I just got my physical copy of this wonderful tome by Arcanist Press! It has a great introduction that explains why the use of the term “Race” in our beloved role-playing games is so problematic, and then offers a great solution for it that fits right in-between existing 5e rules.
We’ve been looking for a good alternative to “Race” for the character options we publish on our patreon, and we’re now going to do some tests to see if this model is something we could use.
I highly recommend you check it out! The free preview on DiveThruRPG includes the introduction & full rules for alternate character creation.
Some people have responded to this idea with some confusion, so I’ll try to explain it as best I can.
Why “Race”, as used in Role-Playing Games, is bad.
Most role-playing games explicitly combine a person’s physical traits with their morality into one package at character creation, usually presented as “Race”. By doing this, these games (often unwittingly) support the idea that a person’s genetics decide a person’s morality and worth.
This is a bad thing because there are people who play these games – black people, disabled people, women, just to name a few – who have been told their entire lives they are lesser than others because of the way they were born; because of the way they look. For them, this kind of bigotry is a painful, every day reality. No-one should have to experience that in a game.
This is also why just renaming “Race” as it is presented in role-playing games to something like “Species” doesn’t help as much as you’d think. It doesn’t address the problem at it’s root – the false idea that a person’s genetics determines their worth (or: their traits).
Why I think “Ancestry” and “Culture” is a good alternative.
By splitting Ancestry – the physical traits inherited from one’s parents, and Culture – the traits taught to you by your parents & community, the game mechanics no longer explicitly imply a person’s genetics (or: appearance) determine their morality and perceived worth. In this updated system, Bad Tieflings can still exist. Evil dark elves can still exist. Bigoted people who believe all Tieflings and all Dark Elves are evil can still exist.
But those things are no longer assumed to be true at character creation.
Why I’m excited to start using the Ancestry & Culture method.
The world all of our games take place in, Hemelin, has various diverse cultures dotted around the place. I have often struggled to express this well using the existing mould of “Race”, but before I discovered the “Ancestry & Culture” method, I didn’t understand what was causing this struggle.
I find that using separate Ancestries and Cultures provides much more robust framework for us to design player options for our world with. I’m excited at the prospect of being able to present various cultures that players can identify with without needing to also be of a certain ancestry! I’m excited to empower our players to create more diverse characters that reflect our game world!!
Exactly! Essentially, ‘Race’ in 5th edition as it currently stands says that some people are literally born genetically evil. Given what we’re all learning thanks to the BLM movement and others, that’s clearly not a fair way to look at it. Doing so helps to perpetuate and keep in place underlying systemic beliefs that some people are lesser based purely on the genetic traits they were born with.
We can do better! And it all begins by listening and learning, so if you’re getting the urge to disagree, please try to keep an open mind on this and listen to those who this is affecting. ♥
just realized the opportunities this can open up depending on how the DM interprets it. But it seems like it would make it easier to place a race raised by different races like an orc raised by halflings or a gnome raised by goblins
I just got my physical copy of this wonderful tome by Arcanist Press! It has a great introduction that explains why the use of the term “Race” in our beloved role-playing games is so problematic, and then offers a great solution for it that fits right in-between existing 5e rules.
We’ve been looking for a good alternative to “Race” for the character options we publish on our patreon, and we’re now going to do some tests to see if this model is something we could use.
I highly recommend you check it out! The free preview on DiveThruRPG includes the introduction & full rules for alternate character creation.
Some people have responded to this idea with some confusion, so I’ll try to explain it as best I can.
Why “Race”, as used in Role-Playing Games, is bad.
Most role-playing games explicitly combine a person’s physical traits with their morality into one package at character creation, usually presented as “Race”. By doing this, these games (often unwittingly) support the idea that a person’s genetics decide a person’s morality and worth.
This is a bad thing because there are people who play these games – black people, disabled people, women, just to name a few – who have been told their entire lives they are lesser than others because of the way they were born; because of the way they look. For them, this kind of bigotry is a painful, every day reality. No-one should have to experience that in a game.
This is also why just renaming “Race” as it is presented in role-playing games to something like “Species” doesn’t help as much as you’d think. It doesn’t address the problem at it’s root – the false idea that a person’s genetics determines their worth (or: their traits).
Why I think “Ancestry” and “Culture” is a good alternative.
By splitting Ancestry – the physical traits inherited from one’s parents, and Culture – the traits taught to you by your parents & community, the game mechanics no longer explicitly imply a person’s genetics (or: appearance) determine their morality and perceived worth. In this updated system, Bad Tieflings can still exist. Evil dark elves can still exist. Bigoted people who believe all Tieflings and all Dark Elves are evil can still exist.
But those things are no longer assumed to be true at character creation.
Why I’m excited to start using the Ancestry & Culture method.
The world all of our games take place in, Hemelin, has various diverse cultures dotted around the place. I have often struggled to express this well using the existing mould of “Race”, but before I discovered the “Ancestry & Culture” method, I didn’t understand what was causing this struggle.
I find that using separate Ancestries and Cultures provides much more robust framework for us to design player options for our world with. I’m excited at the prospect of being able to present various cultures that players can identify with without needing to also be of a certain ancestry! I’m excited to empower our players to create more diverse characters that reflect our game world!!
Exactly! Essentially, ‘Race’ in 5th edition as it currently stands says that some people are literally born genetically evil. Given what we’re all learning thanks to the BLM movement and others, that’s clearly not a fair way to look at it. Doing so helps to perpetuate and keep in place underlying systemic beliefs that some people are lesser based purely on the genetic traits they were born with.
We can do better! And it all begins by listening and learning, so if you’re getting the urge to disagree, please try to keep an open mind on this and listen to those who this is affecting. ♥
I used to think communication was the key until I realized comprehension is. You can communicate all you want with someone but if they don’t understand you, its silent chaos.
“A friend once shared what she called the Parable of the Choir: A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on.
“Social justice activism should be like that, she said.
