Catching up, Part 3: City Elves

[Quirk]

I think that the interesting part about this all is that even though elves are the second most populous race in the world, they are so sorely under represented both by players and via playable elf-centric clans. In IC reality, seeing an elf should be more common than seeing a dwarf. That's not always the case, at all.

Not just more common - seeing a free elf should be fifty times more common than seeing a dwarf.

There needs to be a critical mass of players playing elves to keep that going, though. To hold that critical mass, you'd need some seriously substantial elven clan support, because, as Patuk notes, a single tribeless city-elf is a handicapped character. They can't be hunters, they can't attain a position in most open clans, they're distrusted and discriminated against by default so running them as an independent merchant or crafter is harder than with a human - and even if you want to make a thief or con artist, starting from that position of inspiring immediate distrust makes success harder. And these are just the ICly justifiable portions of the problem; we have to place on top of that frequently overdone levels of PC distaste and victimisation which simply couldn't hold up in a world where there was close to one free elf for every free human, and the old, overstated docs which make no attempt to work out a sustainable model of elven living, directing the new player instead into a destructive cycle of increasing conflict with authority.

To push back against all these problems and reach toward that critical mass, we'd need multiple well-represented elven clans, with documentation which fleshed out how their antisocial tendencies were balanced in such a way that they were suffered to exist by the powers in the city-state. But, to fill those clans, we'd need players, and that would diminish the pool of players open to other organisations. It might also reduce interaction: most organisations represented by PCs in game are extremely powerful and wealthy (Noble Houses, Merchant Houses) and as such probably won't need to concern themselves with the doings of elven clans, who would probably be more like the Byn in size and scope, but without the Byn's excuses for interacting with those powerful organisations. The social level that these clans would exist at isn't very well fleshed out within the cities - and that's a shame, because it's potentially a far more interesting level than the one we usually see, with organisations small enough that PCs could make a real difference to their continued survival. I fear however too much would need to change to make that level viable, and it's never going to happen.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

In order to represent such a thing even semi accurately, there needs to be one center of population, not two. As things stand, I suppose city elves will never be accurately depicted in terms of ratio and scope and coded organizations.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I was gonna post this somewhere else, and decided to do it here. Meh.

Racism is one of those things that can creep out in everyone, even those who think that they are not racist. In the cities, there are nearly as many elves as there are humans. Of course elves will be worked with, fought alongside with, played with as a child. There are plenty of people who would think elves are not monsters. There is natural attraction between elves and humans.

-But elves steal, and so when they come for dinner, hide the silverware.
-Everyone knows elves are shifty. If you go hunting with one, make sure you keep an eye on your own water.
-On that note, make sure you bring water. Elves can be great hunters, but if you get thirsty, you're pretty much automatically dead.
-Elves only run outside so that everyone following them has to stop all the time, which allows raiders to have more chances for ambush. Elven raiders.
-Elves will fuck your stupid daughter and leave her with a breed in belly. Smack the fuck out of that elf that works with you if he so much as looks at her.

Racism is not always this sharp edged thing. In the common person's life, blatant hatred for someone who's lived next door to you for years and never actually harmed you is pretty fucking retarded. Racism seems as though it would manifest itself differently for the lower class.

On the other hand, that doorman who watched the Trader's Inn and kept certain folks out, should probably be duped to watch the Red's. Because elves really don't need to be there. Ever. That shifty sharp next door should find a new place to work, too.

[Fujikoma]

I like what Quirk is saying. I'd share my views on the matter but I'm still a rather new player and everyone knows how wonky my interpretation of the docs is... That and sharing my views on the matter would probably let people know a character I have played and the inner workings of his mind, and it's far too soon for that.