Modern-day fantasy races.

[klorophil]

Hi there!

Wasn’t sure in which forum to put it so here goes. I’m in the early stage of planning an RPG campaign. It will be set in the Descent into Avernus D&D campaign setting. However, I will put a modern twist on it. Basically, the players are from our own modern time, but will be somehow transported into the Hell plane along with their entire city. I would like to equip their foes with real-life modern weaponry. In other words, small arms and military vehicles. Players will also have relatively easy access to those as well to keep things balanced.

What I’m wondering is which race would have what equipment. For example, Dwarves could have WWII german equipment. Panzers and Kar98Ks etc. While Elves would have high-tech current day weaponry.

So I need your suggestions please. Think of the basic races in the D&D setting and what would be there modern-day equivalent, weaponry and equipment wise. It can be anything from the start of mechanized warfare up to righ now.

Thanks.

Cheers.

[limburger]

I think keeping everyone on the same technology level would be better for balance.
Yes, it is cool to replace ‘ancient advanced magic’ with ‘modern/near future technology’, but unless the related resources are rare that’s all the players will use. No one wants to get stuck with a WW1-era bolt-action rifle when they can get an M-16 or newer …

Do the players know that they have been transported ?
Are they going to want to get back to their own time and space ?
Or is this simply an alternate reality setting ?

I’d pick these :
– Orks/Orcs/Goblinoids : Japanese or Soviets ?
– Dwarves : British
– Elves : Nazis
– Humans : Americans
–

Yes … this would make the Elves more evil, but I think that also adds a nice twist to the expectations of their behaviour, but it also fits with them often feeling superior to the ‘lesser’ races in a setting.

[pagan8th]

I’d make [censored] orcs or trolls as it better fits their personality and intellect 🙂

Orcs are loud and love war. So do trolls.

Note: Post edited so as not to offend a nation…

[limburger]

@pagan8th Americans ?

The only ones who could possibly be offended by something we do in a hobby are nations that support a certain cult that loves beheading people for showing cartoons …

[pagan8th]

I never mentioned them. But unless someone can ‘trump’ that idea…

 

[klorophil]

I was also thinking of the elves as germans. What do you think of gnomes, helflings, dragonbornes etc.?

[elessar2590]

Australian = Halflings? Loud Mouthed, Foul Mouthed, Drunken, Thieves and on our own we can’t really take on any major nation in a war.

[pagan8th]

Personally I wouldn’t bother with national boundaries, I’d use regional dialects.

In the UK we have so many different regional accents and there’s enough hostility between them to fill a world of fantasy races. I’m sure the same can be said of other nations.

[torros]

I was in the Italian alps years ago and was told by a local each valley up there has its own dialect which the other valleys find hard to understand

[pagan8th]

Travel a few miles in England and you get the same.

[elessar2590]

@pagan8th that’s extremely weird to me. Here in Australia we don’t really have dialects. Sure the fancy people talk a little nicer than the bogan’s (trailer trash) but it’s all the same dialect. I can’t imagine going twenty minutes down the road and hearing people talk so differently.

[mousaka]

For some ideas on race styles and background/ models, you could look up:

* flintloque/ slaughterloo from alternative armies (napoleonic)

* Panzerfaüste by Wessex games + Hysterical Games (ww2/ modern), with newer resin models including undead, cavalry, vehicles, trolls and troglodytes

* more models from Macrocosm (goblins, Halflings, dwarves) which were Hasslefree, and

* Rebel minis (elf, dwarf and evil elves)

Some images and (out of date) other details can be found at

http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/pulp/ww2fantasy.htm

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