D&D 5E When lore and PC options collide…

[Oofta]

Yeah, it’s weird to me how many of the calls for “compromise” involve the referee simply changing their mind. Or how the referee “must have” a good reason for not running a kitchen sink. “I don’t want every game to be a kitchen sink” is a good reason. “I want to run an X setting game that goes by the lore of that setting” is a good reason. Players who argue about that were likely going to be problematic in some other way so best to weed them out early.

My thoughts as well. I won't tell you you can't play Bugs Bunny, I will tell you that I've thought about what races I allow and how they fit into my campaign world. I know where they live, what their relationships are with their neighbors, I've put a bit of spin here and there on their cultures. These are the races you are allowed to play, how can we make that work for you?

There are many different types of games. If I'm playing a video game sometimes I'm going to play a Borderlands game with overtly silly NPCs, story and over-the-top styling and game play. Other times I'm going to play a Witcher game with it's more grounded fantasy feel.

It's the same with D&D campaign. Yes, I could add an anthropomorphic hippo to my game. No, I'm not going to because I've already decided what races I allow, I was quite up front about it when I discussed my game. In part it's become a bit of a screening device over the years. If you can't compromise and play one of the half dozen races I do allow, I'm probably not running the game you want. I used to allow anything and everything and it was a bit of a disaster at times. I finally learned to say no when a player wanted to have a half dragon half vampire PC.

You can't please everyone and if you try you frequently end up pleasing no one. If someone wants to join my game and insists that they must play a drow (and have all the benefits and not the sunlight penalty, of course) I probably don't want them in my game in the first place.

 

[Minigiant]

Nobody claimed it was, so you're tilting at Strawmen here

I'm not making a strawman.

Lore beats PC options. But there has to actually be lore.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

he's being a douche.

no not in the examples... and stop it with name calling

 

[Voadam]

the fact that it wasn't caught by 3 or more people shows the restriction doesn't matter.

The fact that a mistake is made does not seem to indicate to me that the baseline does not matter.

The fact that an example of a contradiction in canon lore exists does not seem that surprising. Particularly in a large diverse project like Dragonlance with lots of authors and editors across hundreds of novels, D&D books, comics, and such, sometimes under time pressure for publication and being done by people with different levels of specific setting lore.

Out of curiosity, which of the 153 Dragonlance novels has the half-orc? I have only read about a dozen or so and do not recall seeing one, but it has been a long while for a lot of them for me.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm not making a strawman.

As nobody said that "because I said so" = lore, your invention of an argument not made and argument against it is in fact a Strawman.

Lore beats PC options. But there has to actually be lore.

No there doesn't. Because I say so with no lore is valid, if in my opinion substandard.

 

[Maxperson]

no not in the examples... and stop it with name calling

Who have I called names? Nobody here.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

The fact that a mistake is made does not seem to indicate to me that the baseline does not matter.

agin lets say it's a mistake... and 3 people who work on krynn know the theme and feel of krynn not only MADE the mistake but went through months of rewrites and never notices a problem...

others who have read it said if you changed it to a half oger or hobgob it would be fine... if simply switching out the title of the race makes the book work then the book shows the orcs are not an issue.

The fact that an example of a contradiction in canon lore exists does not seem that surprising. Particularly in a large diverse project like Dragonlance with lots of authors and editors across hundreds of novels, D&D books, comics, and such, sometimes under time pressure for publication and being done by people with different levels of specific setting lore.

correct, and you can tell when something stands out... when superman is killing, when batman is useing a gun, when something shakes the theme and feel of the story. the orc being there and treated like just another character didn't for the people who were in charge... so again I ask how it is possible for that to be true for a novel but at your game just letting a player make his half orc would 'ruin krynn'

Out of curiosity, which of the 153 Dragonlance novels has the half-orc? I have only read about a dozen or so and do not recall seeing one, but it has been a long while for a lot of them for me.

in the novel "Kendermore", the assassin Denzil is a half-orc

here is what I found it looks unoffical but it fits:

As a general rule, orcs do not exist in Krynn, though should you want them in your campaign, that's up to you. Soveriegn Press has released updated gaming products for 3e/3.5 amd the dragonlance campaign sourcebook, is the updated version of dragonlance adventures. as far as the half orc in "kendermore" it is my understanding that reprints have changed it to a half ogre or something, but it is generally accepted that any mention of an orc in DL should be considered a kendertale.

although I also found this:

It was 1992 (I think) and life was good..............

Anyway, it was a six book series released for the Spelljammer game line. In it, Teldin Moore, a farmer from Krynn became caught up in a quest to track down the legendary Spelljammer. Neogi crash landed on his farm and kidnapped him (don't quote me on the story line - its been twelve years). Anyway, he meets a half-way decent illithid, a psionic using half kender and battles the militaristic scro (advanced orcs waging a millennia long battle with the imperial elven army). Not a bad read if you can get your hands on it, although I seem to remember it getting a bit over the top (even for a fantasy novel) by the last book.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

the player being a douche

Who have I called names? Nobody here.

calling a player a douche is calling a name.
Edit: are you trying to get this thread closed too?

 

[Maxperson]

calling a player a douche is calling a name.
Edit: are you trying to get this thread closed too?

I called nobody here a name.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

player being a douche

I called nobody here a name.

can you not see your own posts?

Who have I called names? Nobody here.

player being a douche