I mentioned in the comments on my proposed DF rules option for humans that DF Felltower biases a bit towards humans.
So, how does DF Felltower bias towards humans?
None of it is a big bias; nothing here makes it harder to be non-human. But it is all stuff that makes it easier on you as a human.
Most equipment found is SM 0. That's fine for a good number of non-human races, but is fine for 100% of humans, even the SM+1 ones.
Most armor found is SM 0 and human-shaped. So elves might have a bit of an issue; dwarves definitely do.
Most NPCs are human, and on the whole are more likely to show up as friends or enemies. Advantages that are race-affected or don't cross racial barriers are more limited for non-humans. And there are races that have special antipathy for elves, for dwarves, for half-elves, for halflings, etc. - but not any with a special hatred for humans that doesn't also hit the human-adjacent races.
In short, the world assumes a human majority, places the campaign in a human-majority location, and provides most gear for humans first and to non-humans as an afterthought. Humans might not get the nice little power jump that most non-humans get, but they get a bias across the board in the setting towards them.
I prefer mostly-human settings, and PC parties that are not a menagerie of different creatures. Because as much as I like fantasy as a genre, the effect is lessened if everyone in the party has to be a special elf, or whatever. I am thankful that 3/5 of the PCs in my current DFRPG campaign are human.
ReplyDeleteUnless the game is specifically about a group of elves, and then in which case the campaign should be about that, and should feel different IMO. Otherwise what's the point.
I'm generally the same, but the dwarf-heavy party I currently GM for argues that my players feel differently!
DeleteBut hey, the odds of an end-game suit of dwarf-sized armor turning up in loot, nevermind two or three, are a lot lower than the odds of another suit of end-game human-sized armor. So you live without as much expectation of finding the big score item. If only because the big name legendary folks were largely human . . .