Race 2020-05-31

Something that didn't bother me at first when I was learning, but did, as soon as I started teaching others how to play D&D, was the mechanic and term "race". It made me uncomfortable explaining its role and mechanic in creating your character. I would avoid calling it by its name whenever possible, talking around it.  Then I discovered the Adventures in Middle Earth product and how they didn't use that term, but instead structured it as a "cultural" set of parameters for creation of your character.  It fills that mechanical slot, but it is a change much more than just nomenclature. Divesting gaming from that lens is one less small mental block that surrounds us. That lens which otherwise prevents us from fully and authentically engaging with our fellow humans, not only around a table but in all aspects of life.