[soltakss]

Originally Posted by Tywyll

Sure it should, if there is no reason to play humans, then no one will.

If stats were the only issue then everyone would play Centaurs - strong, large and dextrous with an extra attack each round. Or perhaps Mistress Race Trolls.

It depends on the game setting. Look at Glorantha, most of the cultures are human, so most of the PCs are going to be human. But you can play the other species as well.

Originally Posted by Tywyll

If a race has all sorts of advantages, and few to no disadvantages, then why shouldn't you try to balance things out?

I don't start from the premise that all the species are equal. There is no way that a duck and a troll can be balanced. Trolls are big, tough and good in darkness, ducks are small and wiry and good in water. But balanced? No way.

Originally Posted by Tywyll

That's possible, the question becomes: what is a reasonable cost/balance?

That depends on your game and setting. I'd just let players choose the same level of experience and start from there. It isn't one of the things that I bother about.

Originally Posted by Tywyll

What are those weaknesses? Back in the day, playing d&d and ad&d, almost no one played humans, because there was nothing interesting or compensating for them to compare to the abilities/cool factor of the non-human races.

I always played humans in AD&D, I've never played a non-human. In RQ, I normally play humans, although I did play a centaur for a long while. Species stats were never really important to me. I looked at the background, the cults and the setting rather than thinking "Elves have Infravision, oh goodie".

What are the weaknesses?

In RQ terms, elves are stuffed outside their forests, dwarves are stuffed outside their mines, trolls don't like it in the daytime, centaurs are crap in caves, wind children can't take being underground and so on.

RQA is a game that has fairly well balanced species, more so that AD&D. By balanced I mean that there are no stand-out species, except for Mistress Race Trolls or Real Dwarves. So, trolls can see in the dark. So what? If I play a Yelmalian then I can get Catseye and see in the dark anyway, or I can cast Light or light up a torch. Elves are quick but Wind Children can fly. Trolls can see in the dark but centaurs can run fast.

Originally Posted by Tywyll

Luckily, I only have one power gamer in my group. However, he's also a good roleplayer. That's not my concern, I don't want players feeling cheated later on in play when they want to play a concept but someone who's simialr non-human concept simply always outshines them (like a Melnibonean in just about any SB game, etc, etc).

Yes, Melniboneans are the elite species in the Young Kingdoms setting, but they have their weaknesses. They are arrogant and take risks. They are a dying race and are doomed. They don't care for mortal pursuits and prefer the pursuit of pleasure in its various forms. They are roleplaying weaknesses rather than stats weaknesses.