Poll: What if an RPG used real races?

[Risingblade]

I'm sure all the non-white races would get screwed on the stat bonuses

 

[Robert Ewing]

Oh dear god, shit storm will hit so fast you won't even be able to say parlay.

The very thought of even THINKING of separating the human race them via... race is pure anti-racism activist fodder, and they will eat it up. Nobody will survive this international humanitarian crisis of a matter. Billions will die in the never ending onslaught of the politically incorrect, as activists will continue to force us to love one another, constantly cramming down our throats that everyone is the same, OR ELSE! May god have mercy on our souls... Sorry, your god of choice.

Wouldn't want to offend anyone, just sayin'

 

[TephlonPrice]

Hmm... it would make for a fun game in a way, and this is coming from a half-Jamaican black man for the record. However, I don't think people would buy simply because of the concept & how easily someone will get offended. I can think of a few things that would work here:

Black people can move faster, have better group attack bonuses (accuracy, firepower, etc), enhanced proficency with firearms & some melee weapons, along with skills in the arts of thievery, a small bit of stealth & combat. They also have a black market system in place which provides & buys a lot of items, generally weapons, body armor, information & more. In groups, they provide resistance against psychological warfare tactics & can use aggro group attacks.

Asians are more technically proficient & gain stat bonuses in technical based skills. They're also have martial arts skills (takedowns, improved disarms, etc.) which apply to melee & some thrown weapons. They have technical proficency unlocked on top of skills with electronics, hacking, & advanced equipment. In groups, they can "paint" enemies, increasing overall damage done to a target. Books can be read to improve specific skills & tech-based skills receive much higher bonuses.

Hispanics have enhanced agility, survival capabilities (improved dexterity, HP points, AP, etc.), on top of the ability to carry more in less space than the other races. They're also more inclined to assist if they get an edge out of it & often have stealth bonuses on their part. In groups, they increase morale, increasing group health & survival against enemies. They also have the sole advantage of improved poison/chemical resistance early on.

Whites have advantages in negotiation skills, forming of skill trades, and enhanced skills with dexterity. They also have better networks for certain goods & have a better chance of remaining unnoticed in certain circumstances. In groups, they can use Forced Intimidation immediately, which can end enemy attacks & prevent anymore from happening to you.

Sorry to quote myself, but tell me that this wouldn't make for a decent RPG right here.

 

[asacatman]

snip

Hmm, that's odd, innit, looks like in your RPG, the races that have tradiotinally had a greater power (not physical power, the other sort) and have more advanced countries, get all the intelligence and charisma based bonuses, while those races more commonly found in developing counries have more strength and physical bonuses.

Strange.

It's almost as if you're reniforcing the dangerous, ages old sterotype that if you aren't white (or Asian, I guess) you aren't clever, and that's why you deserve all the problems you've got.

Yeah, I know you were being tounge in cheek. (at least I hope you were.) It just pisses me off that this lazy stereotyping is what passes for humour here. Guess I'm just spoiled by my quest to find excellent stand ups and forgetton what bullshit most normal people come up with.

Sorry about calling your post bullshit, I'm in an angry and belligerent mood after reading the posts in this thread that I don't agree with, because I forget that causual racism is still basically bread and butter humour for most people. Hell, even I do it, because it tends to get a cheap laugh from my teenage friends, although I sometimes feel a little bad afterwards.

 

[sheah1]

Fallout 3 and Vegas already did this, without the possible massive racism (although your mother in 3 is supposed to be African American, which raises some interesting questions).

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I think what you're talking about is nationalities, then no, I wouldn't have a problem with them, it would be a little amusing.

However, if it's actual races then I'm on the fence about that. It could be fun if it was handled the right way, but I can only forsee it going horribly horribly wrong.

 

[Bloodstain]

Maybe I should make a Morrowind mod...

They have a Morrowind mod where different "races" of humans have different stats. It's called Morrowind.

Consider that merely 4 of Morrowind's 10 races are human. Moreover, it's not about stats, it's about stats relating to certain real life stereotypes. And while MW's stats do comply with respective ingame stereotypes, they have little revelance for real life stereotypes.
I was talking about creating races like "Asian", "American", "African" etc.
Even the Redguard is still not stereotypical enough.

Redguards have high physical stats, low mental stats, and an activated ability that causes an adrenaline rush that lets them do things like run fast and jump high. And keep in mind that they weren't going for some kind of satire or anything [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114776-South-Park-RPG-Class-List-Includes-the-Jew]. For some reason Bethesada didn't get called out on this. Go figure.

Yes, they come close...still, I cannot rid myself of the thought that they should have a Spear stat bonus. Hmm.

 

[nsqared]

Because it's a video game, it's all in the name of fun, but then again most of the people who control video games and the entertainment industry don't really know the difference between fun and a huge racial stereotype.

 

[chstens]

So you mean "nationalities", not races.

 

[krazykidd]

Imagine an RPG that used real races, and gave the character stereotypical 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 stereotypes offensive?





EDIT: Alright, I realize now that I should have said National bonuses instead of racial ones. So please stop correcting me on that. Also, yes I realize Africa isn't a country, so no need to point that out, you smug bastard. (jk)[/quote

That would be pretty boring , since it would all be human . This thread is fail . I think you mean ethnicity . Which would evoke racism yes .

 

[KingHodor]

Fallout 3 and Vegas already did this, without the possible massive racism (although your mother in 3 is supposed to be African American, which raises some interesting questions).

Actually, I wonder why none of the conservative Christian organizations threw a tantrum over the "Confirmed Bachelor"(i.e. male homosexual) perk in New Vegas, which "promoted homosexuality" by giving gay characters a significant advantage over straight ones.

For those who've never player FO:NV, "Confirmed Bachelor" is the gay equivalent of a perk called "Ladykiller", which allowed you to influence certain female characters by flirting with them, as well as giving you a 10% damage bonus against all female opponents - conversely, Confirmed Bachelor allows you to influence other gay guys (yeah, your character seems to have some sort of magic gaydar) and the 10% damage bonus is applied to male enemies.
Since male opponents will vastly outnumber female ones in most playthroughs (the major "evil" faction, Caesar's legion, is comprised exclusively of men), this makes the homosexual option far more useful.

Of course the situation is reversed for seductive straight females ("Black Widow" perk) and lesbians ("Cherchez la Femme" perk).

 

[sheah1]

Fallout 3 and Vegas already did this, without the possible massive racism (although your mother in 3 is supposed to be African American, which raises some interesting questions).

Actually, I wonder why none of the conservative Christian organizations threw a tantrum over the "Confirmed Bachelor"(i.e. male homosexual) perk in New Vegas, which "promoted homosexuality" by giving gay characters a significant advantage over straight ones.

For those who've never player FO:NV, "Confirmed Bachelor" is the gay equivalent of a perk called "Ladykiller", which allowed you to influence certain female characters by flirting with them, as well as giving you a 10% damage bonus against all female opponents - conversely, Confirmed Bachelor allows you to influence other gay guys (yeah, your character seems to have some sort of magic gaydar) and the 10% damage bonus is applied to male enemies.
Since male opponents will vastly outnumber female ones in most playthroughs (the major "evil" faction, Caesar's legion, is comprised exclusively of men), this makes the homosexual option far more useful.

Of course the situation is reversed for seductive straight females ("Black Widow" perk) and lesbians ("Cherchez la Femme" perk).

I doubt that groups such as those actually play games far enough to get to points where those perks were made available, they seem to just go on completely out of context screen shots and the odd sarcastic internet comment.

 

[him over there]

Exploiting stereotypes is not bigoted, it's stereotypical. If you profiled, committed obscenities and attempted to infringe on peoples rights using or because of sterotypes? that would be discrimination. As of now it's all in good fun. Why not extend it other things besides race? the women could heal more effectively and gay men could receive stat bonuses easier for wearing armour that goes with that goes together that season. I am joking obviously but with a joke premise like this it would fit right in. Of course people would be extremely opposed to this but all you have to do is detach it with enough hyperbole that it becomes acceptable through shear absurdity

 

[Some_weirdGuy]

OT: How about gender bonuses or stat differences? Arcanum used to give women a +1 Constitution (as women have a higher pain threshold to survive the pain of childbirth) a +1 Beauty bonus (because everyone knows a lady is always prettier then a man) but a -2 strength bonus (because... well ladies are weak)
How would ya'll feel about THAT?

Actually, that pain threshold thing isn't true. Men have the higher pain threshold the pregnancy thing is essentially the body throwing every chemical it can to reduce such extreme pain.

Mythbusters proved women have higher pain tolerances than men in one of their episodes. They used a proper scientific pain test and had a good sample size.
Just cause you don't like being told your gender is worse in some ways than the other gender doesn't make it not true

 

[Sprinal]

As long as the game had a "I don't give a fuck" asthetic then it would work. Yet if it tried to imply that all of these were completely true then there would be some problems.

It would be a bit like how in Duke Nukem 3D the women were treated as sex objects yet as everything else was treated as objects in the game it was fine. The only problem would be if the game was not trying to play to this concept. Yet it was at the same time.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

Its stereotypical not racist. I would so play that game.
Also my view is that you can say whatever you like and not be racist unless its in an offensive way.

 

[Peteron]

I was actually thinking about this a few days back, and actually like the idea of it a lot. You could give your character certain gene pools, each with different attributes. Sounds cool to me!