D&D General Wildly Diverse "Circus Troupe" Adventuring Parties

[Paul Farquhar]

The main point is that “circus troupe” parties remain uncommon. I played a Wemic and a Flind in 2e yet the majority of my characters Have been human or half-elf.

I gave 20+ options in my current games and 1 party is human, wood elf, half-wood elf, and dwarf. The other is human, dwarf, high elf, aasimar, and gnome.

The second party is most diverse I have seen in years.

This may be changing but I think most people still prefer to hew closer to human-like species.

Tell that to the were-pig, warforged-zombie hybrid, anthropomorphic house cat, and the gith (the normal one) who were in the party last night.

I don’t think your experience is common, and is probably down to the age and culture of your players.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Tell that to the were-pig, warforged-zombie hybrid, anthropomorphic house cat, and the gith (the normal one) who were in the party last night.

I don’t think your experience is common, and is probably down to the age and culture of your players.

Its probably one of those things that varies immensely depending on game culture as much as age. There were people who liked playing non-humans, even non-humanoids a half centrury ago when they had to do all the heavy lifting themselves, and some of them still are around. I've got one player of my approximate age who will, given a chance, play almost anything but a human, and the farthest away the better usually (in the various Pathfinder and Starfinder 2e games I've been in she's mostly played various intelligent big cats). I think the last time I saw someone play an elf, dwarf, half-elf or halfling it was me; it was either things farther afield or just humans.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There were people who liked playing non-humans, even non-humanoids a half centrury ago

True. I played a half-ogre 2/5ths of a century ago.

 

[ECMO3]

Tell that to the were-pig, warforged-zombie hybrid, anthropomorphic house cat, and the gith (the normal one) who were in the party last night.

I don’t think your experience is common, and is probably down to the age and culture of your players.

IME around 60% of players use PHB species, with half of those using Human and Dwarf alone since 2024 was published.

In the games I am playing this week:

Game 1: Aasimar, Elf, Human, Damphir, Dwarf, Human

Game 2: Shifter, Goliath, Teifling, Gnome, Elf

Game 3: Birdman of some sort, Tiefling, Aasimar, Human

Game 4: Human, Satyr, Bugbear, Human

 

[Belen]

It’s really not worth the argument. I tend to allow a lot of species depending on my current setting but I do have limits and mainly has to do with making sure they make setting sense.

I will bend for a player but they end up getting a planar or other origin so that I do not have to account for culture, region, etc.

 

[CleverNickName]

Just last Sunday, we rolled up characters for our "Couples D&D Group" (three married couples who play D&D together). I'm the DM, and we have two half-orcs, a human, a dragonborn, and a faun in the party. It might not be the Fellowship of the Ring, but I wouldn't call it a "circus troupe" either.

 

[Incenjucar]

I have a personal philosophy to never do in a game what I could do in real life, and to overall seek new experiences, so I will almost always try something new when given the chance. I will respect in others their preferences but if I do something too samey I will literally physically fall asleep no matter how awake I am.

Incidentally the circus is full of amazingly skilled people, there's a reason superheroes are based on them.

 

[DammitVictor]

(Being pissy? Fine. 20 page necro? Fine. 20 page necro to be pissy? Pass. Sorry, folks.)