Ah, Dark Sun halflings. Primitiva cannibals, yes. But primitive cannibals riding dinosaurs.
As for elves, I always was fond of the elves of the homegrown world of a friend of mine. A demon needed a warrior race as his servants, and brought them into the world. Their culture was much like the feudal Japanese one - warriors wielding swords of extreme sharpness and great bows of immense power with skills that were beyond the incredible, strict feudal structures and power struggles, and a lot of Zen going on. Of course, they didn 't want to serve the demon, rebelled, gave him a drubbing. Then the demon went and got a hold of that world's orcs instead, who were much more amenable to being ruled.
Look no further than Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher" books and a PC game. BioWare bluntly took that idea and incorporated it into Dragon Age. No wonder, 3 years ago Witcher the game was created with BioWare's participation.
Elves from Sapkowski's novels are much more hardcore than the Dalish from DAO. Their conflict with humans is similar to the Israel/Palestinian conflict with Jews settling on Palestinian land (West Bank) and pushing the indigenous population further out.
And these elves use the same terrorist tactics as PLO used to (now Hamas is filling the role). That means, sabotage, raids, banditry, kidnapping, assassinations, you name it. All in the name of freedom and freeing their lands.
(humans are not indigenous to that world, they've appeared after destroying their own world millennia earlier coming in through a transdimensional portal).
Elven terrorist cells are called "The Squirrels" (Scoia'tael) and very often include dwarfs and hobbits - other discriminated groups, hated by racist humans (no Political Correctness there, it's set in quasi-renaissance/medieval fantasy).
Elves know they'll lose. Humans breed faster, are more adaptable and their society is progressing with unbelievable speed. Through the progress of the books you can see the world changing (new inventions, society changes, new theories, spreading pollution through magic experiments, etc) and Elves can't keep up. Their longevity based culture is much more passive, less progressive and a relic of the older days.
Through millennia of humans' arrival Elven culture was in decline, shrinking, elves losing their identity and history. Elves from The Witcher books are very... Human. Hateful, bitter, often cruel and yes... racist as well.
Tolkien elves were smart. They knew human would rule the world eventually so they decided to leg it before shit hit the fan. The Witcher elves are Tolkien elves that stayed...
The elves of Final Fantasy XI also deviates from the typical norm of elves. Granted, they're very similar to Tolkien's proud race, but in the context of tree-hugging, goody-goody elves of many fantasy MMOs, they're quite unique in their own regards. The race is imperialistic ("hometown" is dubbed the Kingdom of San d'Oria) and are more into militaristic ambitions than being Mother Nature's designated protectors. They're not interested in crafting unless it has something to do with weaponry and armory. And unlike popular renditions of elves, they're not magic-hungry or dependent on it to make a living.
“Dark Elves…the goth chick that's pretty much the same as the regular chick, but with more wrist-cutting, drama, and clove cigarettes”
So true and you find so many of them online that is no wonder we need Dark/Night/Blood Elves for them to play.
I should point out that Tolkeins Elves of the first age were very different form those that followed. Their hubris and passion was awesome, they fought wars all the time, were incredibly eltitist and pigheaded. With time their passion waned and they became wise, in a sense the race ‘grew up’. So bassing a MMO’s Elves on those in the first age would be a very different story.
Probably dating myself but anybody remember the cartoon Gargoyles? Anyway, in this concept there is a elf named "Puc" drawn from a Midsummernights dream and he is NOT a goody 2 shoes. He hates humans or any other race for that matter and thinks of them as playthings or something to play tricks on. There was a couple that he answered to but can't remember who they were. Sorry it has been so long I cant remember too many of the details but I remember Puc and he was nasty. Not to be confused with the Movie Midsummernights dream with Stanley Tucci. He was ok but not as dark. Again old fart with lack of memory
Yes Vulcans and Romulans are elves. Klingons are orcs. For some reason I am blanking out on the races in DS9 but hobbit/halflings and ogres maybe?
I rather see elves based on the original norse myths that Tolkien himself borrowed them from. Or for that matter based on irish Sidhes.
Elves in the norse mythology are kinda half gods, there are 2 kinds: Dusk elves/Morning elves (hard to translate) and Dawn elves/Evning elves/Black elves/Dark elves. The last ones are not necessarily evil and the first ones are not always good.You can still feel some of the original lore in Tolkiens elves but it is all gone in the D&D elves we see in the MMOs.
The elves in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning are different. The series is a little perverted, but it is an interesting slant on the Fae.
I believe the first book in the series is free to download on Amazon right now.
"Those who dislike things based only on the fact that they are popular are just as shallow and superficial as those who only like them for the same reason."
Personally I always like Dark Elves more, because they are less ethereal and more hands on than the classic Wood Elves. I just don't like the Drow, the D&D depiction of Dark Elves, because esentially an evil society is absurd. It could not exist. I like the version of the Tamriel Dark Elves from Elder Scrolls. I still wait for the ideal Dark Elves in some story, a race which is a mix of Romulans and Klingons in Elvish, if you like. Warriors and moody beings, but not evil. (I am just a bit pissed about the racism in the idea all good Elves are blond and white skinned and dark skinned Elves are evil. Thats just rubbish.) What most authors and games fail to depict is that an Elf is something much different than merely a human with odd habits and pointy ears. An Elf is essentially an alien, a very powerful being who lives very long, and the only reason they are not perceived as dangerous is because they acquired some wisdom through the length of their lives. An Elf should always be something potentially very very dangerous and very good to have on your side, and not some mockey of tree-huggers and flower pickers.
To say it is absurd to have an evil society is just not true. In real life there are evil societies that are real. For whatever reason their beliefs, ideals and way of life is considered evil. Yet they are there. Many may not ever know them nor even know of them but they are real.
I personally like the Dark Elves. They add an special element. At the same time some can choose pull away from their evil ways and if they work hard they can be accepted in other societies. This was the way in EQ and I played a Dark Elf Enchanter and did so. It is a challenge and for the Enchanter a bit easier to accomplish but was fun in the doing.
Elves are magical creatures and although they can be powerful they are very aloof with others. Their hatred for some races runs deep while they will tolerate others. Many see themselves as superior to others. I love the elf race but I think WoW over did it on the ears. Elves should be beautiful to the eye and the ears should not look like a freak overgrowth. WoW fails on that account with the Night Elf . The Blood Elf if beautiful but the ears look like freakish overgrowth as well. How beautiful can a creature of such long standing history be beautiful with ears that look as though they are mutated.
Elves are not human they are something more magical and beautiful than a human could ever hope to be. Being close to nature and being able to live with and understand the world around them. The forests are their home and where they are one with nature and all that dwells within.
Elves are very important in a fantasy world but I do not think they should be playable races.
Reason is that elves are something rare and because they are immortal their skills and knowledge has accumulated during thousands of years rather than tens of years of a regular human. So "leveling" an elf seems just weird since they do not follow the same cycle as other mortals.
Also they are considered a somewhat mythical creature and allowing regular people to play mythical creatures, in the houndreds, takes away their mythical status.
So I am hoping for a fantasy games with elves but not playable ones, like other mythical creatures like dragons.
Any RP minded table-top GM or DM could create a more "fantastic" and unique world that what's being pushed out today.
YES! ABSOLUTELY. I agree 100%.
Yeah, thats what killed DDO and CO for me. They couldn't hold a candle to the table-top ver we played. The rules and books were a launching point for our GM.
NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT AT NO POINT WOULD YOU FINISH AN ADVENTURE ONLY TO GO RIGHT BACK IN AND RUN IT ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERS!! THE FIRST HUGE AND I MEAN HUGE MISTAKE ON THE PART OF THE DEVELOPERS.
I was very young when I played EQ, around 12 or 13, but I liked the lore around the elves in EQ, it adds a bit more than your Tolkien elves, but I think it set the stage for a LOT of "elf cliches"
High elves - City elves with snooty tendancies to all races
Wood elves - feral cousins of the high elves, more accepting to other reces
Half elves - usually wood elf/human, very rarely high elf/human, never feels at home in either city
Dark elves - in EQ, Innoruk(the god of hate) took high elves and corrupted them and viola! Dark elves.
Neverwinter nights had the "Born of evil god" and "born of good god" races also. NWN2 had the Born-of-the-elements races.
Any other game or story capitilze on that, I'm sure they did I just wanna know what.
There was a couple that he answered to but can't remember who they were. Sorry it has been so long I cant remember too many of the details but I remember Puc and he was nasty. Not to be confused with the Movie Midsummernights dream with Stanley Tucci. He was ok but not as dark. Again old fart with lack of memory
The couple he answered to were probably Titania and Oberon, Queen and King of the Faeries.
I actually played Puck in a Concord Player's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
We had one of the actors from Shakespeare and company come out and polish our performances. We ended up adopting a more earthy and savage type of performance over the regular "cute" puck/Elves that you might have seen in the Movie version of the play.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I was up to number 2 when I though "They should put in Elfquest" and then BAM! Number 1 baby!!!! Read those as a teen in their original release. Good stuff.
My high school girlfriend got me into the elf quest books. I have to say I was hooked. I still need to finish them though I undersant that the creators no longer illustrate them but just write them. I think that is correct.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Personally I always like Dark Elves more, because they are less ethereal and more hands on than the classic Wood Elves. I just don't like the Drow, the D&D depiction of Dark Elves, because esentially an evil society is absurd. It could not exist. I like the version of the Tamriel Dark Elves from Elder Scrolls. I still wait for the ideal Dark Elves in some story, a race which is a mix of Romulans and Klingons in Elvish, if you like. Warriors and moody beings, but not evil. (I am just a bit pissed about the racism in the idea all good Elves are blond and white skinned and dark skinned Elves are evil. Thats just rubbish.) What most authors and games fail to depict is that an Elf is something much different than merely a human with odd habits and pointy ears. An Elf is essentially an alien, a very powerful being who lives very long, and the only reason they are not perceived as dangerous is because they acquired some wisdom through the length of their lives. An Elf should always be something potentially very very dangerous and very good to have on your side, and not some mockey of tree-huggers and flower pickers.
To say it is absurd to have an evil society is just not true. In real life there are evil societies that are real. For whatever reason their beliefs, ideals and way of life is considered evil. Yet they are there. Many may not ever know them nor even know of them but they are real.
I personally like the Dark Elves. They add an special element. At the same time some can choose pull away from their evil ways and if they work hard they can be accepted in other societies. This was the way in EQ and I played a Dark Elf Enchanter and did so. It is a challenge and for the Enchanter a bit easier to accomplish but was fun in the doing.
Elves are magical creatures and although they can be powerful they are very aloof with others. Their hatred for some races runs deep while they will tolerate others. Many see themselves as superior to others. I love the elf race but I think WoW over did it on the ears. Elves should be beautiful to the eye and the ears should not look like a freak overgrowth. WoW fails on that account with the Night Elf . The Blood Elf if beautiful but the ears look like freakish overgrowth as well. How beautiful can a creature of such long standing history be beautiful with ears that look as though they are mutated.
Elves are not human they are something more magical and beautiful than a human could ever hope to be. Being close to nature and being able to live with and understand the world around them. The forests are their home and where they are one with nature and all that dwells within.
Well, I imagine the Drow as being a very cut throat feudalistic society, each faction having it's own agenda and willing to do what it takes to get that agenda through.
If one were to look at some European history, one would find many such examples of royalty doing underhanded things in order to secure their positions.
heck, people should read "The Princes in the Tower" if one wants to get a true life version of how the feuding factions would seal their rule. One of the best books I've ever read.
I just don't like the Drow, the D&D depiction of Dark Elves, because esentially an evil society is absurd. It could not exist. I like the version of the Tamriel Dark Elves from Elder Scrolls. I still wait for the ideal Dark Elves in some story, a race which is a mix of Romulans and Klingons in Elvish, if you like. Warriors and moody beings, but not evil. (I am just a bit pissed about the racism in the idea all good Elves are blond and white skinned and dark skinned Elves are evil. Thats just rubbish.)
Here's a quote from China Mieville, the British fantasy and sci-fi writer (as well as activist and politician!). Not to be taken too seriously or get aggravated on, but he does have a point:
"If you have a world in which Orcs are evil, and you depict them as evil, I don't know how that maps onto the question of "political correctness." However, the point is not that you're misrepresenting Orcs (if you invented this world, that's how Orcs are), but that you have replicated the logic of racism, which is that large groups of people are "defined" by an abstract supposedly essential element called "race," whatever else you were doing or intended. And that's not an innocent thing to do."
EDIT: Oh, and, by the way, on topic: Terry Pratchett's Discworld elves take the cake as far as how different they are from your run-of-the-mill MMO elves. Heck, they're practically anti-MMO-elves!
There is a nice ltttle book out currently called ORCS.
It puts them in a very different light, one that would almost make sense.
As for my favorite non-traditional elves, I would have to go with Warhammer 40K's Elddar.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. Benjamin Franklin
Originally posted by Gikku To say it is absurd to have an evil society is just not true. In real life there are evil societies that are real. For whatever reason their beliefs, ideals and way of life is considered evil. Yet they are there. Many may not ever know them nor even know of them but they are real.
Evil is defined by the culture you live in, it is not an absolute.
According to quite a few cultures, America and its immoral ways is the very definition fo evil. In return, American culture views those societies as being evil.
Which is right? Neither one, they simply have differing cultural and moral values that happen to be at odds with each other.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do. Benjamin Franklin
Guild Wars doesnt have elves. Saga of Ryzom and Chronicles of Spellborn dont have elves either. 3 Games with rich lore. Fantasy MMO's really dont need elves, just different writers for their lore. Or base their lore on something different then Tolkien (and his copycats).
I really cant stand elves in MMO's anymore. Not to mention player toons with names like Gwynetth Frrynyywetth or something like that. The irony of an ancient, immortal and wise race being played by ppl who think 'they are so pwetty..weee! Im an elf! '. Meh.
It features a fantastic depiction of Orks as the noble savages of their world. Their not perfect paragons of "goodness", but they're a fascinating culture that is threatened by the other races. Oh, and they ride reindeer.
The Elves of Orkworld are actually other-dimensional beings that inhabit the bodies of mortals and twist them into beautiful but creepily alien forms (as in, too perfect). They're eeviiiil.
The Dwarves are maniacally obsessive; they're so passionate about utter perfection (whether it be in warfare, crafting, etc) that they are rather insane.
The actual game system mechanics are fun and work fairly well. The main draw, though, is the wonderful mythology Wick created for the Orks.
Yup Oberon and Titania thank you for clarification. hehe try this one not really about elves but non-traditional. Ogres are not evil there were actually good and good looking but have been warped and disfigured by their corruption. Not sure wher eI got that from either Anyway Good Looking ogres sounds fun
Yup Oberon and Titania thank you for clarification. hehe try this one not really about elves but non-traditional. Ogres are not evil there were actually good and good looking but have been warped and disfigured by their corruption. Not sure wher eI got that from either Anyway Good Looking ogres sounds fun
That sounds very much like the ogres of Dragonlance, actually.
Yup Oberon and Titania thank you for clarification. hehe try this one not really about elves but non-traditional. Ogres are not evil there were actually good and good looking but have been warped and disfigured by their corruption. Not sure wher eI got that from either Anyway Good Looking ogres sounds fun
That sounds very much like the ogres of Dragonlance, actually.
Yea, they were called the Irda.
From this book:
Dragonlance is a fantastic setting. It's my favorite with the Forgotten Realms (the old version not this new stuff) as my second.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
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Ah, Dark Sun halflings. Primitiva cannibals, yes. But primitive cannibals riding dinosaurs.
As for elves, I always was fond of the elves of the homegrown world of a friend of mine. A demon needed a warrior race as his servants, and brought them into the world. Their culture was much like the feudal Japanese one - warriors wielding swords of extreme sharpness and great bows of immense power with skills that were beyond the incredible, strict feudal structures and power struggles, and a lot of Zen going on. Of course, they didn 't want to serve the demon, rebelled, gave him a drubbing. Then the demon went and got a hold of that world's orcs instead, who were much more amenable to being ruled.
Non-traditional Elves?
Look no further than Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher" books and a PC game. BioWare bluntly took that idea and incorporated it into Dragon Age. No wonder, 3 years ago Witcher the game was created with BioWare's participation.
Elves from Sapkowski's novels are much more hardcore than the Dalish from DAO. Their conflict with humans is similar to the Israel/Palestinian conflict with Jews settling on Palestinian land (West Bank) and pushing the indigenous population further out.
And these elves use the same terrorist tactics as PLO used to (now Hamas is filling the role). That means, sabotage, raids, banditry, kidnapping, assassinations, you name it. All in the name of freedom and freeing their lands.
(humans are not indigenous to that world, they've appeared after destroying their own world millennia earlier coming in through a transdimensional portal).
Elven terrorist cells are called "The Squirrels" (Scoia'tael) and very often include dwarfs and hobbits - other discriminated groups, hated by racist humans (no Political Correctness there, it's set in quasi-renaissance/medieval fantasy).
Elves know they'll lose. Humans breed faster, are more adaptable and their society is progressing with unbelievable speed. Through the progress of the books you can see the world changing (new inventions, society changes, new theories, spreading pollution through magic experiments, etc) and Elves can't keep up. Their longevity based culture is much more passive, less progressive and a relic of the older days.
Through millennia of humans' arrival Elven culture was in decline, shrinking, elves losing their identity and history. Elves from The Witcher books are very... Human. Hateful, bitter, often cruel and yes... racist as well.
Tolkien elves were smart. They knew human would rule the world eventually so they decided to leg it before shit hit the fan. The Witcher elves are Tolkien elves that stayed...
The elves of Final Fantasy XI also deviates from the typical norm of elves. Granted, they're very similar to Tolkien's proud race, but in the context of tree-hugging, goody-goody elves of many fantasy MMOs, they're quite unique in their own regards. The race is imperialistic ("hometown" is dubbed the Kingdom of San d'Oria) and are more into militaristic ambitions than being Mother Nature's designated protectors. They're not interested in crafting unless it has something to do with weaponry and armory. And unlike popular renditions of elves, they're not magic-hungry or dependent on it to make a living.
“Dark Elves…the goth chick that's pretty much the same as the regular chick, but with more wrist-cutting, drama, and clove cigarettes”
So true and you find so many of them online that is no wonder we need Dark/Night/Blood Elves for them to play.
I should point out that Tolkeins Elves of the first age were very different form those that followed. Their hubris and passion was awesome, they fought wars all the time, were incredibly eltitist and pigheaded. With time their passion waned and they became wise, in a sense the race ‘grew up’. So bassing a MMO’s Elves on those in the first age would be a very different story.
Poison Elves von Drew Hayes.
Probably dating myself but anybody remember the cartoon Gargoyles? Anyway, in this concept there is a elf named "Puc" drawn from a Midsummernights dream and he is NOT a goody 2 shoes. He hates humans or any other race for that matter and thinks of them as playthings or something to play tricks on. There was a couple that he answered to but can't remember who they were. Sorry it has been so long I cant remember too many of the details but I remember Puc and he was nasty. Not to be confused with the Movie Midsummernights dream with Stanley Tucci. He was ok but not as dark. Again old fart with lack of memory
Yes Vulcans and Romulans are elves. Klingons are orcs. For some reason I am blanking out on the races in DS9 but hobbit/halflings and ogres maybe?
IN GOD WE TRUST!!!!!
I rather see elves based on the original norse myths that Tolkien himself borrowed them from. Or for that matter based on irish Sidhes.
Elves in the norse mythology are kinda half gods, there are 2 kinds: Dusk elves/Morning elves (hard to translate) and Dawn elves/Evning elves/Black elves/Dark elves. The last ones are not necessarily evil and the first ones are not always good.You can still feel some of the original lore in Tolkiens elves but it is all gone in the D&D elves we see in the MMOs.
The elves in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning are different. The series is a little perverted, but it is an interesting slant on the Fae.
I believe the first book in the series is free to download on Amazon right now.
"Those who dislike things based only on the fact that they are popular are just as shallow and superficial as those who only like them for the same reason."
To say it is absurd to have an evil society is just not true. In real life there are evil societies that are real. For whatever reason their beliefs, ideals and way of life is considered evil. Yet they are there. Many may not ever know them nor even know of them but they are real.
I personally like the Dark Elves. They add an special element. At the same time some can choose pull away from their evil ways and if they work hard they can be accepted in other societies. This was the way in EQ and I played a Dark Elf Enchanter and did so. It is a challenge and for the Enchanter a bit easier to accomplish but was fun in the doing.
Elves are magical creatures and although they can be powerful they are very aloof with others. Their hatred for some races runs deep while they will tolerate others. Many see themselves as superior to others. I love the elf race but I think WoW over did it on the ears. Elves should be beautiful to the eye and the ears should not look like a freak overgrowth. WoW fails on that account with the Night Elf . The Blood Elf if beautiful but the ears look like freakish overgrowth as well. How beautiful can a creature of such long standing history be beautiful with ears that look as though they are mutated.
Elves are not human they are something more magical and beautiful than a human could ever hope to be. Being close to nature and being able to live with and understand the world around them. The forests are their home and where they are one with nature and all that dwells within.
Gikku
Elves are very important in a fantasy world but I do not think they should be playable races.
Reason is that elves are something rare and because they are immortal their skills and knowledge has accumulated during thousands of years rather than tens of years of a regular human. So "leveling" an elf seems just weird since they do not follow the same cycle as other mortals.
Also they are considered a somewhat mythical creature and allowing regular people to play mythical creatures, in the houndreds, takes away their mythical status.
So I am hoping for a fantasy games with elves but not playable ones, like other mythical creatures like dragons.
My gaming blog
YES! ABSOLUTELY. I agree 100%.
Yeah, thats what killed DDO and CO for me. They couldn't hold a candle to the table-top ver we played. The rules and books were a launching point for our GM.
NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT AT NO POINT WOULD YOU FINISH AN ADVENTURE ONLY TO GO RIGHT BACK IN AND RUN IT ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE SAME CHARACTERS!! THE FIRST HUGE AND I MEAN HUGE MISTAKE ON THE PART OF THE DEVELOPERS.
I was very young when I played EQ, around 12 or 13, but I liked the lore around the elves in EQ, it adds a bit more than your Tolkien elves, but I think it set the stage for a LOT of "elf cliches"
Neverwinter nights had the "Born of evil god" and "born of good god" races also. NWN2 had the Born-of-the-elements races.
Any other game or story capitilze on that, I'm sure they did I just wanna know what.
The couple he answered to were probably Titania and Oberon, Queen and King of the Faeries.
I actually played Puck in a Concord Player's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
We had one of the actors from Shakespeare and company come out and polish our performances. We ended up adopting a more earthy and savage type of performance over the regular "cute" puck/Elves that you might have seen in the Movie version of the play.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
My high school girlfriend got me into the elf quest books. I have to say I was hooked. I still need to finish them though I undersant that the creators no longer illustrate them but just write them. I think that is correct.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
To say it is absurd to have an evil society is just not true. In real life there are evil societies that are real. For whatever reason their beliefs, ideals and way of life is considered evil. Yet they are there. Many may not ever know them nor even know of them but they are real.
I personally like the Dark Elves. They add an special element. At the same time some can choose pull away from their evil ways and if they work hard they can be accepted in other societies. This was the way in EQ and I played a Dark Elf Enchanter and did so. It is a challenge and for the Enchanter a bit easier to accomplish but was fun in the doing.
Elves are magical creatures and although they can be powerful they are very aloof with others. Their hatred for some races runs deep while they will tolerate others. Many see themselves as superior to others. I love the elf race but I think WoW over did it on the ears. Elves should be beautiful to the eye and the ears should not look like a freak overgrowth. WoW fails on that account with the Night Elf . The Blood Elf if beautiful but the ears look like freakish overgrowth as well. How beautiful can a creature of such long standing history be beautiful with ears that look as though they are mutated.
Elves are not human they are something more magical and beautiful than a human could ever hope to be. Being close to nature and being able to live with and understand the world around them. The forests are their home and where they are one with nature and all that dwells within.
Well, I imagine the Drow as being a very cut throat feudalistic society, each faction having it's own agenda and willing to do what it takes to get that agenda through.
If one were to look at some European history, one would find many such examples of royalty doing underhanded things in order to secure their positions.
heck, people should read "The Princes in the Tower" if one wants to get a true life version of how the feuding factions would seal their rule. One of the best books I've ever read.
www.amazon.com/Princes-Tower-Alison-Weir/dp/0345391780/ref=sr_1_1
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Here's a quote from China Mieville, the British fantasy and sci-fi writer (as well as activist and politician!). Not to be taken too seriously or get aggravated on, but he does have a point:
"If you have a world in which Orcs are evil, and you depict them as evil, I don't know how that maps onto the question of "political correctness." However, the point is not that you're misrepresenting Orcs (if you invented this world, that's how Orcs are), but that you have replicated the logic of racism, which is that large groups of people are "defined" by an abstract supposedly essential element called "race," whatever else you were doing or intended. And that's not an innocent thing to do."
EDIT: Oh, and, by the way, on topic: Terry Pratchett's Discworld elves take the cake as far as how different they are from your run-of-the-mill MMO elves. Heck, they're practically anti-MMO-elves!
There is a nice ltttle book out currently called ORCS.
It puts them in a very different light, one that would almost make sense.
As for my favorite non-traditional elves, I would have to go with Warhammer 40K's Elddar.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin
Evil is defined by the culture you live in, it is not an absolute.
According to quite a few cultures, America and its immoral ways is the very definition fo evil. In return, American culture views those societies as being evil.
Which is right? Neither one, they simply have differing cultural and moral values that happen to be at odds with each other.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin
Yeah, I agree with the guy with a devil’s head for his avatar that evil does not exist.
…hmm on second thoughts, maybe I don't.
Guild Wars doesnt have elves. Saga of Ryzom and Chronicles of Spellborn dont have elves either. 3 Games with rich lore. Fantasy MMO's really dont need elves, just different writers for their lore. Or base their lore on something different then Tolkien (and his copycats).
I really cant stand elves in MMO's anymore. Not to mention player toons with names like Gwynetth Frrynyywetth or something like that. The irony of an ancient, immortal and wise race being played by ppl who think 'they are so pwetty..weee! Im an elf! '. Meh.
Why did you not include Vulcans and Romulans in your list? I would think they would have fit very nicely into the non-traditional catagory.
One of the best non-traditional fantasy RPGs ever written:
www.amazon.com/Orkworld-Rpg-John-Wick/dp/0970301308
Orkworld, by John Wick.
It features a fantastic depiction of Orks as the noble savages of their world. Their not perfect paragons of "goodness", but they're a fascinating culture that is threatened by the other races. Oh, and they ride reindeer.
The Elves of Orkworld are actually other-dimensional beings that inhabit the bodies of mortals and twist them into beautiful but creepily alien forms (as in, too perfect). They're eeviiiil.
The Dwarves are maniacally obsessive; they're so passionate about utter perfection (whether it be in warfare, crafting, etc) that they are rather insane.
The actual game system mechanics are fun and work fairly well. The main draw, though, is the wonderful mythology Wick created for the Orks.
Yup Oberon and Titania thank you for clarification. hehe try this one not really about elves but non-traditional. Ogres are not evil there were actually good and good looking but have been warped and disfigured by their corruption. Not sure wher eI got that from either
Anyway Good Looking ogres sounds fun 
IN GOD WE TRUST!!!!!
That sounds very much like the ogres of Dragonlance, actually.
Roll on Global Agenda :P
That sounds very much like the ogres of Dragonlance, actually.
Yea, they were called the Irda.
From this book:
Dragonlance is a fantastic setting. It's my favorite with the Forgotten Realms (the old version not this new stuff) as my second.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez