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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dykstrav" data-source="post: 5141831" data-attributes="member: 40522">Generally speaking, I prefer a game where human characters are the norm, where human nations tend to dominate the campaign area, and where non-human races are at least given a nod towards being unusual.The single biggest reason is because I find that the stereotypes (or archetypes, if you prefer) of these fantasy races are usually treated like discrete boxes of what is and is not acceptable for a character. For example... In a Norse-type setting, I wanted to play an elf fighter that concentrated on archery. His melee weapon? Battleaxe. I prefer axes to swords, and I wasn't going to limit my character's options based on the common image that elves have in contemporary fantasy. Some players reacted with, "Oh, cool, it's neat that someone is playing an elf that doesn't use a longsword or rapier." Some players reacted with, "You're playing your character wrong, an elf would never use an axe--they get longsword proficiency as a racial trait." (Or some other rationalization.)For what it's worth, I've had the same reactions when I want to play a paladin that uses a battleaxe or ranged weapons instead of a longsword or bastard sword. I'm not suggesting that this attitude is limited to perceptions of character race... It's just another set of borders that people want to limit their characters with.I inwardly cringe every time I game with someone playing a dwarf with a Scottish accent.I enjoy settings where character race isn't intimately tied to the character's identity. I'd rather that characters make decisions based on their personality rather than their race, class, or alignment. Just as every member of a given ethnic or religious background in real life doesn't follow the assumed images of their culture (whether positive or negative), I don't see why some players insist that it's "good role-playing" to ham it up with fantasy stereotypes.</blockquote>

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