What's with the Gnome Hate?

[Mokona]

Put me in the anti-gnome camp. I do not include (or allow) gnomes in my homebrew world.

Reasons D&D gnomes are no good? Dragonlance, lawn gnomes, they're not like Narnia gnomes, and they don't have their own space. One of the justification for cutting gnomes from the 4th edition Player's Handbook is that they compete too much with the dwarf. Gnomes are short industrious folk who live underground = dwarf-lite. Plus gnomes have a hodge-podge of abilities with no grokkable unifying element.

In Races of Stone the gnomes were basically made out to be a jewish stereotype in order to separate them from dwarves. Short, big-nosed jewelers who celebrate weddings for an entire week.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In Races of Stone the gnomes were basically made out to be a jewish stereotype in order to separate them from dwarves. Short, big-nosed jewelers who celebrate weddings for an entire week.

THAT was your takeaway from the chapter? I thought the whole "reality is an illusion" thing (which doesn't really make sense with the race's lore and crunch, IMO) was much more dominant.

And, out of curiosity, if it's OK for there to be dozens of races in the forests and the plains, why is it not OK if it's the hills and mountains?

 

[Leatherhead]

THAT was your takeaway from the chapter? I thought the whole "reality is an illusion" thing (which doesn't really make sense with the race's lore and crunch, IMO) was much more dominant?

Wait what? Gnomes are gnostic now?

 

[Bump2daWiza]

I like gnomes because they are industrious and clever. I think halflings went south after their 3E makeover. Long live the gnomes!

 

[evileeyore]

Just replace the word "Gnome" with the word "Black" and I think you have your answer.

When did Gnomes get a "History Month"?

That is about the only way I can see them at all being on par racially or ethnically...

 

[Bump2daWiza]

When did Gnomes get a "History Month"?

That is about the only way I can see them at all being on par racially or ethnically...

Don't even get me started on the subject of demihuman apartheid. "Pointless", "silly", "untrustworthy", "outcast", these are just some of insults gnomes must endure everyday. Now they are seperated from the other races in the PHB. I know, I know. They still appear in the monster manual. I guess seperate but equal is the way things are done at Wizards now.

FIGHT THE POWER:

http://www.freethegnomes.com/

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Wait what? Gnomes are gnostic now?

No, they mostly seemed to have audited a freshman philosophy class.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

When did Gnomes get a "History Month"?

I'd say gnomes should get the shortest month of the year, but that's already been taken ...

 

[Vocenoctum]

I like gnomes because they are industrious and clever. I think halflings went south after their 3E makeover. Long live the gnomes!

I had a whole theory once about how hobbits were drug runners and Saruman was the legal authority trying to stop them, while Gandalf was a drug addled ex-cop. Pipe weed indeed...


I think halflings have always been the lazy bums waiting for lunch and whining about their lives. I wouldn't exclude them from the game for it of course, but there's that.

In my decades of D&D, I've had almost every race in a game, and it's really about the players. We had a group once that was a centaur, an aaracokra, a half dryad and a kender. It worked amazingly well. (And, for those in the know, it showcases that we had too many dragon magazines!)

The thing comes to which are "core" races of a world for adventurers and which can fit the heroic image. Plenty of folks don't think gnomes fit that archtype, the problem is the folks at WotC also think that. So, we get their unified vision of boringness.

 

[Hussar]

I had a whole theory once about how hobbits were drug runners and Saruman was the legal authority trying to stop them, while Gandalf was a drug addled ex-cop. Pipe weed indeed...


I think halflings have always been the lazy bums waiting for lunch and whining about their lives. I wouldn't exclude them from the game for it of course, but there's that.

In my decades of D&D, I've had almost every race in a game, and it's really about the players. We had a group once that was a centaur, an aaracokra, a half dryad and a kender. It worked amazingly well. (And, for those in the know, it showcases that we had too many dragon magazines!)

The thing comes to which are "core" races of a world for adventurers and which can fit the heroic image. Plenty of folks don't think gnomes fit that archtype, the problem is the folks at WotC also think that. So, we get their unified vision of boringness.

Isn't it funny though that your "out there" campaign had a halfling variant, but still no gnome.

It's not a unified vision of boringness. That's what I don't get. It's not that people hated gnomes, its that gnomes were completely and utterly forgotten about in most games. I'm sorry for both gnome fans, but, so few people EVER played them. I did. I played gnomes a couple of times. But, I'm the only person I've ever played with who did.

It's not like they stepped back and said, "Oh, hey, here's this really interesting race that everyone likes to play, let's axe that." It's far closer to say, "Oh hey, here's this race that's been taking up space in the PHB for thirty years that almost no one ever plays. Let's axe that."

I would be willing to be dollars to donuts, that if you looked at the RPGA stats, you'd see that half orcs and gnomes place WAY at the bottom of the player barrel.

No one hates gnomes. Or at least about as many people hate gnomes as like them. The vast majority just plain out don't care.

Thirty years hasn't made gnomes interesting. How much longer should they keep trying?