One of the OSR YouTubers I subscribe to has now started to use the term Species instead of race. Even when discussing older versions. That's why I get a chuckle when people claim that the OSR is gonna attract all the people leaving D&D for wokeness.

"Kindred" would have been an okay term, it sounds suitably antiquated, if race absolutely must be replaced (it doesn't). But species, lineage, ancestry... none of these work at all for my setting.

Dragons and men are not distinguished by species. Yes, they are different species, but that is too granular.

Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species

Dragons and men would probably diverge at Class. Orcs and men would probably diverge at Genus.

Not only is "species" too specific from a taxonomical perspective, it's plain fucking lazy and bland.

Imagine a company that creates products, ostensibly for the imagination, inventing a new word!

Imagine a company with massive resources and the largest market share creating a new taxonomy for men, demi-humans, and monsters. A secret taxonomy known and debated by sages that could be gradually discovered while adventuring.

But yeah, they bounced some ideas around a boardroom for half an hour, picked "species", and went golfing. What a fucking joke.

Next they will go after the term 'men' as gender specific and patriarchal and all that.
They'll go for human and the along with species the game will have a vague Science Fiction vibe.

Quote from: Ruprecht on December 15, 2022, 07:22:08 PM
Next they will go after the term 'men' as gender specific and patriarchal and all that.
They'll go for human and the along with species the game will have a vague Science Fiction vibe.

I've seen disturbing rumors that they're actually going to take out "dwarf" next, replacing it with something like "stone folk."

Elves are fairy and that term is an insult.