Youre favorite style of Elf

[Khayman]

Like the faerie court in Sandman, when they met Shakespeare.

Each one different, some tall, some short and gnome-like. Most beautiful but a few hideous. All of them with bestial or floral traits, such as a fox's tail, asses' ears, leaves for hair, cat-like eyes, cloven hooves, milk for blood, and so forth. Many are dressed in antiquated frippery and speak in archaic dialects, implying great age. They're haughty, somewhat dangerous, and impressed by bold action (when it doesn't annoy them, that is).

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Execution style.

 

[AIM-54]

As mentioned above, I like elves to be wild creatures. I also like them to other than forest-dwellers. Nomadic prairie elves I think are my favorite, but I don't think I've run into them outside my own creations.

But seriously, who could turn down a fine, elven curry?

 

[Khayman]

But seriously, who could turn down a fine, elven curry?

Orcs. They're all raw-food vegan fanatics.

 

[Torm]

I did the elves/grays thing a few years back in a WWII-meets-Faerunian-Deities-on-a-parallel Earth sort of campaign. I stole the Fraal from Alternity and called them Deep Elves, and said they had left the world long ago. The PCs encountered some on the Moon, if I recall correctly. And then Aleerins (Mechalus) on Aleera (Mars).

Oh, and my favorite elves are cheesecake elves, and I agree that Faith Hill looks like one.

 

[John Morrow]

In many RPG's elves have different looks. Never seems to be a consensus on what style is preferred. So the style I like the best is the one shown in the Warcraft RPG. They just look plain cool. But I hate the way they are shown in the PHB. They look like some Grayling alien/human hybrid from an X Files script that was scrapped due to "lack of talent on behalf of the writer."

I don't like the PHB elves, either. They simply are not attractive. The halflins and gnomes are strange-looking, too, but that's also part of the whole fantasy-punk style of art in the PHB. The Warhammer FRP (and Fantasy Battles) setting does elves with stranged-shaped faces much better (and I like other aspects of the Warhammer FRP elves, too). I do like the look of the Warcraft Elves, which is to say that I don't mind elves that look essentially human. I don't mind the large-eared anime elves so long as the ears go up more than they go out. When they go out too much, they look like donkey ears, in my opinion. I've seen some computer graphic renderings online that got the effect right.

 

[John Morrow]

Oh, and my favorite elves are cheesecake elves, and I agree that Faith Hill looks like one.

Steve Jackson Games got a lot of milage out of their repeated (often April issue) promise of "Naked Elf Women" in the next issue of The Space Gamer.

 

[Gothmog]

The best elf portrayal (and very similar to what I use in my games) is that of Terry Pratchett in "Lords and Ladies". They are alien, cruel beings from another dimension (realm of Faerie) that are very supernatural and completely amoral and detached.

As for the best elves, a half-orc buddy of mine says they are very good spitted over an open fire, with a light seasoned bourbon marinade or sweet BBQ sauce. Mmmmm, elf ribs.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Much as I'd like to say Poison Elves-style elves, visually they're just humans with big pointy-ears.

Poul Anderson's Broken Sword had some interesting elves, bringing them back to their Fey roots. As I recall, their entire eye was a uniform blue color.

I envision them much like the old Elmore and Easley depictions. Shorter than humans, lithe, with pointed ears longer than the LOTR-style (film) ears but not as exaggerated as the anime ears.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

The best elf portrayal (and very similar to what I use in my games) is that of Terry Pratchett in "Lords and Ladies". They are alien, cruel beings from another dimension (realm of Faerie) that are very supernatural and completely amoral and detached.

Sounds just like Moorcock's Elric elves. Alien, cruel beings from another dimension, that have all sort of supernatural powers (from their patron lords of chaos & summoned entities). Who complelty amoral & are so detached from the world they are just letting it pass them by.

Haven't read Pratchett & am not implying he "ripped Moorcock off". Just from your intial post, that statement could be used to describe Moorcock's elves perfectly.