Favorite Fantasy Races?

[TheAuldGrump]

For me the best have been rather traditional - Dwarfs, Goblins, & Ogres. (Oh my!)

Mind you, dwarfs are the only ones that have not been changed around - my ogres default to a lawful-neutral perspective, and goblins are fey. (I have been a fan of goblins since before there was such things as RPGs.)

The Auld Grump

[Crafty_Alex]

Of the standard fare, I like ogres the best. Strike that - I LOVE ogres, and I think that's mainly because of miniatures made for ogres Japanese, European, it doesn't matter - I love big carniverous humanoids...but I generally dislike giants and trolls. Go figure that one out.

As far as other fantasy races, I tend to like the ones that are not just shades of human (i.e. 'like a human but 2 feet shorter," or "like a human with pointy ears" or "like a human but twice as wide and with a beard") or simple anthromorphs (ie lizard people, fish people, dog people, or cat people - dear GOD do I hate cat-people). Illithids have long been my favorite of D&D's critter catalog, as are dopplegangers, thri-kreen, umber hulks, and beholders - stuff that's truly humanoid but not human.

Outside the Tolkein/D&D millieu, my favorite fantasy races are the Green Men of Mars in the John Carter of Mars series, and those I developed for my own fantasy world eons ago which I will spare you all from discussing here

[Morgenstern]

I got my first wish, having managed to finally create what I felt to be a playable centaur . The feat-based 'sub-races' has given us a standard in race design that has tons of potential. If EQII, which has superb centaur models, made them playable they'd be getting my money from now 'til the server shut down.  My second favorite would have to be minotaurs based on some very well played ones in campaigns I've run. They make their play in the Shadows of Olympus, which should follow the Classic Fantasy set.

I'm sort of torn on elves. When they are done right, they can be exceptionally cool. When they are nothing more than 'better, prettier humans' I just cringe. So far the ones I've got in Classic Fantasy feel like they've going the right direction. I tend to be more intrigued by a race's penalties than it's strengths, and the elves are starting to pile up some good ones to go along with their bonuses.

And I still haven't given up on a playable hydra. Giant reptilian intelligences (draconic and otherwise) have made a special place for themselves in the tales of my previous campaigns - fantasy and Sci-fi. Wargs have grown on me fast since starting to play LotRO, and I just got the tools I need to make them happen. I also like lizard men - with as many feat-based variation as the Elves or Dwarves have managed to inspire.

[Wolverine]

You seem to be missing Skaven/Rat-men from that wish-list, Morg

[ThunderMonkey]

Before Hellboy was even on the scene. I had a reformed Oni bushi/monk that was used in an Kara-Tur campaign, many, many moons ago.

The campaign was a bit over the top, but it was a lot of fun to play.

So... if you guys ever get around to an Origin of the Species: Shadows of Mt. Fuji (or something like that), be sure to let me know.

[spinningdice]

I intend to run a game with Froudian goblins at some point (i.e. the ones from Labrynth).
Beyond that I tend to prefer seeing how humans adapt to deal with fantasy rather than the fantasy itself - hence in a good 90odd% of games I play, I play a human (unless I have an idea in my head that really requires something else).

[ThunderMonkey]

I echo your setiments. The Oni was the first non-human race (and just may be the only one) I played in in a RPG.

The problem with many of the early write ups for races is that they try to attribute human qualities to something that is non-human. That's what I like in the Origin of the Species approach, it's to set races aside from humanity. Sure, there is going to be some spill over, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

[spinningdice]

I admit the OotS races so far do seem more interesting than the standard fare.

[Black Cheese]

Is it so wrong to dig on yak-men? I've thought they were bitchen since al Qadim. Far creepier than mind flayers with a wacky suite of abilities ("They master staffs! They can magic jar at will! They enslave genies! All for no damn reason at all!") that makes your head spin.

Yak-men are awesome.

[princekelwyn]

I also like lizard men - with as many feat-based variation as the Elves or Dwarves have managed to inspire.

I'm also like lizard men myself.  Variations like serpent men, gator men, and pterodactyl men would be a must.  I'd like to see them in a Lost Worlds OotS alongside ape men and other things which could be found lurking in the center of the earth.

Kelwyn

[Crafty_Pat]

Sentient apes. Lord Almighty, how I love sentient apes. Gorilla Grod is just about my favorite DC villain, especially as presented in Dini's Justice League. The little monkey men are cool, too, Gleek notwithstanding.

I'm also a fan of lizard men and naga, especially the bizarre variants (such as the fire salamanders I created for Burning Sands/L5R).

[MilitiaJim]

I'm a sucker for catgirls.    
Go dig up some of the Man-Kzin wars.   

And lycanthropes, werewolves and bears and tigers and so forth.  Perhaps a general "were" template for any mamal.  (Or reptile, so the lizardmen can play too.)

[Morgenstern]

I'm also like lizard men myself.  Variations like serpent men, gator men, and pterodactyl men would be a must.  I'd like to see them in a Lost Worlds OotS alongside ape men and other things which could be found lurking in the center of the earth.

*Jaw drops open*

Holy crap.

"Oots: Lost Worlds"

That is so going into the que.

[TheAuldGrump]

Heh, in my home game the elfs range from a neutral/isolationist perspective to an evil 'enslave all the other races' culture (think Aztecs, complete with blood sacrifices). I am too familiar with the root mythologies to much like the elfs.  Pratchetts elfs are pretty close.

Pratchett is also really close to my view on dwarfs.

As for Green Martians...

Bronze Age Miniatures might be a good source of figures for you Alex.

The Auld Grump, Pixar is doing John Carter of Mars?!!!
*EDIT* Added link to Bronze Age Miniatures.

[Wolverine]

"Oots: Lost Worlds"

I'd like to place a pre-order right now!