life. Bad things happen to good people every second of the day; you may as well laugh a little before your compassion circuits overload.

 

[mmaranda]

The gnome seemed so harmless and inoffensive that I don't know why anyone would want to kill him. Heck I'd go so far as to say he was likable although maybe a little creepy (who's my minion). If it is a monster it has a long way to go before it starts terrorizing villagers and needs to be killed by an adventurer. Maybe captured and told to behave but it didn't and seems unlikely o ever warrant execution.

As for the "too cool" tiefling I'd rather not play than deal with a player portraying a character like that or a player who acts like that. Yay for the maturity of depressed ADD 12 year olds.

 

[Dragonbait]

My question: Now that gnomes are gone as a core race, what race are the haters going to start hating now?

I'm guessing Halflings or Dragonborn. Halflings because they are small, or dragonborn because they are not sexy.

 

[Doug McCrae]

"There are only two things in the world that give us absolute, total happiness. One is unwrapping a newly bought CD. And the other is seeing other people fail. "

 

[Wormwood]

My question: Now that gnomes are gone as a core race, what race are the haters going to start hating now?

It's fairly apparent that few people paid enough attention to gnomes to actually hate them.

 

[Dragonbait]

It's fairly apparent that few people paid enough attention to gnomes to actually hate them.

I'm referring to the very vocal minority.

 

[Wormwood]

I'm referring to the very vocal minority.

Ahhhh.

I need to get my browser fixed, because gnome-lovers are the the only vocal minority I see.

 

[BryonD]

The gnome seemed so harmless and inoffensive that I don't know why anyone would want to kill him.

He had treasure.

 

[Wormwood]

He had treasure.

Exactly.

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