Having multiple races in a fantasy setting is a common trope - more common than not - but has /tg/ ever considered the ramifications of having a world where several different species have developed and live aside one another? Particularly in the mindset of those who live there?
Most D&D-esque high fantasy settings treat views and relations between the different races as more or less extensions of the those between human cultures. Sure, these relations run the extent between deep alliances and utter racism and oppression but ultimately they play out the same as between different humans in the real world. Would it really be that simple?
How would the existence of elves and dwarves affect the human mindset concerning foreign cultures? Would they consider them more alien than other human civilizations? Does a human kingdom surrounded by elven, dwarven and other human states view the non-human ones through the exact same filter in terms of both potential benefits and threats? And how does the objective existence of non-human races affect humanities views on religion and their place in the universe (assuming a non-objective mythology)?
What about when the non-human races have a variety of cultures spread all over the world in the same way humans do? Does a human view a non-human next door as more alien than even his furthest flung human cousins, or do they view humans from another continent as more alien than neighboring non-humans- and if so, do they view the non-humans from said another continent as even MORE alien or roughly the same as THEIR human neighbors? How does the existence of elves affect a pseudo-white human ethnic group when they see a pseudo-black human ethnic group for the first time, assuming they recognize the other human group as humans and not a third race?
Obviously, these viewpoints will differ from person to person but there ultimately has to be a sort of baseline for most races when exposed to a completely separate species.
>>43931615
Well, taking real world experience into account.
We honestly treat other races, and even other Tribes the same as other species. This has a ton of historical precedence.
Ever heard of dehumanizing the enemy? It's so we can kill them better.
We don't forgive our own species for alien ideals, you think we'd forgive some other species?
Since our brain is extremely good at picking up patterns, we'd likely develop stereotypes against them, just like we would against a different human culture, or a pet dog.
In my homebrew, the race's are all subtlely racist against eachother. This would be advantageous to survival, so could easily be an evolved trait, however, they're all created by very jealous "gods" so it's more like the way a white blood cell would view something with different Antigen's than the host.
I've never told the players, but the way I describe the other races to them reflects a viewpoint even they don't realize is skewed.
That's my one dollar, ten cents.
>>43932603
Is there a difference between how different races view each other and how they view other ethnic groups within their own race? Does the existence of the forner at least affect how they view the latter?
I avoid most of this by having almost all of the playable races be humans or half humans/half other things. You still get the xenophopia with a bit of less foreignness so people can overcome it at least a little.
If you add a few stranger races as far away nations or as something kind of ubiquitous but not organized/united this could also help.
>>43934811
>Is there a difference between how they view eachother vice ethnic groups
Yes, but only specifically in that case because of the antigen-comparison.
>Does the existence of the former at least affect how they view the latter?
In a less-designed species, maybe?
Muslim's and Christians fought side by side to kill a more foreign, different-language-speaking Muslim enemy.
So, the real key to seeing someone as your brother is sharing cultural similarities with them.
Go crack the tabletop RPG book of the Witcher, anon. The Witcher: A Game of Imagination.
It makes DH look downright survivable.
>>43934874
>russians
>plenty of bees
>literally black men of europe
>>43935804
>DH
Dark Heresy? Also, is there an english version available?
>>43937476
There are a few fan translations around in varying degrees. I'm on my phone, but I found one on google drop box along with the original polish PDF.
And yeah, DH. Imagine playing DH with 1-2 wounds, tops, and stats about level 10 - 20 or 30 for witchers/sorceresses/priests. That's basically what it's like.
>>43931615
> a world where several different species have developed and live aside one another?
You mean like Earth?
You get some weird results when you google 'fantasy races'.
>>43935963
Black people have an affinity for bees?
>>43932603
This.
The one thing I'd like to add is that different ethnic groups might differ with how they're viewed within their own race depending on how different they look, but generally it would be the same way Americans from different states view each other. Stereotypes exist but not to the same extent.
