The The Lord of the Rings, but the far-future release of The Elder Scrolls VI offers a chance for developers at Bethesda to shake up this formula by giving players more options, while also exploring the concept of "Race" in a thoughtful way that takes into history, culture, and the perils of stereotyping.
When J.R.R. Tolkien first created his Middle Earth setting, he populated the fantasy world with non-humanoid species drawn from Norse and Celtic folklore: ancient elves, bearded, blacksmithing dwarves, and creatures such as Orcs, Goblins, and Trolls acting as the hostile servants of evil. Variants of these "Fantasy Races" soon spread to other fantasy settings ranging from Dungeons & Dragons to The Elder Scroll's own land of Tamriel.
However, as The Elder Scrolls VI Bethesda has a chance to create a world of diverse NPCs that defy both positive and negative stereotypes in the following ways:
Elder Scrolls 6 Should Have Non-Humanoid Races
Outside the Lizard-like Argonian and Khajiit cat-people, character races in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim default to different varieties of Human or Elf, referred to in-game as "Man" or "Mer." Extra sentient races with non-humanoid origins, dietary practices, or ways of life would add color to The Elder Scrolls VI while also letting gamers view the fantasy world of Tamriel through more alien perspectives. This could also affect the way players interact with the world around them, and could open up different gameplay routes not necessarily available to humanoid creatures.
Xenofiction aside, the chance to create fantasy heroes in The Elder Scrolls VI who happen to be sentient insects, birds, centaurs, trees, or steam-powered robots would be really cool, and also would make the game stand out as unique in ways previous Bethesda titles have not.
Elder Scrolls 6 Should Make Established Races More Multicultural
The developers of the Elder Scrolls VI should also add depth to their fantasy nationalities by giving them subcultures with distinct Shibboleth – marks of culture, religion, fashion, or tradition that make up a culture's identity. In The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, for example, the Great Houses of the dark elves (Telvanni, Redoran, and Hlaalu) had different armor, clothing, weapons and beliefs, which in turn were distinct from the garb of the nomadic Ashlanders or the archaic customs of disgraced Sixth House.
If The Elder Scrolls VI diversified their fantasy races with subcultures in a way similar to Morrowind, it would give players more sights to discover, factions to interact with, and equipment to acquire. If the game does end up taking place in Hammerfell, as many of the rumors surrounding The Elder Scrolls VI suggest, this could mean different Redguard organizations or varying types of scimitar designs.
Elder Scrolls 6 Should Keep Character Stats & Race Separate
In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, race matters little when it comes to creating character builds. An Orc or Nord will be able to train their magic skills just like a Breton, while a High Elf is just as easily able to bathe battle axes in the blood of their enemies as anyone else. Following this trend, the Elder Scrolls VI could transform character creation by making starting abilities a function of the player character's background, rather than parentage. Growing up in lands like Skyrim or High Rock could grant a resistance to cold, while alternately a childhood in the woods or among a mage clan like House Telvanni could grant bonuses to magic.
Whatever the specific mechanics, stronger origin or culture-based starting abilities would give The Elder Scrolls VI players greater freedom and variety during character creation, letting them decide for themselves what being an Orc, Human, or even something more abstract like a Mudcrab really means. Although players likely won't know for sure what races The Elder Scrolls VI will include for some time, these changes would definitely make the fantasy role playing experience more interesting.
Source: Public Medievalist
