Which element could D&D stand to lose more?

[SKyOdin]

If I really had to choose, I would get rid of the elves. I generally think that D&D has been way too comfortable sticking to so-called vanilla fantasy, and could be better served by trying out more new races and ideas, so I prefer movements towards the less traditional.

Truth be told, I would rather reform or modify elves than get rid of them entirely.

 

[Kobold Boots]

The thing with me is Elves are Elves. If you got rid of them you'd need to put them back in in non-elf form just to make a majority of high fantasy compatible with the high-fantasy game.

The thing with Psionics is I can just as easily accomplish the cool factor of psi with magic by house ruling some stuff. Making it a different power source is cool, but entirely unnecessary and optional. A really decent DM could make the same argument for the differences between divine and arcane. Note that I'm not arguing that either divine or arcane are unnecessary.. it's simply that one of the three is entirely unnecessary and I choose psi

 

[renau1g]

Kill 'em all and let the gods sort 'em out...

 

[coyote6]

I said psionics; psionics seems to be more disposable than elves. If you gave Jon Q Public a "which one of these come to mind when you think of D&D" kind of test, I'm pretty sure "elves" would come up more than "psionics".

 

[MortalPlague]

I generally think that D&D has been way too comfortable sticking to so-called vanilla fantasy...

I think one of the main appeals of D&D to a new player is the vanilla fantasy. Even I enjoy that aspect from time to time, and I've been gaming for more than twelve years. It's great for D&D to start with vanilla, and allow DMs to change things up for their campaigns as they see fit.

Also, isn't this what the campaign settings are for? Anyone who wants to start up with D&D but wants psionics in a big way might be drawn to Dark Sun.

 

[john112364]

I like both personally, but as Crothian said psionics seems always to be an after thought. Elves on the other hand are very iconic to DnD going back to the Tolkien influences. I voted psionics btw.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

I'd do both, just because I want to cut D&D into little pieces and stick them back together weird.

However realistically I'd cut humans first, because they have a higher "holier than thou" content than elves across all spectrums of storytelling.

 

[Kaodi]

I think a more interesting question for all of us who have played for a good while would be " If you were to start a new campaign today and were looking for standard elements to cut to shake things up a little, would you ditch elves or psionics? "

 

[IronWolf]

I think one of the main appeals of D&D to a new player is the vanilla fantasy. Even I enjoy that aspect from time to time, and I've been gaming for more than twelve years. It's great for D&D to start with vanilla, and allow DMs to change things up for their campaigns as they see fit.

I agree that one of the appeals of D&D is the vanilla fantasy with options for a DM to add sprinkles and modify as he or she sees fit in their world. Elves just seem to fit in a stereotypical fantasy world. If a DM chooses to build a campaign world without elves, then that's cool, but I don't think removing them from the general, base assumption is good.

 

[Kobold Boots]

I think a more interesting question for all of us who have played for a good while would be " If you were to start a new campaign today and were looking for standard elements to cut to shake things up a little, would you ditch elves or psionics? "

I think that calling psionics a standard element is pushing it a bit.

I've grown to dislike psionics and excessive use of all races except for humans.

There's a prevailing theme in a lot of high fantasy of the rise of the human race and turning back the tides of darkness and ignorance. Other races have usually had their time and are fading into legend or taking their place in the world out of the eyes of responsibility. Now this may be Americanized mythology but it's out there.

So when I look at how to run a world, provided I want to cut something, I first look at the PC group and say.. what is it that you guys want to run? I figure those guys are the exceptions to the demograph and allow them to be anything so long as it's not overdone or I decide to apply a status of "truly rare or extinct" to a race.

Once that's done I take the rest of the world. My PCs may be the only pair of elves or dwarf or whatever in the area of the world they're in. They're really special and the other PCs by definition are really special by association.. so when they eventually get to the citadel or the elven city and they're the first outsiders in X to be there.. it's cool.

I think that a lot of the "we must change elves or ditch elves" mentality comes from them being overdone by players. Same with psionics to a lesser extent, but I think with psi, the issue is game balance. Up until 4e there's always been something wrong with them, and I'd argue it's gotten much better over time as 1E psi, if you had it.. was insanely unbalancing.