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What's your favorite race to play as?

We've all got that one species or race that we love to play as, whether it's the Khajit from Skyrim or Blood Elves in WoW. I'm currently helping a friend out with an idea for a video game he's designing, and I'm in charge of coming up with which playable races to suggest for the designs. I'd appreciate some feedback on what appeals to you guys the most, and why it appeals to you. This includes racial abilities and appearance, as well as any class builds you're fond of.

Right now, the basic idea for the structure of this will be a total of twelve races: 4 high races, 4 middle races, and 4 lesser races. I've already decided to include Goblins as one of the middle races, but in a way that few people would usually portray them. A large part of the middle races will be different human cultures, possibly all the middle races, as though our arrival on the scene crowded a couple other species out of their niches.

What do you guys think?
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
I most often play humans (if there is a Nordic variant, so much the better). Beyond that, my favorites are the occasional dwarf and the Khajit.
 
I most often play humans (if there is a Nordic variant, so much the better). Beyond that, my favorites are the occasional dwarf and the Khajit.

And what kind of characters do you build with the Nords? If you roleplay your characters, that is.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
And what kind of characters do you build with the Nords? If you roleplay your characters, that is.

Usually some kind of warrior/melee character. Occasionally maybe a ranger type, but I'd just as soon have a warrior of some kind. I play other races on occasion, but prefer the ones I mentioned, above. The only race I try to avoid, purely for subjective reasons, is some kind of elf. I'll play one if the game railroads me into it (i.e. if the racial stats are so good that you gimp a certain class if they're not an elf), but then I'm irritated that I got railroaded :)
 
Usually some kind of warrior/melee character. Occasionally maybe a ranger type, but I'd just as soon have a warrior of some kind. I play other races on occasion, but prefer the ones I mentioned, above. The only race I try to avoid, purely for subjective reasons, is some kind of elf. I'll play one if the game railroads me into it (i.e. if the racial stats are so good that you gimp a certain class if they're not an elf), but then I'm irritated that I got railroaded :)

Interesting that you don't like to play as an elf. Any specific reasons? I've gotten some feedback from friends and from other forums that Elves are a bit overdone in fantasy games.
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
No particular reason. I've played D&D since I was a kid, and never wanted to play an elf in that either. They just don't appeal to me as a player, for some reason, though I like stories about them or when other people are playing them.

Oddly enough, whenever I play a Star Wars table top RPG or video game, I try to avoid being a Jedi. Maybe they're overdone as well. Or maybe it's just that I prefer melee/warrior classes, or the occasional rogue, to magic-wielding classes.
 
I've gotten some feedback from friends and from other forums that Elves are a bit overdone in fantasy games.

This. Every RPG I've ever played is stuffed to the gills with elves.

I prefer to play humans (from a table-top perspective) because they provide more options. Elves and most other races always fall into certain tropes or anti-tropes. Just like in the real world, humans tend to be more varied.

That being said, an annoying gnome or halflling can be fun in the right circumstances for a short game/campaign.
 
This. Every RPG I've ever played is stuffed to the gills with elves.

Elves and most other races always fall into certain tropes or anti-tropes. Just like in the real world, humans tend to be more varied.

What would you think of a violent warrior breed of elves?
 
I'd be interested in that. I like insects.

It's just a starting name, but I was thinking about a race called the Kikori. They wouldn't wear armor like the other races, but would be able to modify their own carapaces with enchantments, as well as change the coloration and strength of their armor through the application of certain chemicals that alter the chemical makeup of their "armor," concievably fortifying it against damage, or of giving extra resistances to some types of attack. That sort of thing.
 
Sounds like that Splatter-Elf thing Philip Overby has talked about. :D

I have got to hear about that later. My idea was, Dark Elves are usually portrayed as elves that have been corrupted by dark magic, such as necromancy. What if a group of the high elves had been stuck in a war of annihilation with some demonic race for generations? After centuries of strife and violence, all their culture revolves around is survival and combat prowess?
 

Jabrosky

Banned
I usually play as human, especially a dark-skinned African woman if the character customization will allow that (strange thing is, I'm actually a white dude in real life). If I absolutely had to pick a non-human race, I'd probably go for something reptilian.
 
I usually play as human, especially a dark-skinned African woman if the character customization will allow that (strange thing is, I'm actually a white dude in real life). If I absolutely had to pick a non-human race, I'd probably go for something reptilian.

Oh thank God. I was starting to think I was the only video game transvestite! We should probably both go see a therapist about this...
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
In MMOs I typically have a number of alts, and they're generally split about 50/50 between male and female characters. Same for other RPGs where you can have multiple characters.
 

Jabrosky

Banned
Oh thank God. I was starting to think I was the only video game transvestite! We should probably both go see a therapist about this...
It's not that I identify as a transvestite, or transgender or whatever. I just like role-playing as a pretty lady. XD
 
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