Assuming a generic fantasy setting with a wide variety of races and weirdos walking around, why would you ever play a human?
I mean, where's the fun in playing something you already are in real life?
>>47094415
Because as you said, the other races are weirdos. And it's hard to play something that isn't truly human because in order to do that convincingly you have to think in an inhuman mindset.
And for your specific example, humans seem to be the big strong race in the setting, so there's that.
In a game where everyone else plays all sorts of wacky, fucked up races with accompanied strange physiology, cultures and abilities, sometimes it's nice and interesting just to play the boring mundane human.
>>47094415
Because sometimes I don't want to be a goddamn elf
is that okay Brad
fucking is it
>>47094415
If there is nothing enticing about playing a human, it's a weakness of the setting.
The main draw is thus: to play an ordinary, familiar being in extraordinary circumstances. If the circumstances are not extraordinary enough to warrant interest, then there is little incentive.
Not to mention a 'fantasy human' would be quite different to a modern one, culturally and mentally at least even if not physiologically, and his milieu alien enough to warrant some glaring differences on those fronts.
Besides mechanical concerns, that humans are usually pretty strong and balanced compared to all others?
Power fantasy.
Shiwing off how superior humans are. Conquest and subjugation. Diplomacy and threats. Slavery and servitude to all others. HFY and so forth, you know the drill.
>>47094415
I'm a human in real life. But I'm not a strong, smart, capable, 10/10femalehuman in real life...
I also don't have dragon blood and magic either...
>>47094489
>dragon blood
But do you really count as human anymore at that point?
>>47094415
Because i like it. Same with dwarves, elves, orcs, sentient shades of purple, catgirls, robots and thousands of other concepts.
Wanting to play something is enough of a reason to play something, screw deep roleplayers and racial hipsters.
Because then you get to play as a human who lives in a world full of weird non-humans, which is a concept that can stand up entirely on its own if done right.
>>47094415
Because my party's thief is a halfling who can't do shit aside of detecting traps and using diplomacy. But he's truly a funny guy, even if he almost killed my priest with a fumble in our last session.
>>47094444
>>47094457
>>47094573
>Everyone else is doing an elf, goblin, kobold, catgirl, or a robot
>And then there's this one confused human in a bathrobe
The next time the entire rest of the party is playing nonhumans, I'm going to put this concept into play. Thanks, /tg/.
>>47094415
If your species is how you differentiate your character, maybe you should put some fucking effort in, you sack of shit.
Sick of asking people who their character is and getting back "Oh, I'm an elf fighter." That's WHAT you are, which is all things considered only a small part of who.
>>47094415
Because there's something that clicks just right when you're able to hold your own as a human in a world of weirdos. Or when you manage to outweird said weirdos. Either way your presence helps highlight the weirdness, a good point of reference, after all if everyone's weird then it won't feel like they are.
Besides I'm not just playing a human. I'm playing a character. What they are isn't as important as who they are.
>>47094644
>>47094668
Yeah, but if what you were didn't matter at all, all the fantasy games would only have humans around, or at least wouldn't allow you to roll up any nonhuman characters, right?
How come hobbits are hobbits instead of just a culture of lazy fat british people? Why aren't elves just wild forest men, dwarves a bunch of miners and craftsmen, orcs naught but northern rapey vikings?
What is it truly that makes them nonhuman? And if such an approach could be found, wouldn't that be a great thing to play and look into thoroughly?
>>47094415
To be honest, in most of the settings I run, I just say the other humanoid races "evolved" from humans in one way or another. Why do Dwarves and Elves look so much like humans and share so much of the same anatomy? Because they pretty much are humans, they've just been changed by their environment and/or magic/gods/fate/whatever.
>>47094708
Go away.
>>47094415
I've never in my life played a human.
>>47094734
What? Did I accidentally throw in some horribly outdated and overused bait?
I actually was just honestly wondering. I don't hang around /tg/ or 4chan in general enough to catch all the trolls and memes and know what I'm really talking about.
I'm sorry, though. I'll go.
>>47094415
As far as D&D goes, the extra feat and skill points are the things that make playing a human tempting compared to other races. If they got rid of that mechanic, I'm sure players would be more open to other races.
>>47094708
>What is it truly that makes them nonhuman?Depends on the setting.In novels it's more often than not an allegory or analogue of something. In games and novels copying works that put thought into their races it usually means they wanted to play something different for the sake of it. Nothing wrong with that though.
>And if such an approach could be found, wouldn't that be a great thing to play and look into thoroughly?
Yeah, of course. It hardly plays out that way sadly. Just my experience and what I've observed. It probably depends on the group and game. With D&D it's usually just to help highlight an archetype (nothing wrong with that) or to give oneself a stupid mechanical powergaming advantage by making a half-munchkin half-faggot or whatever abomination.
>>47094775
Personally I just like small animal people because A) animals are cute and fluffy, and B) small things kicking inordinate amounts of ass is both hilarious and awesome.
And I guess there are also some deep roleplaying opportunities about what it really means to be a little doggy person, so that's cool too.
>>47094453
You from Australia?
>>47094415
>where is the fun in playing a sentient being in a setting with inaminate objects?
>Where's the fun in playing something made of matter in a setting where there are also things made of energy?
>Where's the fun in playing a being in a setting where there are also not things?
>>47094862
>sentient
That's the keyword in your stupid shit.
Now, if someone actually did introduce a bunch of sentient tools or energy beings, I'd be all over it, but most settings don't really have that.
>>47094862
>Where's the fun in using actual good arguments in a world with slippery slope fallacy?
>>47094804
>B) small things kicking inordinate amounts of ass is both hilarious and awesome
Same here. I like to play the ankle biter races because of this (and any kind of machine race at times, but I digress). It's also why I enjoy playing humans. It's a similar feeling.
It's not to say humans are weak but that everyone else seems to have some kind of crazy advantage even if the big ones are just fluff.
This is simply my opinion but it doesn't 'click' as well cutting down the BBEG when you've practiced sword and sorcery for five lifetimes. Of course you won, and it would have been horrendously shameful if you lost with all your experience. Or you have the blood of dragons in your veins, you can fly, and ...the stakes feel a bit lower because of that. Being a formidable opponent yourself and crushing your foes with overwhelming might as a mere man is just something that feels really good. Especially when you bring down something older, wiser, bigger, and more innately gifted than you. Sort of like a David and Goliath thing.
>>47095069
It's the ever-so-appealing underdog angle. We like to play the weaker and less advantaged things, because they growing into heroes makes for a far greater difference than if you were some dragon-blooded elf thing to begin with.
Thing is, humans have quite a few mechanical advantages in most systems they're involved in - the bonus feat and skill points just one example. So, even if they're fluffwise nothing special, mechanically they still have an edge.
It's why I prefer goblins and kobolds and halflings. They lack that mechanical edge, -and- they're even smaller and weaker than humans, usually kicked around and bullied and seriously underestimated by the big folk. Having one of them grow into a legitimate hero is a character arc I always enjoy.
>>47094415
Because I feel like playing a human.
What more reason do I need? I play for fun after all!
>>47095304
Why do you feel like playing a human, though?
>>47095557
Because I don't feel like RPing an elf in a world where elves are stereotypically seen as tree-hugging faggots. And I don't want to play dwarves because they have a beard and if they don't they are considered crazy.
I just want to play a man who wants to find his place in nature and do his bit in preserving it against the encroaching, so called "civilized" folk. And that's all there is to it.
>>47094415
So let me get this straight - unless you go for 200% escapism, you are not having fun?
>>47094415
> I mean, where's the fun in playing something you already are in real life?
I can't do magic in real life. My cat doesn't respond to basic ranger commands. IRL Clerics can't even cast level 0 spells.
Also, the fun thing about halflings is flinging them, not being them. They're not halbeings, they're halflings.
>>47095881
Why go less than maximum? Why leave things halfway?
>>47095881
>Not Op
>No problem playing humans myself.
Whats wrong with that? You make it sound like a bad thing.
>>47095962
As much cynical it will sound - because I'm not a teen anymore. Not for a loooong while. I don't need special snowflake characters that are all about their quirkiness and special elements to enjoy the game.
That doesn't mean all my characters are Joe Average, but I can't bother when people see only two extreme ends of the spectrum - namely extremely bland and uninspired human characters and super-special non-human weirdos.
There is a shitload of things in-between. Things that only a kid would miss. Hence why I find those constant threads that advocade one or another extreme of this spectrum redundant and childish in their nature. I know I sound like ass-blasted old-fag, but the truth is - it comes with the age. At certain point you simply start seeing the whole thing in broader perspective than binary scale.
>>47095996
Because it's extreme? As I've already stated here: >>47096017 there are more things than "turbo-bland human" and "super-special wacko"
And what I dislike are extremes presented as the only possible choice. Not even extremes on their own, but perception of some stupid, binary choice, where you can get only the top ends of the stick, and not any other part of it
>>47094415
But I identify AS squirrelkin anon, it would be Nice to be a cislord for once
>>47096017
Might want to speak for yourself though, 'cause now you're just coming of as a pretentitious begin 20-somethinger. And really, the way you're describing it you're speaking about this like it's a massive life changing moment when you learn to have moderacy in your characters and enjoy it.
Which is by the way, something you just have a to enjoy as a person and is in no-way "the next level" or some non-sense. This is like saying it's a more refined way of having fun, whilst the end is completely the same and really it's just a form of growth you made as a person.
>>47094415
I live on the other side of the country from the rest of my group, meaning I'm usually the last to know of a campaign. So while everyone else has their chars thought of, I end up instead making my character in response to theirs, while still doing my best to come up with a character and backstory that can fit best.
So when they pick fantastical races, I pick a human to ground the group. And when everyone else is joe-normal hummies, I pick something slightly different, but still grounded and relatable to the group. Also, I try my best to avoid taking spotlight from the others, and instead bounce my roleplay and interactions off the others and get them involved.
I always find its best to be flexible in what you can and can't play.
>>47096504
I'm neither calling it "next level" nor implying it's the only way to enjoy thing. My point is about extremes, first, second and last.
When someone gives me a choice between 0 and 1, what real choice is that?
Why I relate it with age is because I'm a literally GM for hire - I'm working in local culture centre as guy running the tabletop section for kids and teens, I'm doing turns in local fantasy club, where mostly students show up and I'm running games in the library (since I'm librarian by trade and actual job) with 30-something people at the table.
It's a matter of observation here - the older they are, the less quirky their characters are, unless they are openly aiming for something wacky. It's not some fundamental norm, but then again, noticable majority of people behave like this. When you are running games for literal dozens of people all year round for pass 17 years, you damn sure see patterns.
So let me repeat myself again, with all points clear to avoid confusion:
- I hate binary extremes presented as the only choice
- I don't mind quirky characters at all (in fact, the whole speshal snofleik meme annoys much more than characters related with it)
- from my observation, the older the players, the less their characters are aimed at being special; the sole fact of playing and role-playing is enough gratification without going for quirky bits and elements
- if you are focusing on role-playing, it's usually the personality of the character and their motivations that drive the role-play, not what race they belong to - that's most often treated as additional flavour at best, mechanical bonus at worst (and greatly depends not only on the setting, but also game in question)
In short - binary choices made out of extremes are evil. Everything else is fine.
>>47094415
You speak only of WHAT your character is. While this can be an important point, it can never eclipse what truly matters - WHO you are. Nothing stops even a human from being interesting and worth playing.
That being said, during character creation, Who my character is is never truly clear to me. Yes, I can have ideas, but they rarely turn out the way I anticipated, for gameplay is strange and unpredictable. During that early stage I only know of the What, and like you said, humans in general aren't terribly interesting. So I spice up the character by playing something else, so that the What I am would become interesting as well, before the Who comes to prominence.
So even though I'm perfectly fine playing humans, I rarely do.
>>47094415
The other races are too gimmicky, for lack of a better word.
If you play anything other than a human your race defines part of your character more often than not, while if you're a human you can define your own character
I feel like the other races are just flavoring to a character. I like to make my character interesting by the backstory, how they act. Also being human in a party or a Tiefling, gnome, elf, and half elf make you the common person but completely unique to the party.
>>47097808
>>47097834
Anything can be gimmicky, or just flavor, if you do it wrong - even if you're human. You could, for instance, choose to play a black human, and turn the blackness into a gimmick.
Hell, how are other human races even any better than fantasy races in this context? How is playing a black or chinese guy (or a white guy if you all happen to be black or chinese) better, less gimmicky, than playing a gnome or half-orc or something?
>>47094415
I dislike playing fantasy races.
I dislike it a lot because I have been told that I "don't play them correctly": so what if I made a dwarf fisherman who has a deep connection to the ocean and a seagull companion, what is it to you? It's my character, not yours after all! The GM said it was okay to play a dwarf who catches fish for a living, so why do other players feel the need to give me a hard time? Seriously, you don't even know the personality of my dwarf, why are you assuming that he won't get along with you just because you play a fucking elf?
I am sick of seeing all the stereotypical snob elves that hate everyone who is not them, jew dwarves that hate the tree-huggers and drink 'till they go comatose, sneaky halflings with hairy feet. This is also why I developed a strong dislike for elves, since the players think it gives them a free-pass to bitch at everyone and everything: and when someone banters back they take it personally. Like, hello, what? Firstly, it's a game so calm the fuck down. Secondly, don't talk smack if you can't take it dude. Just fucking leave. Thirdly: you play an elf. Seriously, do you really think you won't get bitched at by the peasants when they see your oh-so-better-than-you fucking face?
Yeah, I play a human because then I don't have to make a cookie-cutter son of a fuck who has to fit into a certain category wether it be a class, stereotype, attitude or whatever: I can just play a person the way I want to play, without having to worry about the dwarves being mountain-dwelling anvil-fuckers or halflings gypsies just constantly stealing shit from other races because they are tiny and can't do shit.
TL;DR: I want to play a person, not a cardboard cutout of one so fucking fite me m8!
>>47098087
We all hate stereotypes, and players that perpetuate them and tell you you're doing it wrong when you don't play by them, but I don't see how the very idea of fantasy races is soiled because of it.
Hell, I've played many nonhumans and just about none of them have fit the usual stereotype, and no one ever gave me hard time for it. You just have shit players, man. Don't let them ruin the whole game for you.
>>47098087
>>47098109
Besides, a dwarf fisherman turned pirate (as I imagine probably happened) sounds like a pretty kickass character concept. I wouldn't have complained the slightest to have that in my table.
>>47098109
>We all hate stereotypes
I don't, if you're not going to Gimli it up then there's no point in playing a Dwarf. Your uniqueness of character should come from subtle things rather than completely inverting the idea of what a Dwarf is.
>>47098316
What's your opinion on the Hobbit dwarves? Stereotypical enough for you, or too unique to be anywhere but shit tier? Is a dwarven fisherman as bad as they are, or better, or worse?
>>47094708
Burning Wheel does this well
>>47098635
Shame it's also pretentious shit that's pretty much impossible to actually play.
Because I have fetishes for both Shortstacks and Amazons. Hence: I want to fug women much smaller than I and significantly larger, so I'll be a medium sized human avatar.
>>47099946
Why not an elf?
>>47101276
Different anon, but that's basically human with pointy ears in my book. Why even bother?
>>47101276
Elves are homosexual, they don't fuck women.
>>47101396
Play a girl elf, then.
>>47094708
Honestly I've never seen any convincing reason it shouldn't just all be humans. Doesn't really matter. Just let people have their fun.
>>47101276
Because it's not rape if it's an elf. I presume that applies to both sides of the transaction.
>>47101424
Anon, don't want to break that for you, but homosexauality means attraction to own gender, and not being gay.
>>47101525
>Honestly I've never seen any convincing reason it shouldn't just all be humans.
I don't know if it'd convince you, but for me it's never needed more reason than it being fantasy and fiction, and therefore anything goes, and there just being humans would make things kind of bland.
Myself I'm actually almost convinced there should be no humans at all, and they should instead be replaced with elves and hobbits and various animal people. Like, take the opposite route, take them entirely out of the equation. Anyone still wanting to play a human, do the whole Arthur Dent schtick, would be transported in from some other world, thus making them look even more out-of-place normal and making an even greater impression.
>>47101596
But that's the thing. If you play a girl elf, you get to fuck girl hobbits and girl amazons.
What if I play a human, but add cat ears and a cat tail? Maybe a rough tongue too.
>>47101634
No cock though and not really the same dynamic. Don't go into /d/ territory.
>>47101817
Strap-ons are hardly /d/.
>>47101607
>Myself I'm actually almost convinced there should be no humans at all, and they should instead be replaced with elves and hobbits and various animal people.
Here I thought I was the only one.
>>47101842
>needing a piece of equipment on you at all times to emulate the real deal
>need to play them like a girl and not a guy for it to work
>social dynamics, again, not the same
Might as well stick with a guy.
>>47098316
And then there's this faggot.
>>47098087
>I dislike it a lot because I have been told that I "don't play them correctly": so what if I made a dwarf fisherman who has a deep connection to the ocean and a seagull companion, what is it to you?
This is when you start slapping your group. And don't stop until they apologize and/or fall unconscious.
>>47098316
>if you're not going to Gimli it up then there's no point in playing a Dwarf
People like you are the reason why games GMed by me are strictly dwarf-free. And players are kicked out the moment they decide to play as one, regardless of their actual idea for character.
Because I'm sick and tired of faggots who just "Gimli it up"
>mfw played a wide variety of characters, including Humans, Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, Robots, Vampires, Catpeople and many others
>mfw never played them as a cookie-cutter members of the race, every one had a decent (i hope) backstory and motivation
>mfw never had any problem with groups
>mfw there are spergs on /tg/ who insist other people's characters SHOULD be played in a certain way
Seriously, guys, why are we having this dumb discussion yet again?
>>47102305
>And players are kicked out the moment they decide to play as one, regardless of their actual idea for character.
That's a bit much. Did you have a traumatic experience with dwarves or something?
>>47101717
That'sa racein my setting, so i'd allow it.
>>47101717
>Maybe a rough tongue too.
I honestly can't think of a situation where that would come up or be plot relevant.
Because I play bards.
>>47102569
No, I have traumatic experience with Gimli meme. Had to endure the entire WAVE of Gimlis in early 00s, right after the films, because, duh, being oldfag sucks and sucks especially when you are forever GM.
So after having to deal with Gimlis for few years straight, I simply put a 2nd rule:
No dwarves. Ever.
I don't care about details, how fleshed out the concept is or whatever else. If it's a dwarf - go find different GM. All my regulars are doing just fine, most of new players I GM for don't mind that at all. Those who mind - they search for new GM.The 1st rule is: Never be an asshole to anyone else in the group. Ever
>>47102788
Are there any dwarves in your setting at all? Is it possible for a character to die and be Reincarnated as one?
Interacting with fantasy shit is different than playing fantasy shit. I don't really see a problem with either to a point though
>>47101717
I don't really mind races like that. I have a much easier time making them work in a setting than dealing with 500 year lifespans. I just really hate the "let's make a race for every fucking build possible" thing where you end up having more races than places to put them
>>47102844
No dwarves = not existing within the setting.
This also means no equivalent race or culture. The rule exists to fight off specific character (not even type of character, mind you), namely - The Dwarf.
So no, there are no bloody dwarves within the setting. And if I'm GMing using a game that has them - they don't show up in any campaign or scenario and PCs can't be dwarves.
Got problem with any of that - find another GM.
>>47102943
Eh, I don't have a problem with that - I myself find dwarves, and elves to a lesser extent, incredibly overused and thoroughly boring. I was just curious.
>>47102943
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7gLs6ikIgw
>>47102660
>you may now kiss the bride
>AAAGH IT'S TRYING TO KILL ME
>>47102969
Well, now you know. I'm allowing my players to play pretty much whatever they want... as long as it's not dorf. And I mean - whatever they want.
>>47102988
>kissing with tongue
>>47094415
Because im autiscitcally humanocentric.
I can't play anything else than average, human male or my fucking OC/tg/D kicks in.
I don't know why but if i can't roleplay some being to my high standards i just give up.
Its fine when im just playing but is a bane for my GMing.
>>47094415
>You play as a human ?
>Why don't you play as a human with green skin or a short human?
>They have a racial personality quirk and are SO different!
>>47103595
Yeah, this is pretty much exactly why the usual standard race thing doesn't work at all. You either ditch everything but humans, or you ditch humans.
Personally I'd favor the latter, if only because it'll end up with a more colorful setting.
>>47103595
In a way everything about other races is just human sterotypes in extreme.
fantasy was a mistake
>>47103642
That's my problem. Yeah sure, I can play dragonborn, I like their looks, but they are still humans with different skin. I have no problem with other people playing what they want, but I will never understand gms/players who are giving me bad looks for playing human. Like, you still roleplay your elfs and dwarves as irish craftsmen/bunch of french dicks, so why can't I play a human who looks like one?
To bring order to the chaos of the world and place the heel of the boot of humanity on the throat of the god damned monster people filling it to the brim
>>47094415
I used to think this way too, but actually being a human is better. Discovering and interacting with all the wonderful, magical and mysterious weird things looses charm if you're a magical weirdo too.
>>47103728
It's really their own fault if the humans in their homebrew setting aren't interesting too. Like take the humans in TES. Human doesn't automatically mean Bob the median everything accountant from the American Midwest.
>>47103800
This. How can I appreciate the weirdness if I got my own weird thing going on? Not that my humans don't end up weird from time to time when I play them.
>>47103800
>>47103839
I like to take the opposite view and play as a nonhuman in a fantasy world that is still mostly filled up with humans, taking a new perspective to things any of us would consider familiar.
>>47103839
Yeah, but a human weirdo is a different thing. You always have this anchor called humanity preventing yourself from going too far. Even if your setting/system allows humans to fly or kill monsters with one punch.
>Le epic other races are humans with x meme XD
I wish this would die.
I wish "standard" fantasy would die.
I wish anyone who unironically blabbers about "standard" fantasy would die.
I wish anyone who polices other people's characters (and is not the GM) would die.
>>47094415
Because unless you're playing your real world self, you are not actually playing something you already are in real life.
You can't be so dense that you think playing a motherfucking wizard or a knight is somehow bland and boring just because it's human. How much do you really have in common with that character besides having roughly the same number of limbs?
What race your character is is arguably one of the least interesting parts of it. The character's attitude, outlook, life story and way of dealing with the world all matter way more than if you have green skin or pointy ears, from the perspective of the player, and playing human gives you a pretty good reference point, you can relate to what existing physically as a human is like. It's a lot harder (arguably without much in the way of payoff) to play something with a completely different physical configuration or senses that you have never experienced.
You can only jerk off to setting trivia so many times, memorable characters are about personality, not playing the most exotic species possible.
This all sounds like someone trying to justify his elf fetish or something.
Dude, how come you NEVER play human?
>Uhm, knock it off you guys, I can play whatever I want...
Sure, but seriously, never?
>What's the big deal, if you can play an orc wy can't I play a fey catboy half demon?! *cries
>>47103904
Isn't it funny that Scifi has more freedom with its races than "standard" Fantasy?
>>47103861
This can also be fun and interesting, I agree, but it's only effective if there's gonna be a lot of social and day-to-day situations. If it's gonna be mainly about adventure and discovering new worlds and horizons, the human is better and funnier in my opinion.
I've played them a couple times before because of mechanical reasons and just that the history and kind of character I had in mind didn't need the character oo be any race.
Though mostly, I do agree that humans are pretty dull and I usually go with halflings, dwarves, or half orcs with my D&D characters.
>>47103933
Most Scifi is actually space fantasy, to be honest, with the science in science-fiction almost nowhere to be seen.
Which isn't something bad if you're into that.
>>47103809
Dude, by "dragonborn" I meant literal dragonborns from 4-5 editions of d&d.
>>47103931
It's true that your race is the single most uninteresting and unimportant part of you, but why not roll up something else while you're at it? Might as well be a little more different and weird.
None of that more interesting stuff, attitude and outlook and such things, ever really show for me during character creation anyway: they only start to show and evolve during the game itself. So if I roll up a human, then at the chargen stage I will have nothing interesting going on.
If I do manage to roll up a human, though, I can play him fine. It's just, I really see no reason to.
>>47103933
>>47103904
You only think that because you think that D&D is somehow standard fantasy rather than it's very own, distinct, inbred niche that caters specifically to it's existing fanbase.
There is a lot of fantasy without the elf, dwarf, orc, human lineup.
>>47103933
No it hasn't, it's just that the average /tg/ person thinks that all fantasy is like a forgotten realms novel.
>>47103958
Yeah. That's true but the point is similar. Space Fantasy has more freedom with its races than earthbound Fantasy even though Space Fantasy sometimes tries to pass itself off as SciFi. Kind of funny.
>>47103980
>Nothing interesting during chargen
I just can't relate to that at all. You can't make it through chargen unless you have some pointy ears or exotic skintone to focus on?
We are probably playing very different games in very different groups, but having a totally blank slate character who's only defining feature is looks when the first session start sounds kinda meh.
>>47103981
I think that's because Warcraft, Warhammer (both flavours), Pathfinder, Shadowrun, TES (a bit better but still kind of there), etc. etc.
Are popular too. It's not just D&D. Keep in mind I'm aware on the /lit/ side of things fantasy isn't trapped like this, but games? Ehhhhh
>>47103996
I think it's easily explained because moving fantasy to space is already getting out of the "standard". Like with everything else, the hard step is the first one, and once you're in space people tolerates the other changes.
It helps that Scifi (or the space in general) is very popular by itself so you can do this first step easily.
>>47104027
I can give my characters backstories and personality and such, of course, even try to write something interesting - but it all tends to be overriden by the actual campaign events anyway. I don't want to put anything truly important in the backstory because the backstory is just the stuff that got him to this point - the campaign itself is where the real story begins. The story is supposed to be the most important day(s) in their life, after all. So if the campaign doesn't thoroughly fuck them up and provoke some incredible change and the beginning of a story arc that turns them into a whole different person, I'll be sorely disappointed.
But with all that interesting stuff gone, yes, there's not much left. So I give them pointy ears.
This thread made me realized I've only played as a non-human once, and that was in Shadowrun.
My characters have been in this order...
Half-Elf, Human, Human, Human, Human, Half-Orc, Human, Half-Orc, Ork.
>>47094415
Now reading this thread I feel very fortunate to have been playing a group that only saw two and a half non-human characters (out of a total of 12 counting all of them).
I don't hate non-humans, on the contrary the aforementioned ones where great and unique, but that would've been negated if we had only played as magical monsters.
>>47103904
I would be really, really glad if that was just a stupid meme.
Faced waaaaay too many cardboard-cut out characters that were basically Human+ to laugh at this "meme". It's not even how games describe given races, it's how players play them all the same.
I can't remember last time when dwarf wasn't just Gimli driven to level of unintended parody
>>47104044
I think that makes sense for stuff like Star Wars but stuff like Mass Effect can sort of fool folks that it's a soft Scifi. My own pet theory is that in our current zeitgeist we as an audience really can't accept certain things as they are anymore. Fucking people trying pick apart Pacific Rim. Like no shit, I don't think they were going for optimal and realistic choices guys. With space stuff you tend to make up explanations or have something existing with its own little facts. Like the XYZ race breathes methane. That satisfies our autism and promises we'll keep our supsension of disbelief if you do something kind of weird.
>>47104174
And it's often a parody of movie gimli, who was a parody of book gimli (I still enjoyed both, though).
>>47104253
I completely agree.
>>47104267
I enjoy none, since every single fucking dwarf in tabletop RPG is basically Gimli. I'm sick and tired of this
>>47104451
I played a stuttering, puppet-loving dwarf wizard once. A dwarf fisherman was brought up higher up. Your generalization is rather unfair.
>>47104451
It's because Gimli was made into a race and they took the name of another race (dwarves) and gave it to this new OC donut steel Gimli race. Some say the corpses of the true dwarves lie forgotten far below the earth, so deep even the residents of the Underdark dare not tread there.
>>47104529
The generalisation comes from the rather traumatic experience. For past decade I've faced over 40 different dwarves.
You want to know how many of them weren't Gimli?
6
And you know how many of those 6 weren't Thorin?
1
That gives grand total of SINGLE original character within 10 fucking years. Now it might be just generalisation and bad luck, but from my perspective this "race" (consisting of single character) is just toxic.
>>47104587
Damn, man, I'm sorry to hear it.
I try to flavor up my dwarves. Dwarf kidnapped from his family and spent some time in the underdark as a slavecrafter becoming a rogue while escaping. Deurgar historian (runecaster) trying to fill out his city's archives. Really those are the only two memorable one's I've played in a long while, I'm a forever gm.
>>47104587
I'm sorry but I'm just imaging this personal hell where you're chained to a table and have to GM for a group of Gimli clones.
>Every other race lives for 100s of years
>Every other race has some sort of boon, like trees watching out for them or living in fortified mountains
>Every other race specializes into something
And then you have humans. Shortest lives, average at everything, no one watching out for them.
Yet they're often the ones conquering empires, holding off hordes of enemies, and saving the world in general. No one even knows why we're able to do all of this shit. We just do it.
How can you NOT play a race like that?
TL;DR: Humanity. Fuck yeah.
>>47105473
I always thought the long lived nature of other races was kind of poorly concieved for a game with playable races. It's an awkward holdover from when this was still a novelty and people just straight ported fantasy races from their favorite novel that had no game balance in mind.
>>47105567
Early on, it was fixed by having level limitations for the longer lived races.
Sure, elves have all the time in the world to learn the secrets of magic, but they cap out at 3/4s of what a human mage can ultimately do.
>>47105609
I thought that was a clunky way to have one's cake and eat it too. I just prefer the modern method even if it's weird fluffwise. The solution is to make original races (or rewrite a detail or two of an existing one if you must) that won't have this dilemma in the first place but hindsight is 20/20
>>47094415
I like playing human so I can self-insert.
I know that must be a boring faggot for self-inserting, but the only times I can feel a little better about myself is when I'm playing a character that's secretly just me and I can pretend for a few hours that I'm not a complete and utter failure of a human being.
>>47094415
I am fun in real life
>>47094415
>why play a human over humans with slightly different features?
Because they're all basically the same fucking thing.
>>47103133
Wow, that's just nutty.
I see your point and raise you classes
Why the fuck would you want to play someone who swings a stick good or can be a pansy in the shadow when you could be a person who fucking twister of reality.
>>47108530
> twister of reality
...made out of glass.
>>47108530
Why be some conjurer of cheap tricks when you can be like these guys?
Look back upon your mythology. Look and see what fighters were.
Hercules: Slays great monsters singlehandedly, strong enough to hold up the sky and reshape geography.
Achilles: Infinite damage reduction save for one spot on his heel. Had he not been struck with a poisoned arrow no blow to his heel would have killed him either.
Sun Wukong: Can swing around his 17k lb staff, can jump about at 34k miles an hour, can transform and make clones of himself out of his hair. Also knows some magic spells.
Cu Chulainn: Superstrong and near invincible, kills great monsters alone and is only finally slain after being forced to break his geas and be cursed and getting struck with magical weaponry.
Odysseus: Smarter than any hero, basically Greek Batman but also super strong, married, and who also bangs hot nymphs.
Beowulf: So strong he rips a super-trolls arm off, fights its mother with acid blood and wins, then singehandedly murders a full grown dragon.
King Arthur: With Excalibur's sheath he cannot ever be forced to shed blood, the blade itself shines like 30 torches and cuts steel.
Even if you don't subscribe to that it's the same principle as
>>47095069
>>47095102
>>47102943
Not him but what planet are you from that dwarves are a bigger problem than elves? I've never seen a likeable elf character. Every fucking time I GM for strangers some faggot shows up with his fucking waifu aryan anime elf chick or neonazi superhuman guy elf. I'd trade that for a stream of identical dorfs any day - at the very least they aren't fetish bait.
>>47094415
>why would you ever play a human?
Why would I ever play a weirdo?
How do I praise Pelor in all his glory while not being a human?
Why be anything other than humanin 3.5when the extra human feat makes up for any benefit you get from the other races with none of the drawbacks?
Why do you furfags play non-human races? Are you trying to be special snowflakes the easy way?
>>47108663
I thought no one elfwanked too hard since the old days when they were the vampires of yesteryear. They pissed off their group enough that those group members grew up and went on to portray elves like they do in TES, 40k, and various other games where they're smug racist assholes giving us a more concrete reason to dislike them.
>>47108779
>How do I praise Pelor in all his glory while not being a human?
Isn't Pelor a generally-available deity anyone can worship? I know he was in 4th edition though there all of them kind of were.
>>47108878
Well, see; about that....
>>47108878
I'm of the mind that Zarus makes up some small part of Pelor and teaches us to reach for perfection and to pity the non-human races.
>>47094415
Is the human's head trying to escape from his body?
>>47094415
>Why do you play a human?
>60% Of the replies can't make get through their argument for why without dissing other players who want to play something else, or dissing the very concept of other races besides human.
Jesus Christ /tg/.
>>47094415
Being different from yourself in ways other than fantasy race... like you know, magic, or fightan-skillz etc...
>>47109045
>>100% Of the OP can't make get through their question for why without dissing other races who want to play something else, or dissing the very concept of other races besides human.
>>47109045
Maybe I've just been skimming too much but I think you have a skewed perception of 60%. A lot of the dissing of other races ITT is more off topic like the GM who banned dwarves because of seeing too many Gimlis. There are some good posts in here anyway so it's just Sturgeon's Law in action. The worst of it for the most part is people shooting same question right back at OP, that's really not unfair.
>>47105473
Orcs and goblins and such have no boons, no long lives, and can be even weaker than humans. Why not play as one?
>>47094415
Personally, OP, I like the juxtaposition. It also helps set a baseline for a group. If everyone is a weirdo, nobody is. If everyone in my group is playing something strange, I'll play a fighter.
Conversely, if everyone is being relatively stock and boring, I'll ask the GM if I can play something particularly weird.
>>47111079
'Cuz they ugly as shit.
>>47105473
Humans breed like rats, that's why.
>>47094415
Is this what furries believe
>>47105473
>No one even knows why we're able to do all of this shit.
It's because we're all humans and therefore the humans will have the dominant position in the world. Even in the rare cases they don't - like in a post-apocalyptic setting where monsters or aliens or naked giants or whatever have taken over - the struggle still centers on the humans.
Humans are the fucking Mary Sues. Not in the sense that they're really powerful or good at everything, but in the sense that all stories will invariably revolve around the fuckers. And we've done nothing whatsoever to deserve that attention save being born human.
>>47112009
Goblins breed even faster, yet they're never in charge of shit.
Hell, just about anything besides elves and dwarves breeds faster than humans.
>>47112041
Yeah this is totes what furries believe
>>47094415
Let's make a thread based on strawmaning! What could possibly go wrong?
>>47115651
Well, it'd only be a strawman if we really weren't all humans in real life.
>>47113121
But they ugly as shit
>>47112041
this tbqh.
>>47108663
But what if my aryan neonazi super-elf quits because she doesn't like their treatment of other races? What if she's actually only half elf, created as part of desperate and hypocritical supersoldier breeding program combining the grace and magical ability of elves with the stature and hardiness of humans in order to combat the duergar menace, and despite her upbringing, considers herself as much human as elf? What if she would now fight against her own people to attempt to change their xenophobic ways, as well as attend to locate and free her human father from whatever concentration camp he's being held at?
>>47094415
So I can be the ultimate social chameleon.
Humans are, normally, the most genereic of races, so with some make-up/disguise/etc I can pass as any race, if somewhat deformed. I can be a tall halfling, a short orc, etc.
And then? Then I can steal everything, and steal the identity of everyone.
>>47118518
>ultimate social chameleon
>not a changeling or a doppelganger
