Ok, first of all, Dragonborn:  Again, weren't we all mocking RIFTS for having dragon hatchlings back in the day? I mean shit, in what way is this not just as stupid powergaming bullshit-exercise "Lets invent a new race that's basically a humanoid dragon with shitloads of power and ubercoolness!"

Kevin Siembieda should feel flattered; he has won the day. It is clearly he, and not Gygax, who is the central inspiration for good game/setting design for the people over at WoTC.

And while we're on that topic, someone else who is in no way an influence on the design of the new edition of 4e D&D: J. R. R. Tolkien.
Case in point: Halflings are now 4ft tall vietnamese boat people who bear no relation whatsoever to hobbits.
Because, of course, no one would have any interest in hobbits anymore given that those three Lord of the Rings movies were such awful flops and there isn't a motherfucking "The HOBBIT" movie about to come out; so it makes perfect sense for the asswipes over at Wizards to try to move the halfling as far away from looking like Bilbo Baggins as possible.. :rolleyes:

Idiots.

RPGPundit

4 ft tall Vietnamese boatpeople? :confused:

Including hobbits in D&D was in my opinion slightly unfortunate.  They had a specific role in Lord of the Rings, and generally feel out of place in other settings.  But Vietnamese boatpeople?  Uh... no thanks.

You know, the more I hear about all this, the happier I am with how Rolemaster presents most of the races.  It lines up pretty well with how I see 'em, with a dash of Palladium Fantasy thrown in for good measure.

Quote from: RPGPunditOk, first of all, Dragonborn:  Again, weren't we all mocking RIFTS for having dragon hatchlings back in the day? I mean shit, in what way is this not just as stupid powergaming bullshit-exercise "Lets invent a new race that's basically a humanoid dragon with shitloads of power and ubercoolness!"

From what I can glean from Races & Classes, Dragonborn won't have any more power or abilities than any other race, except for the bonuses and such-like that the various races get that distinguish them. Apparently they will eventually get a breath weapon, and some may have wings, but these will need to be purchased at higher levels, from what I've read. Whether they require feats or use some type of ability slots acquired at upper levels is unclear to me, but it seems obvious they won't just get them as a free "extra." The other races will also have access to various comparable powers and abilities unique to them.

As an old grognard, I really have no problem with a dragon-like/lizard-like race. I loved playing lizardmen back in the day. The fluff is that dragonborn share a common ancestor with dragons, which is interesting, in some ways more interesting than if they were dragon hatchlings or what-not.

I agree with you about halflings, though.

EDIT: I said "common ancestor" above, when in fact dragonborn share a common ancestry with dragons. Just to be clear.

Quote from: hgjs4 ft tall Vietnamese boatpeople? :confused:

Including hobbits in D&D was in my opinion slightly unfortunate.  They had a specific role in Lord of the Rings, and generally feel out of place in other settings.  But Vietnamese boatpeople?  Uh... no thanks.

According to the 4e "Races and Classes" book, halflings will (in the "default" setting) be 4ft tall, and have a society based on living as wandering tribes sailing on riverboats and keelboats, they'll have abilities in sailing, shipbuilding and fishing.  

RPGPundit

Two more races going on the list of Things Banned By Default list.

Well so far I like the new halflings cause I've never liked playing trad hobbits.

Dragonborn as PCs are gonna be fun in a Points of Light setting - can't see them wandering into a human town without scaring the yokels/being lynched.

and as for emo tieflings ('dude, they're the nu Drow') bleeding mascara - they gonna be the whipping boys cuz you'd always blame the evil looking demon bloke first.