I was having this discussing with some friends about races in RPGs (in the specific case, Pathfinder and other d20 games). It started out with someone saying that picking a race has little (mechanical) effect to the character after the first few levels. It is arguably a fact (with some races).
Added to that was the discussing that the majority of players did not 'roleplay' these races, so that, in the end, they were all humans in funny costumes
Now, the question is, what is the reason for you choosing a specific race? The stats/abilities it provides? The concept of a dwarf or elf due to some affinity? Pure lore based on the campaign setting? Something else?
Stats and abilities to a large extent. As for RP'ing a race each individual elf or dwarf is its own person and need not conform to stereotypes. I played a teifling once that was trying to lead other teiflings to not commit crimes, so the race as a whole could eventually get better treatment from others. I rolled high for attributes so I felt like I could take a hit since I don't think the teifling is really all that good especially for a druid.
I like elves. personality and stats and culture fit my personality. I find it difficult to play dwarves an orcs.
Almost no one in my gaming group likes to play Half Orcs. Stupid humans, half-elves, and elves dominate the usual party makeup, and I like to add a bit of diversity to the group. Plus, I just really like Half Orcs.
Two factors more than anything else influence my decision here, What races can I identify with so I can better play the character, with a close second being advantages I perceive for taking a certain race.
In D&D I have seldom if ever played anything but a human, with a couple of forays as an Aasimar and even once a half-naga that passed for human (I really liked the abilities associated with them, and the GM permitted me through an interesting backstory to, despite my heritage, be a lawful good paladin (The short of it was basically an anomalously successful "dispel evil" spell deleted my old personality, and I was raised/indoctrinated by a Sect of Tyr to avenge my own wrong-doings... it worked out really well, and was an interesting character to play.)
I just can't get into the idea of being a half-orc or a dwarf, and I can't identify with what it would be like to live a long time like elves, and gnomes and halflings are too little (I'm really tall so they feel extra-alien to me)... That extra feat for being human generally clinches the deal for me!
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Flavor, background, and aesthetics. Sometimes I fall in love with certain images some races make possible. Sometimes I fall for the background material for those races, along with their nature and mindset. Usually it's a mix between the two.
Humans, half-orcs, fetchlings, tieflings, undines, nagaji, svirfneblin...all of them offer character possibilities I'd love to get to try out someday, whether it's something down to earth or completely wild and fantastic.
I choose a class I want to try and then choose a race that seems fun to accompany it and that I haven't tried yet.
I've only been playing D&D for a couple years now, so for me, when I roll a new character, I think, "What haven't I played yet?"
For instance, my group is starting a new campaign soon, so I chose to try out a Grippli. He'll probably die a few sessions in by getting stepped on in a tavern, but, hey, I can try another one after that.
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I almost always go human, because I'm a feat #$%&.
Let's see... I like creating custom races, so I like to choose the race I created.
When I do play the basic races, I like to experiment. I've played humans, halflings, gnomes, half-orcs, half-elves, elves, heck I think I've played them all. I do like to inject some racial quirks into my character's personality.
I rarely choose a race because of any mechanical advantage, but I have been known to choose races specifically to demonstrate how you can play an unusual combination. Such characters include a gnome barbarian, a halfling fighter, a half-elf druid and a half-orc sorcerer.
Really I'm up for just about anything. Need a kobold oracle in the group? I'm probably your guy.
Human, because of the extra feat and skill point (and the +2 to one stat in PF)
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The only reason I play a non-human is if the features of the race give me something I want for my class (like playing an elf gives my cleric a broader range of weapon proficiencies).
I come up with a char. idea(or steal the idea)and go with it .
Halfling Cavalier
Half Orc Dragon Disciple
Goblin Witch with a Toad Familiar
Just whatever seems fun .
Well, for starters... GOBLINS!
Ok got that out of my system, I generally love the really big, the brute, the oddity, or the unique. I quite like the big races like the half-giant and the half-ork (an actual ork is better tho... most gm's dont seem to like me playing one) and the asterion. When I build a charicter concept, I am usually looking for a specific theme or idea. As such, I might build something based on how it looks (the permanently enlarged asterion barbarian with jet black hair and huge horns, looks like a bison), a chunk of back story taken to extremes (A dwarven sorcerer of deep earth with a stone golem worn as armour and taking levels in the armour bonded prestige class and selecting the metal veins graft. he literally becomes a stone golem, quite liked that one), a quirky idea (A goblin using the old bloodlines variant (Dragon), taking levels in dragon disciple and creating a tiny dual typed dragon of doom that used to be the partys pet o.O ) the oddity (I built a minitoar unarmed fighter that took 6 levels in the old horizon walker so he could use dimension gate as a spell like ability every 1d4 rounds. Man that guy could move! he would constantly do crazy things like bull rush the guy flying 50 feet in the air and drag both of us to the ground. he was insane and so much fun because of it. We had to define what would happen if i used dimension door to apear above someone flying and if I had a chance to grab him on the way down o.O ps dont meet this guy in a maze. he can bring you to any random spot he desires and track you down... fear the minitoar!)
Generally I build an idea, wether its powerful or if I want to make it fluffy, the actual character usually gets conformed to fit the idea. Most of my ideas involve hitting something hard, rarely do i cast :( Distrustful of them casters I am!
Flavor for the campaign. I don't optimize the class by picking the naturally advantaged race.
i just love the idea of a dwarf warrior decked out in kick butt armor with a giant battle axe or war hammer..diiiiiiie orc scum
I usually prefer humans, but in our current Birthright campaign I'm playing a changeling cleric, only for the reason I love the pathfinder changelings' fluff and how they are based on the mythological ideas of changelings and not those horrible Eberron things.
A long time ago, when I was first starting to Roleplay, I settled on humans, because it required the least alien outlook to portray, I could just play... a guy. It helped me cut my teeth as a roleplayer.
Then it just kinda stuck. I usually build from a concept, and my first instinct to make it human. Only if the concept is really non-human will I start elsewhere.
Then in Pathfinder/3.x when humans started getting trait bonuses that made them attractive as PC race in their own right did I really start playing humans as a mechanical advantage.
Now I find that in Pathfinder, I have a hard time breaking loose from the bonus feat and extra skills.
But I have been playing a lot of dwarves lately, I like the flavor and background of them.
I will, however, never play an elf. Or half elf. I just can't stand them. And I don't think I've ever seen one played in such a way as to make me not contemplate elficide, even with a paladin. I don't know why, I guess it might be the dwarf blood.
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I find race and character concept often go hand in hand.
Sometimes the appeal is playing a character whose race and class aren't an obvious combo. In 3.5 Eberron I played a Warforged Soulknife purely for the appeal of having a Soulknife who may not have had a soul.
So far in Pathfinder I've mostly played gnomes and halflings, as they have worked for the character concepts. Next character up will likely be either human or kitsune, depending on the concept I settle on.
I find race and character concept often go hand in hand.
This is pretty much how I do it. My character concepts usually end up fitting two or three potential races, at which point I start optimizing from there to settle on the final race.
My last PC was a Tengu, which I chose because I like their thematic elements. Auto-proficiency in swords is always nice, but playing the mix of gregarious and fatalistic as a cleric of a death god was just plain fun.
In computer RPGs, I play Dwarves or other earthy peoples. Stoic, possibly gregarious, and loyal are traits I stick to for flavor I guess.
I pick a class - then I look at the races that would be good at that - good favored class options, bonus to ability scores and compare to humans...
Then I look at the races that seems to work (no minus to con for a fightertype for instance) and then I try to make a back story using either the fluff from the books or making some for my self if I don't fint the things in the books interesting.
For instance - want to make a Magus build. - dex build or str build - like the dex build more - add Kensei - now I what races that add int or dex. Elves, Goblins and wayangs seems nice - But Goblin just seem more fun - so that's what I would pick.
I am big and ugly.
Hence I like to pick the biggest, ugliest race available.
it's my mood or the rest of the party that decides.
Either I have to choose a race that fits into the campaign, or the class that fits into the group.
I like to play more or less stereotypes of races, that's why I wouldn't play a dwarven wizard just because my dwarf only group needs a wizard.
I play Human quite a bit, but I've been known to favor Halflings and Gnomes. My last Halfling monk got petrified for 40 rounds and then knocked off a tower roof on round 40...so I put them away for now :)
When APG came out and Alchemists were introduced I just LOVED my Gnome.
Also, drunken Gnome Sorcerer who has a tendency to be thrown as a weapon by his Half-Orc bud...is pretty fun. Even though he got peed on when passed out.
But it really happens as I have a broad idea of what I want to play..and I picture it in my head...and a race just comes from that picture.
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Mostly I pick a race I like with the Character concept and Class in mind. I don't mind reskinning Races, such as adding a foot or two to a Dwarf and saying he is a Human with a little Giant Blood for a viking "northman" type.I like Aasimar because they are touched by the divine, a concept I really like.
But it has to be a combination of flavor and cncept, and mechanics. World and Setting flavor are the least useful to me, especially if there is no mechanics to back that up. Half-Orcs are usually savage outcasts with tempers. Ok, I don't care because MY Half-Orc is going to be what I want it to be. Hell, he was raised by high elves and is all about gracefull arrogance or whatever. Every other Half-Orc on the plaet doesn't matter to MY character's philosophy and personality, unless they have a Racial -2 Int and Cha and a penulty to Diplomacy and Know Skills or something.
Added to that was the discussing that the majority of players did not 'roleplay' these races, so that, in the end, they were all humans in funny costumes
Oddly I find it just the opposite with the people I game with. Race and how it affects character personality and RP are huge when determining a character with us.
While it is true that most racial abilities tend to mean much less at higher levels, your races impact on peronsality and outlook of character will always matter.
I also LIKE to play racial stereotypes and still have enough individuality to make the character intersting. It is an (unreasonable I know) pet peave of mine that so many people feel the need to play the 'good drow' or 'evil aasimar'. IMO a greater test of creativity is playing a stereotype and still making it a very interesting character.
But I tend to be picky that way.
That said I have characters, over the years, of pretty much every race but Gnome. Never really got into Gnomes though I do want to some day play a gnome tinker bard style character.
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I really try to find a race that fits the concept of the character I've started developing in my mind (and there's usually at least a couple bouncing around up there). The last 3 characters I've put together were a half-orc Rage Prophet, a dwarf gunslinger, and a human TWF who dual wielded starknives. I really like to use a different race every time I play, and I love races that have cool gimmicks or draws (the undine's Hydraulic Push and the ability to disarm with it and things like that, for example).
I choose based on what's the most fun to draw.
I play races for both the mechanics and for the flavor.
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Either of 2 possiblitites depending upon my mood at the time characters are being made.
1) Fits Concept - I'm going to play a lore warden that trips with a horse chopper. Seems like half-orc goes best with that.
2) Rarity - I haven't played a halfling in a couple of years.
Now there is a new option because of the new race book.
3) I will probably make my decision based on one of the race classes in the new book. (When I get it.)
I usually prefer humans, but in our current Birthright campaign I'm playing a changeling cleric, only for the reason I love the pathfinder changelings' fluff and how they are based on the mythological ideas of changelings and not those horrible Eberron things.
Wow--you're the 1st person I know that's played Birthright!
Usually- I've already selected a class, and am looking for a race that fits thematically, mechanically, and then I hunt for an Rp hook that makes the character something i want to play.
I won't necessarily go for "The best" race for the class I'm looking at- but I try to avoid "The worst" class for it, too. (penalties to primary stats, or some other problem that is an issue with whatever my goal is for taking said class).
-S