So, I didn't notice this in time for the first round of playtesting, and I've internally debated whether I should post it for a couple months... but anyways, here we go:
Is it just me or did OneD&D stumble onto a gaming mechanic that represents how Privilege works? I'm referring to the current 1D&D Human, specifically, the bit where they wake up with Inspiration, and can share it.
Before I continue, I want to declare my acknowledgement that I could be COMPLETELY off-base on real-world privilege. I am genuinely asking whether I'm right in my initial assessment. Please don't flame; a word to the wise shall be sufficient in this case. I mean, I do have a degree in Sociology taught by professors of various races and genders and what I know about privilege came from them, so don't think I'm far off, but still, I know I could be.
Here's what sparked the thought: I'm a White, American, middle-class, middle-aged, well-educated, Christian male. There are very few ways in which I don't have privilege in my everyday life. I know that. I wake up, and I have Advantage on my daily life checks. Avoiding getting pulled over? Advantage. Avoiding my cart being "randomly" checked as I exit the grocery store? Advantage. And reading the current OneD&D Human Features feels awfully much like that experience. I don't know about the rest of you, but I play TTRPGs to get away from crap like that.
Furthermore, the OneD&D rules themselves create an equivalency between "being awesome" and "being human". "The DM can also award Heroic Inspiration to a player character who’s done something that is particularly heroic or in character." [Heroic Inspiration description from Clerics & Species, the latest OneD&D rules iteration.] "You gain Inspiration whenever you finish a Long Rest." [Human trait from Character Origins, the latest word we've gotten on OneD&D humans.] So, in order to receive the benefit that, say, a Tiefling only gets by acts of particular heroism or acts of shooting himself in the foot for the sake of character, all a human has to do is get a good night's sleep. It looks like false equivalency at best, and functions as human privilege at worst.
So I guess I'm putting it to the forum, am I anywhere near right to be so uncomfortable with the current OneD&D humans? Have I gotten privilege wrong? Or... what?
Eh, even with the buff to Humans in the playtest, there are plenty of stronger races in the game. Like, humans can get advantage 1/long rest via Inspiration, whereas Kobolds can get it up to proficiency bonus per day for example. And Bugbears blow them both away in terms of damage. Even focusing just on the playtest races, Goliaths and Wood Elves are looking pretty nuts.
In D&D, Humans are represented by their adaptability. Where other species highlight different strengths, humans get something less powerful, but more versatile. It's easier to piggyback upon existing mechanics, rather than giving a new name to something that acts identically.
So, I didn't notice this in time for the first round of playtesting, and I've internally debated whether I should post it for a couple months... but anyways, here we go:
Is it just me or did OneD&D stumble onto a gaming mechanic that represents how Privilege works? I'm referring to the current 1D&D Human, specifically, the bit where they wake up with Inspiration, and can share it.
Before I continue, I want to declare my acknowledgement that I could be COMPLETELY off-base on real-world privilege. I am genuinely asking whether I'm right in my initial assessment. Please don't flame; a word to the wise shall be sufficient in this case. I mean, I do have a degree in Sociology taught by professors of various races and genders and what I know about privilege came from them, so don't think I'm far off, but still, I know I could be.
Here's what sparked the thought: I'm a White, American, middle-class, middle-aged, well-educated, Christian male. There are very few ways in which I don't have privilege in my everyday life. I know that. I wake up, and I have Advantage on my daily life checks. Avoiding getting pulled over? Advantage. Avoiding my cart being "randomly" checked as I exit the grocery store? Advantage. And reading the current OneD&D Human Features feels awfully much like that experience. I don't know about the rest of you, but I play TTRPGs to get away from crap like that.
Furthermore, the OneD&D rules themselves create an equivalency between "being awesome" and "being human". "The DM can also award Heroic Inspiration to a player character who’s done something that is particularly heroic or in character." [Heroic Inspiration description from Clerics & Species, the latest OneD&D rules iteration.] "You gain Inspiration whenever you finish a Long Rest." [Human trait from Character Origins, the latest word we've gotten on OneD&D humans.] So, in order to receive the benefit that, say, a Tiefling only gets by acts of particular heroism or acts of shooting himself in the foot for the sake of character, all a human has to do is get a good night's sleep. It looks like false equivalency at best, and functions as human privilege at worst.
So I guess I'm putting it to the forum, am I anywhere near right to be so uncomfortable with the current OneD&D humans? Have I gotten privilege wrong? Or... what?
Eh, even with the buff to Humans in the playtest, there are plenty of stronger races in the game. Like, humans can get advantage 1/long rest via Inspiration, whereas Kobolds can get it up to proficiency bonus per day for example. And Bugbears blow them both away in terms of damage. Even focusing just on the playtest races, Goliaths and Wood Elves are looking pretty nuts.
In D&D, Humans are represented by their adaptability. Where other species highlight different strengths, humans get something less powerful, but more versatile. It's easier to piggyback upon existing mechanics, rather than giving a new name to something that acts identically.