Poll: What if an RPG used real races?

[BlindTom]

Any RPG set in the The Real World(tm) already uses real races. Also races and nationalities are not the same thing, in fact your belief that they are is reminiscent of the outlooks of extremist parties like the BNP in Britain or whatever racist dickhead equivalent you think represents "The American Race."

Civilisation does not give bonuses to races. It gives bonuses to cultures and great leaders. That's a system of beliefs and an individual respectively. Completely different, the idea being thrown around in this thread that your race dictates what you think or who you follow is completely fucking batshit.

Do you want to be like these ladies escapists?

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/babes-of-the-bnp

Because that is what this sounds like.

Sweet Jesus, those people are idiots. Seriously, when they die, the average IQ of humanity will go up a fraction. It's bad enough that they're horribly bigoted, ill informed and racist to various degrees, but they're fucking brickshit stupid, too!

But would it be possible to maybe come to a compromise with a noble race like the Chinese? Perhaps keep them on as a sort of servant class?

Yeah. I wouldn't mind them if they actually worked and didn't take all of our jobs, basically. I wouldn't mind them if they contributed something to this country.

I wouldn't mind them if they actually worked and didn't take all of our jobs

It's great isn't it? If OP's proposed game was as profoundly funny as those interviews I would throw so much money at it...

 

[Magic Cheese]

I call jew!

 

[SciMal]

Vitiligo, a condition that causes loss of pigment, since I referenced it in my earlier post.

 

[BlindTom]

I think the different races should all have favoured classes.

White people could have Ruling Class as their favoured class and black people could have Servant Class or something.

Is this in keeping with the thoroughly rancid atmosphere in the thread? I'm trying to blend in with the mob in order to avoid being banned etc.

 

[Korahn 27]

Canadians would get a +20 Cold resistance, + 5 stealth (no one suspects or pays attention to us, and maybe a +5 Charisma (since we're sooo friendly)

 

[mellemhund]

Imagine an RPG that used real races ->if you chose Russian

If an RPG used races, so that we could play bears and whales, then no it wouldn't be offensive. Russian is not a race!

Enforcing national stereotypes is silly and depending on how far those stereotypes would be taken it would be meh (like in Civilization) or offensive.

 

[gazumped]

This could actually be kind of fun if you were careful about it. I love the idea someone had about British people powering up after having a cup of tea, for instance, as a British person it makes me feel good having a part of my culture acknowledged in a playful way. But perhaps that's the key, referring to culture instead of race.
That's why Civilisation gets away with it, they refer to things that the nationality has a factual history in being good at, so if you had people that were representative of a country and culture as opposed to saying 'this person's good/bad at something because they have these genes', you'd have a much better chance of not only getting away with it, but making people quite pleased with your nod to the traditions of their culture.

And yes, reinforcing any stereotype, even a positive one, is racism. Just as any form of discrimination, even positive discriminatin is racist.

But positive steryotyping isn't really offensive is it?

If I was Black, I'd certainly think it was a good thing if people automatically assumed I could run fast and had a large penis...

Being offended when somebody thinks you're better than them in some way seems a little irratonal doesn't it?

It might not be offensive straight off the bat, but it could be annoying or affect you adversely. What if women were interested you because they heard black guys have large penises, and you get to bed and they take the piss out of you and leave because you weren't what she expected. Not so good for your ego. Or you're not a very good runner and people say you're a rubbish excuse for a black guy.

But also, a problem is that by saying one race is better at something, people start to assume that they should choose them for certain jobs over other races. An Asian who gets hired for an accountancy job based on their race might be pleased, but the Latino guy who was actually a better mathematician won't be too happy.

 

[Omegalus]

It's interesting, but not sure how well it works practically. After all lets look at my stat boosts in this scenraio.
I'm Scottish but would probably be British in this "real world RPG", and "British" usual equates to "English" from what I've seen...and actualy I've made this post a bit redundant since i can't think of a Positive Stereotype, except that we can be tough at times and we apparently make good villians.

 

[Muspelheim]

This could actually be kind of fun if you were careful about it. I love the idea someone had about British people powering up after having a cup of tea, for instance, as a British person it makes me feel good having a part of my culture acknowledged in a playful way. But perhaps that's the key, referring to culture instead of race.

Oh, indeed, it'd be a neat idea. A game that played on different cultural stereotypes, without getting lost in the race-quagmire or getting outright mean. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for that game Yatzhee proposed in his Yakuza 4-review.

"Constaple Blimeychips, the Bobby of ol' Londontown. Stop the rascals with your rugby-tackles! Heal up with delicious fish & chips!"

It could be a fun series of flash-games, if nothing else. But again, it'll only really work if it stays out of the race-equation entirely and sticks to the stereotypes that aren't hurtful. Even if some crowds will bleat on about "Political correctness" in the face of those efforts.

Again, race as usually advertised does not exist. We're not a bunch of different species, and it's the cultural expectations and the enviroment you grow up in that sets your "skills", not your purely biological details. And for the hell of it... Why am I referred to as white, anyway? If anything, I'm an odd mix of pink and stale spagetti.

 

[KingHodor]

I'd like to point out that the "races" in Civilization 4 do not represent races, but specific cultures under specific leaders during a specific era in time.

Meaning that your gameplay will probably be less affected by choosing to play as the Americans than which of their 3 available leaders you select: Washington is charismatic and expansive (bonus to happiness and health), Roosevelt is industrious and organized (bonuses to large construction projects and a large but efficient government) and Lincoln is charismatic and philosophical (bonus to happiness and encouraging the birth of great scientists, artists and philosophers).

So it's nowhere near as generalizing as "blacks run faster".

 

[Vhite]

Then it would be pretty boring because there would be only human race.

I think you mean species

I know but thats how RPGs call them.

 

[Patrick Buck]

Personally, I would find it hilarious, if it was done in a jokey way, but i'm pretty certain there are people out there who would be extreamly offended by it. And as long as it didn't go to far, by adding negative things to certain classes, like everyone treats a race badly because of their race's history, it may be a bit edgy.....

 

[Jedoro]

Very racist, but if done tastefully, it'd be hilarious.

 

[Kahunaburger]

What, like in Elder Scrolls games? Where if you play a not-Scandinavian you're cold-resistant, if you play a not-African you can go into adrenaline rushes that make you good at athletic stuff, and so on? (And if you play either, depending on the game, you get high physical stats and low mental stats.)

...I still have no idea why A) Bethesada did that in the first place, B) they kept doing it, and C) people tend not to call them out on it.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

There's actually a tabletop RPG system, I can't remember its name, where you have a slight advantage if you play a black woman.

Male characters can be vulnerable to damage to their testes, apparently no-one factored in that being kicked in the vagina is painful as well, and black characters have resistance to the effects of the sun.

 

[Odbarc]

In politically correct terms; they'd HAVE TO all be equal.
In fact, they should also all have identical facial features even between male and female.

It's a complicated discussion.

 

[Something Amyss]

Imagine an RPG that used real races, and gave the character stereo-typical stat bonuses. Say, if you chose Russian you would get an HP bonus because they are notoriously hard to kill. Or if you choose African you could run faster. Americans, could... I don't know maybe shout AMERICA!! and inspire one another (giving a stat bonus). etc.

I guess the heart of the real question is: Is re-enforcing positive stereo-types offensive?

Just want to point out "American" isn't a race.

Also, "stereotypical" is one word. I don't like to being the spelling/grammar police, but since I'm already pointing something out, might as well run with it.

To the "point," enforcing positive stereotypes has the interesting side effect of often enforcing negative stereotypes. For example, were you to take actual "racial" distinctions, Asians are considered "smarter," but by the same note, blacks are considered "dumber," as are any native/tribal group. You're touting the same sort of thing supremacists are touting and in only a slightly different context.

And what do you do with populations where there really is no positive stereotype, anyway?