I game with a guy who's creatively lazy. He often wants to play unusual races, and counts on the abnormality of his character to make it interesting, rather than developing an interesting personality. In games that aren't very roleplaying-heavy, that isn't a problem, but the rest of the group tends to prefer games with a lot of roleplaying, so it gets frustrating. A well played human fighter will always be a more interesting character than a poorly played kitsune magus. It all comes down to your group's preferences. I think what attracts many players to nonstandard characters, be they unusual races in a fantasy game, a Hutt Jedi, or a Tzimisce in a Camarilla game, is that they haven't been done to death. They're new ground. They're not necessarily a bad thing. The fact that someone is playing a Drow or a True Brujah won't ruin the game. If someone really wants to play something odd, I say let them. The crappy players will likely get their characters killed, while the good ones will add an interesting element to the game. I would also point out that the roleplaying challenges can easily offset any mechanical bonus or special ability. Even in a loose approximation of medieval Europe that tries way too hard not to be like Middle Earth, it can be advantageous to not stand out. A merchant deals with dozens of humans every day, but your strix PC may be the only one he's ever seen. He'll remember you, and in many cases, even in societies that pretend to be diverse and cosmopolitan, different can be disturbing to others, so he'll often be more than happy to point pursuers in the right direction.
