Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
What's wrong with a human-centric fantasy world?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 6492659" data-attributes="member: 59082"><p>@Lil Shenron, nice inquiry. I just skimmed the first couple pages and then became impatient, so here goes. I very much agree with you that non-human races in D&D, whether the canonical rules or most games that I have played in, don't have the same kind of exotic, truly fantastical feel that I find to be more aesthetically interesting. Actually, Tolkien's elves (not Peter Jackson's) are, to me, "real elves" - they truly feel otherworldly, of the faery realm. Peter Jackson tried but didn't quite get there.</p><p></p><p>But the other part of this is that players sometimes want special characters. They might want to be Drizzt, not Mr. Standard Elfy Elf with bow and cloak. With that in mind, you can still let the players play what they want, but with the understanding that they are probably outliers. Maybe an elf was taken in an orc raid and then sold in a slave auction, then escaped and grew up on the streets of a sprawling tropical metropolis. That elf might become a rogue or assassin, end up with tattoos and piercings, and perhaps feel a distant sense of longing for something else. I think the key is if the players want something outside of the norm they need to be able to contextualize it.</p><p></p><p>I think, in the end, what you are talking about is certainly valid, but that the onus is on the DM to create the context, what "normal" is. If you want more mystical, otherworldly and rare elves, do that. If you want dwarves to really feel like a difference race that has emerged from the earth itself, do it. But then let the players decide how they want to relate with that and encourage them to do it well. And, most importantly, have the world respond accordingly. If one of your players wants to play MC Shiggy the elf bard and the party meets a group of elves and he says, "What up, bros," then have the "real" elves treat him accordingly. In other words, don't cater to your players not taking things seriously or roleplaying absurdities.</p><p></p><p>As for kitchen sink, one of my all-time favorite RPG settings is Talislanta which has been called a "fantasy zoo" - it is more psychedelic, in a way, than traditional fantastic. But it works, and I think because it <em>intends</em> to be kitchen sink, it is going for that. I think what you are talking about is similar to the monty hall effect with treasure: too much of a good thing waters down the specialness.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mercurius, post: 6492659, member: 59082"] @Lil Shenron, nice inquiry. I just skimmed the first couple pages and then became impatient, so here goes. I very much agree with you that non-human races in D&D, whether the canonical rules or most games that I have played in, don't have the same kind of exotic, truly fantastical feel that I find to be more aesthetically interesting. Actually, Tolkien's elves (not Peter Jackson's) are, to me, "real elves" - they truly feel otherworldly, of the faery realm. Peter Jackson tried but didn't quite get there. But the other part of this is that players sometimes want special characters. They might want to be Drizzt, not Mr. Standard Elfy Elf with bow and cloak. With that in mind, you can still let the players play what they want, but with the understanding that they are probably outliers. Maybe an elf was taken in an orc raid and then sold in a slave auction, then escaped and grew up on the streets of a sprawling tropical metropolis. That elf might become a rogue or assassin, end up with tattoos and piercings, and perhaps feel a distant sense of longing for something else. I think the key is if the players want something outside of the norm they need to be able to contextualize it. I think, in the end, what you are talking about is certainly valid, but that the onus is on the DM to create the context, what "normal" is. If you want more mystical, otherworldly and rare elves, do that. If you want dwarves to really feel like a difference race that has emerged from the earth itself, do it. But then let the players decide how they want to relate with that and encourage them to do it well. And, most importantly, have the world respond accordingly. If one of your players wants to play MC Shiggy the elf bard and the party meets a group of elves and he says, "What up, bros," then have the "real" elves treat him accordingly. In other words, don't cater to your players not taking things seriously or roleplaying absurdities. As for kitchen sink, one of my all-time favorite RPG settings is Talislanta which has been called a "fantasy zoo" - it is more psychedelic, in a way, than traditional fantastic. But it works, and I think because it [I]intends[/I] to be kitchen sink, it is going for that. I think what you are talking about is similar to the monty hall effect with treasure: too much of a good thing waters down the specialness. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
What's wrong with a human-centric fantasy world?
Top