I found out why we rewrite random tables before the start of the campaign.

I was humming right along on my Hex-A-Day 2025 when it happened. Random Encounter:  5. Orks. I of course rerolled that result. The world I’m building doesn’t have Orks or Orcs. We certainly don’t have them as a player character race. So I need a replacement.

Orks are still a hot button topic in the TableTop RolePlaying Game hobby thanks to Wizards of the Coast and the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook. (Bleh.) Were it not for that controversy, I might not even care, but I’ve pretty much decided the canonical Tolkien kin have got to go.

I’ve already replaced Halflings with Otterkin. There is a Dwarf and an Elf in my exploration party from the Misty Vale along with a Human, a Wolfkin, a Cat Folk, and a Mallard. (No Dragonbane party is truly complete without a Mallard. Just sayin…) However, I think Elves and Dwarves indigenous to this new realm are maybe not a thing or few and far between. Evidence of their passing might be found if the group looks enough.

So what will replace Orks? My first thought was to pick a Kin no one would object to. They’re white like typing paper, pot-bellied, have short devilish goatees, skinny arms, skinnier legs, and horns like the Devil. In fact I thought about making them Demonic Kin in nature so no one would want to play one. How much trouble would that get me in, though?

At this point I’m not even sure we can discuss different types of fantasy beings without some sort of racial argument breaking out on social media. I’m still working toward building a community of my own on X (Twitter,) BlueSky, and YouTube especially. The last thing I want to do is become a polarizing catalyst of another “race” debate like I did when I talked about half-races in D&D 5E. (Wasn’t trying to start stuff then; ain’t trying to start none now. Yeah, grammar whatever…)

Anthropomorphism and Fantasy World Design.

I love Mallards and Wolfkin. I wish I was a Cat Folk. Otterkin are just the cute side of my personality incarnated. I don’t want to build a whole world of these various critters-turned-bipeds. We still have Lizard Folk because I have to have my Reptilians. (I’m firmly convinced they exist on Earth, so they have to appear in-game somewhere.) And because it’s Dragonbane, there will still be various anthropomorphic beings, but at some point we’re going to diverge from that.

Likewise I don’t care for all Human campaigns. Yes, we’re theoretically all humans in the real world (except for the Reptilian Shapeshifters. I’m onto you.) But all Humans gets pretty stale. Elves and Dwarves I can sorta justify because of their real world mythological counterparts.

Maybe it’s time I go do some research and figure out what Tolkien would have used instead of Orks. Don’t say Goblins! Multiple cultures have their own versions of Goblins. I’m just leaving that territory for my friend, the OG GM.

“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” – Bernard of Clairvaux.

This isn’t some attempt to replace Black people, Latinos, or anyone else in the real world as synonymous with Orks. I want a few types of beings, known as Kin in Dragonbane parlance, to have in my new world. Maybe they’re bad guys. Maybe they’re not.

I intend to have Kin that aren’t all Gray Aliens or some variation thereof. However, there are going to be plenty of encounters of that kind as well. The portal that brought the group to this place was technically alien technology masquerading as magic. There will be some equivalent of the Pleiadeans, Mantids, Orions, etc. (Remember I’ve gone back and forth between gaming and Ufology for quite a while now.) But I’m not trying to turn my campaign into Buck Rogers, Star Trek or Star Wars, either.

I miss having a more aggressive group of beings similar to Orks or Klingons. You always kinda knew who was wearing the white hats (Players) and the black hats (Ork/Klingons) back in the old days. I could draw a different real world reference with cowboys, but I’d just as soon not get roasted all over social media. I seem to remember things being a lot simpler when I was growing up. (Middle aged guy from the Midwest here. Yeah… I know.)

I’m probably going to have to let this topic go and come back to it in a week or two. Meanwhile I’ve stumbled across a lot of beasts, monsters, elementals, golems, robots, aberrations, and just general weirdness the last few days trying to tackle my Ork problem. I was trying to take notes but now I find myself just pointing at books. LOL! One of these days, we’re going to have to talk about a Bestiary of our own.

I have next week’s encounter mapped out already which explains why the Otterkin do not venture into the forest at night. I’ve also explained some of what was in the dungeon levels above the portals as to why it was there. The Otterkin are all quietly cussing the group because everything was fairly quiet and peaceful until those darn meddling kids opened up a portal and came through it. More on Wednesday.