This is a bit off-topic and I am not faulting the views of this writer in any way but is anyone else tired of the petty racism of the D&D world? If I had a dime for every snide comment directed towards an elf or dwarf player character by another player character, I'd be a rich man. With all of the new races, it seems to intensify, especially if they are considered very rare races. I know such racial rivalries are part and parcel of some very influential fantasy literature but it becomes a bit wearisome to me to hear these views perpetually mouthed by characters. Most DMs feel compelled to express the shock of villagers when confronted by strange player races they've never met before and this often sounds just like common racism. I find such situations to be tedious and too much the case of art imitating life. My feeling is that any race played by a player should be able to walk into the village tavern without eliciting racial comments. I am not seeking a utopian setting but at the same time is there a way to avoid trotting out the worst aspects of our own world, if only for player interactions?
I'm a little confused. Do you not have rogues stealing in your games? Villains murdering or kidnapping? Slavers slaving?
Just because those elements are in a game does not mean that the DM or players approve of stealing or murdering or slaving, etc. It means they want to be heroes in a world that is a fantasy world but has a feeling that it could be real in some way, with the good and bad.
I would not stand for my players themselves being racists. But their characters can be heroes in a world that has bad elements in it. That's as far as real racism is concerned. When players make a lighthearted in jest comment between an elf (which doesn't actually exist in the real world) and a dwarf (which doesn't actually exist in the real world), and they Don't have any mean intent toward any real person or real group of people, then I'd say you should measure intent, and maybe ease up on your judgment of other people. Just my two cents.
My feeling is that any race played by a player should be able to walk into the village tavern without eliciting racial comments.
I'd like there to be no murdering or people trying to destroy the world in real life. But in an RPG game, evil is the backdrop upon which heroes can act. Presumably you're ok with murder themes in your game, but other things are just too real for you? I agree that some DM's can overdo it and it can get tiresome, but interjecting some of those real issues can deepen a story. It doesn't mean the story Crafters are ok with those things in real life. And we are telling a story after all. Do you object to novels like To Kill a Mockingbird? Sometimes good stories deal with evil in a real way, for a purpose. I like my games to be deep and meaningful, so that when my heroes overcome real evil, the victory is meaningful too.
Maybe my "weird" races comment bothered you. I thought it was fairly clear that I meant "weird" races from the perspective of the people who live in the Five Nations in the world of Eberron, meaning most elves, dwarves, gnomes, shifters, etc. have never seen a dragonborn or a tiefling or a tabaxi, they would draw more attention.
None of these things actually exist in the real world, and all of us real humans can admit that any one of them would be unusual if we saw them in the real world. This is a game.
