Thread 96200237

Why was it so taboo back in the day to play as a non human or non humanoid? it's fantasy overall, fi the player can rp and play well id say let him idk as long as it makes sense setting wise idk

Because the fiction rarely used non-human protagonists and Gygax couldn't think of a better way to keep appreciable advatages from running over human-default than layers upon layers of typecasting and nerf-bats.

>>96200282
maybe americans are just too dump to rp non humans let alone a non American lmao

>>96200237 (OP)
It was not taboo then, nogames. Even when the hobby was still getting started people played non humans as Gygax let someone play as a balrog

>>96200237 (OP)
It wasn't. People wanted to play nonhumans all the time, which is why they were added, first as race-as-class and later as template modifiers. The tolkeinien influence made Elves and Hobbits extremely popular heroes.

>>96200328
>OP is a brown third-world zoomer
Oh that explains the bizarre low quality thread.

>>96200237 (OP)
It wasn't.

>>96200665
pipe down mystery meat

>>96200237 (OP)
It literally was not.

>>96200390
That's because Gygax wasn't really running a game and his personal "style" as a "GM" was to just dictate a novel and then play Mother May I with his arbitrary whims in between exposition. In that sense, it did not fucking matter what the players were doing. All that mattered was how well they entertained him.

The concept of game design and "balance" and whatever is anachronistic in all cases when applied to D&D before circa 1990 or later.

>>96200981
It really was. Been playing since the summer of 82, literally no group I was in had demihumans in them until around 93 or 94 and even then it was a rarity. Wasn't until 3e came along that the groups I played with were majority demihuman.

>>96200237 (OP)
>Why was it so taboo back in the day to play as a non human or non humanoid?
no it wasnt
gary gygax included totally-not-LOTR archetypes despite his indifference to the books because they were popular and have been core choices since the original 70s publication
gary gygax wanted a primarily human cast but this never actually matched with how people actually played the game, where elf having only a single class (elf) was the only reason more people didnt play it

>>96200237 (OP)
It wasn't taboo and we did it all the time. This thread is low quality and you should feel bad

>>96201183
Yes, everyone can tell you are a dumb nogames who was born sometime after 2010.

>>96201638
>your life experience is contrary to my own?
>you must not be a real person, or are lying!
narcissism

>>96201857
The irony of your stupid reply.

>>96201965
lol

>>96201183
>demihumans
Fuck off.

>old school answer
It's too hard to do because we are human and and most people can't be expected to convincingly play such a role, plus the fear that nobody would play humans if the non-humans were too good.
>modern answer
Muh furries, muh relatability. Assumption is most people live vicariously through their characters and cannot relate to or portray them if they are not like themselves in ways.

>>96200237 (OP)
Because then as today, it was used to cover up for a lack of personality, or to power game, or to hog the spotlight, or often all three.

It still happened, but usually at the tables of the overly-permissive, the desperate, and veterans who trusted each other not to do any of the above.

>>96200282
I never really got that reason. Shit isn't that hard.
>Elves get extra dexterity and magic and shit
>But they're related to fairies so they can't use metal weaponry or armor and they have some less HP
>Here's a table of elven equipment, featuring hardwood spears, bone clubs, stone axes, and hardwood/bone plated armor layered with weaved cloth
Literally ancient samurai style armor when not enough metal was available.
Done. Now there's a reason not to play elves.
>Dwarves sink like rocks so they can't swim, and they're so resistant to non holy magic that they also roll to save against friendly spells
>Halflings are tiny and weak. Huge strength and constitution minus. Also they eat two rations a day, so they're barely able to carry their own food, let alone extra shit
There you go. Now there's a good reason to play human instead.

>>96203768
Yeah, how fucking dare people fantasize in a fantasy rollplaying game?

>>96205223
Did you mean to reply to someone else?

>>96203768
But those three things you said all apply just as if not more so to human characters.

>>96200237 (OP)
>Invent problem
>Claim it exists
>Rail against it
Your premise is dogshit. It's not. It never was.

>>96206640
Not true.

>>96200665
>steals amerimutt meme, makes it about something else
Leftists can't meme

>>96207480
It absolutely is, you literally cannot disprove it. Most of the time humans were given some op trait, feat, or whatever to keep them always relevant. Humans are basically THE inherent self insert race. And humans always get to pull the "I'm the true protagonist" above everyone else.

>>96200237 (OP)
Because elves had like double the xp requirements of a Fighter, had terrible hitdice, and had weaker spells than a Magic-User.

I still say there needs to be a setting that's entirely focused on weird slimy things where most of the playable races are frog people and Flumphs and shit.

>>96209034
Definitely. But what's the uniting theme?

>>96208339
This is literally just made up nonsense and bizarre projection of your inferiority complex. Please see a therapist.

The only non human players I had problems with were drow players. They all wanted to be rogue/fighter drizzle knock-offs.

>>96209290
>don't believe your lying eyes, these common things associated with human players aren't real at all

>>96207974
>"leftist meme" but it's just racism
Hmmm

>>96200237 (OP)
It never was taboo
This is just retards on this board making shit up.

>>96208339
This guy never read the complete book of elves.

>>96200237 (OP)
1975 btw.

>>96200237 (OP)
One of the oldest D&D anecdotes is a dev response to "My player wants to play as a literal dragon" being "Scale him down to PC-level and let him do it".

>>96209034
Lowlife for savage worlds is this.

>>96200665
>first as race-as-class
Incorrect-ish
I agree with the rest. FYI this place is infested by thirdies by now.

>>96207974
>Leftists
Leftists love you, thirdie - you are a noble savage to them.

>>96210634
>if the party is particularly fond of wolves, ok, but crocodiles (charisma) is at best a 7
scalies btfo

>>96205144
This is good but no game is going to have water levels, non-metal gear or care about rations.

>>96212214
Leftists hate third worlders even more violently than Rightoids, anon. They love to segregate themselves whenever possible, they just know they make excellent political cudgels and that feigning empathy and pretending to have moral principles tricks dumb right wing scum every single time.

>my enemies do THIS
>no my enemies do THAT

>>96219557
This. Stand with Israel.

>>96210939
They even made an entire setting about playing dragons because so many people wanted to do that

>>96200237 (OP)
>back in the day

What day are you referring to, exactly? Fucking OD&D had elves, dwarves and halflings as options for PC characters.

>>96219557
>I hate these people!
>Let me tell you what they believe
Yeah you seem like a super credible source.

Because grogs are and always have been pathologically characters that aren't self-inserts. If anything, they're even worse about it the the CR tourists.