Character Ethnicity

[Supreme]

I am starting this purely out of curiosity. What ethnicities have you played in your characters? Virtually all of my characters have been either generic caucasian, or Jews (which I am - somewhat). Please exclude posting about any characters with non-real ethnic backgrounds (aliens, atlanteans, mutants, etc.). Pardon the rough groupings, but they only allow a maximum of 10 options and there are only 24 hours in a day.

[lemming]

Originally posted by Supreme
I am starting this purely out of curiosity. What ethnicities have you played in your characters? Virtually all of my characters have been either generic caucasian, or Jews (which I am - somewhat).

Mostly Caucasian, but I've also done Thai, African/American, Japanese, and Latino.

The Caucasian origins: Bunch of US, but also Swiss, Israeli, and New Zealand.

BTW, your poll only accepts one answer.

[Supreme]

Originally posted by lemming
BTW, your poll only accepts one answer.
Yeah, sorry. It's my first. I guess just submit your most often-used character ethnicity -- or ignore the stupid thing entirely.

[Hermit]

I think I must have done almost every NPC ethnic option possible, almost. Probably missed one or two. Have done everything from American Indian, to Haitian, to Tawainese national, to Welsh. :)

PC wise, I tend to play Caucasian, born and raised in the United States. It is what I know best and I get lazy :)
Then again, I don't get to be a player often.
*Sigh*

[keithcurtis]

Most of my PCs tend to be Caucasian-ish, but in the course of GMing, I have played all of these as fully-realized NPCs, and many more.

Keith "master of a thousand voices" Curtis

[Starwolf]

I have done native american, japanese, english-caucasian, french-caucasian, Scottish-caucasian, American-caucasian, African-american, and generic caucasian.

[Ghost Archer]

My own characters tend to be 'generic' caucasian except for one Japanese.

[Zeropoint]

Now that I think about it, all of my human characters have been caucasian. No, wait--I've played a couple of Rokugani samauri, who were Japanese for all practical purposes.

With respect to personality, every character that I play is essentially me with a few minor variations. I think that if I tried to play another ethnic group, I'd either create a cliche, or end up playing them like a middle-class, white, west-coast American who happens to look a little different.

Zeropoint

[Monolith]

I have played White, Black, Native American, and Asian. As far as character nationalities I have done American, American Indian, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.

[Vondy]

I generally play caucasian characters. I also play Jewish characters fairly frequently (I place them seperately because not all Jews are caucasian(North African and Central Asian Jews have different 'racial stocks' altogether)).

I have also played characters of various asiatic races (Chinese, Japanese, etc), and Native American characters.

I did play one Black character (an ethiopian Jew with an Israeli passport).

[Pol Rua]

Whatever works for the character. I do tend to play Irish a bit (my mum's Irish). But I've played American, British (Caucasian), British (Black), East Indian, Polynesian, I've played Brazillian, Chinese, Finnish. I've played an Australian Aborigine, a White Australian, a Russian.
Like I say... whatever works.


_____________________________________
Pol.

[zornwil]

I've almost entirely played caucasians as PC, although my current PC, Blazing Arrow from the Western Sea who Talks to the Old Mule, is half-American Indian/Native American and acts in a blundering way in how he thinks Native Americans "really" are. He was "enlightened" by several peyote trips and although he did gain some vaguely supernaturally based powers (mostly of minor effect) and learned somehow Indian martial arts techniques, he is obnoxiously and wrong-headedly an Indian hero in his mind, so much so his own people have never wanted him around.

Upon reflection it's probably a back-handed reference to my mother's politically correct (in the white guilt/noble superior native culture way) obsession with Indians as I grew up. In general I don't try to do ethnic characters as a PC and struggle with portraying them as GM because I grew up in a very homogenized cauc environment, even though I later lived in much more diverse areas.

[Alibear]

As I play with Germans, they really don't understand if I start to do non standard accents.
I played a Scottish guy once called Mad Mach, a flying speedster with a bad temper, who was fun to play. I could ham up the accent quite well.(easy for me I hear ya say)

"Oh is that right wee man? Do you want tae step ootside an talk aboot it? No? But Ah dae. c'mere you tae me, ya wee shite yae"

[Trebuchet]

My current character is Russian, but the one that preceded her was Greek. My first character was American white-bread.

In our current group we have:
2 American "white"
1 Filipino
1 Bhutanese-Apache Indian (Don't ask!)
1 Apache Indian (No relation.)
1 Russian
1 "Atlantean" of indeterminate ethnicity

We had an android, but I don't think it qualified as an ethic group member. :p

[lemming]

I notice some people listing their NPCs as well. If I included those, I'm not sure if there are many that I haven't.

[Lord Mhoram]

Play mostly caucasion, but have played African/American, Japanese, Native American, Arabic/African guy (went for the exotic look), and am currently playing a future american melting pot with distint african and hispanic features.

Country wise I've played lots of Americans, a Russian, and some Brits.

[Doctor Agenda]

I have run generic white (often), Russian, Hungarian, Austrailian (white), Mexican, Japanese (Bushido and L5R) and mixed. I tend to run non-white characters as mixed white (eg, Eurasian, half-Native American, part African-American) perhaps because I'm too lazy for the effort required to portray them sensitively without the safety net of "well, he's part white so any lack of authenticity comes from his mixed heritage". The most diverse game I've been in was a weird Old West with BESM rules (eccentric?) where the GM mentioned race issues would be touched on. We had a generic white cowboy, gw gambler, gw gunslinger, a mute Chinese immigrant Mistress of Kung Fu, and an Octaroon who turned completely Black (and back again) whenever he became angry because his African ancestor was the irrepressible Chango the Thunderer. This last guy (The Creole Kid) was mine, and maybe he is an example of the TV Sci Fi issue where "sure we have black men on our show as long as they have bugs on their heads, weird visors, pointy ears, a big energy spear (!), or spikes on their arms." Playing other ethnicities is tricky: play a stereotypical elf and no one blinks, play an African American and how you do it may reflect (consciously or unconsciously) or be perceived to reflect your real racial attitudes.

[Chaosliege]

I've played Caucasion-Generic, Russian, British, Chinese, Japanese, African American, and of course Alien.

[Patriot]

I am Caucasian (of ukrainain german,and croatian decent)
Patriot (Dr. Dan Hunter) is caucasian of english decent
BlackBanshee (Timothy Black) is of African american decent
Cheif Rising Storm is an american indian
The Knight Owl (Alexander Shollars) is caucasian of german decent
in order they are
An unemployed chef
A medical doctor
a unemployed teacher
an indian shaman
A city councilman

[farik]

The trouble with the polls is you can't make more than one selection
I picked Chinese
but I've also played
Caucas
African American
Hispanic
and
Tibetan

[Fuzzy Gnome]

Caucasian mostly (American, Canadian, and Prussian)
Chinese (Shampoo clone)
Oh yeah, I played a half Japanese half Finnish character in Streetfighter. Refer to somebody's comment on some other thread about how Japanese and Finnish sound similar if you don't understand them.

[McCoy]

Caucasian, American and European; Nisei (American born child of Japanese immigrants); Native American, Shoshoni, Navajo, Cheyenne, and Apache; African-American; African-African; Middle Eastern; this does not include NPC's.

Humm, no Latins that I recall.

[Ron]

I'm caucasian and so are most of my characters, originated from several countries. However, I've already played a hispanic superhero (Puerto Rican) in a Champions campaign, a Portuguese jew in a quasi-historical campaign in XVII Century Brazil, an african inspired mage in a GURPS Fantasy game, an arab (Sirian) in a Star Trek game, a few orientals (mostly samurais, thus Japonese, except for a definitely Chinese inspired mage) in D&D's Oriental Adventures and Sengoku and perhaps a few more I am not remembering right now.

[Tasha]

Mostly white characters. Although I have played Japaneese, African-American, Scottish, English, German.

That of course leaves out Fantasy Races, Artificial Intelligences, Intelligent Animals and of course Aliens (not all based on Primate evolutiion)

I try to play what I know. I feel really uneasy playing other real world races. I don't want to offend someone if my portrail is based on stereotyping, or played somewhat white. So I keep it simple.

Tasha :o

[MuscaDomestica]

Right now
Ars Magica, Russian Mage, Russian peasent girl and Polish Jew
Fantsy Hero: Well... Centaur not a real world race
Changeling: (ending) White, very pasty white, also he is a caucasion.
Exalted: (starting this week) Obviously Chinease
Shadowrun: Old character, Costa Rican, New character American born Japanese.

[Solomon]

I mostly keep to "white" ethnics: I don't usually feel confident playing cultures I have little practical knowledge of, unless the setting somehow warrants it (ie Rokugan).

Most Superheroic campaigns I have run were based in America, since Superheroic comics are such an American thing. As a result, most Champions characters I have run or GMed were Americans; either Caucasian, African-American, Chinese-American or Nippo-American. Non-americans include Italians, Latino-Americans (Chile, Argentina), English, French.

Other modern settings: mostly Italians, with a few French, British, Scottish, German, American or Spanish ones.

[Deejmeister]

Funny story from an actual (Shadowrun) char-gen session:

Erick (GM): "What's (the race of) your character going to be this time?"

Greg (Yurok Indian): "Probably a Sioux, or from the SS council."

[after Greg goes home...]

Erick: "That Greg, man, all his characters are indians."

Jeff: "Well I don't know, I usually play white guys..."

Erick: "Oh... I guess you're right..."

I am of the opinion that players usually play characters that they can relate to, often without thinking about it.

[Jhereg]

I find most of my actual roleplayers (as opposed to roll-players), like a break from their own ethnicity. They play ethnicities differing from their own about 1/2 the time. I think a player branching out in that regard is a sign of character depth.

My current Star Hero campaign is a first, as there are no whites of American descent among PC's We have:

2 Russians (brothers)
1 German
1 Middle-Easterner (Psionic)
1 Alien

[Agent X]

I've role played about half those on this list.

[Doug McCrae]

Mainly I play Caucasians. Once I was an Australian aboriginal and one time I played a Jew but that's it. I do have a lot of female PCs though.

[Snarf]

In my last game, one of the PCs was Japanese and the other one was Romani (modern day gypsy). I think that's an ethnic group...

[Michael Hopcroft]

I've played at least three Japanese characters. Mostly this is because I've played in quite a few anime-centered games.

One of the more amusing examples was when I played a naive young magical girl in a comedy campaign who ekpt getting the meanings of words confused. She frequently got kawaii ("cute") and kowai ("scary") mixed up. She was also incredibly naive. the campaign broke down when the Gm cheated blatantly in my favor and everything ended in massive acrimony 9one of my character's trope's was that nothing she did ever worked the way she wanted it to -- ever.)

[KawangaKid]

In the U.S. I used to play a fair number of Filipino characters in the games that allowed it.

Over here in the Philippines, I seldom do that...

[BoneDaddy]

Mostly American white guys
One Jamaican black elf (physad, Shadowrun)
One Russian ork (StreetSam, Shadowrun)
Various Native Americans (Shadowrun, and the unenvied Flaming Justice, an early Champs hero)
A Japanese or two (5, if you count the clones...)

[Ragitsu]

Bumping this thread, because I find it immensely interesting, and want to get discussion on it going again.

Also, where does "Middle Eastern" fit in: Asian?

[CrosshairCollie]

Most frequently, Caucasian Generic. I can remember one German, one Mexican ... a whole lot of robots and genetic constructs, which don't really fit into any ethnicity.

BTW, is 'furry' an ethnicity? I have a lot of those, too.

[Ragitsu]

BTW, is 'furry' an ethnicity? I have a lot of those, too.

Do they have an accent attributable to a nation that exists in the campaign?

[CrosshairCollie]

Do they have an accent attributable to a nation that exists in the campaign?

Kind of varies, but not usually. I tend to envision them with a non-accent, though that probably means American accent since I don't think of myself as having an accent.

Oh, yeah ... Vixen was Japanese-American (though all American in behavior).

[Escafarc]

My PCs
Orion the Hunter: Native American
Agent Sable: White American
Silk Spectre: Chinese
Sentinel: Gadroon
Gates:Fae

[Shadow Hawk]

The poll doesn't allow multiple choice. I have played all listed EXCEPT East Asian, African, and Oceanic. My next character will be one of the three. Or maybe... all three!

Shadow Hawk is generic caucasian. Genetically engineered, he doesn't know for sure his own backround.
Goliath is Aquamarine-American. His original (unmutated) form was not set down when the campaign ended. He could easily be East Asian...
Steel Panther is Latino.
El Mago is literally Hispanic ("From Spain").
My wife (Venezualan) has complained about my overuse of Hispanic heroes lately, both as characters and in my fiction.

[Cygnia]

Most of my characters are generic Caucasian-(North) American, though Prospero is originally Scots-English now pretending to be American. Ningyo/Cascade is Japanese, however.

[Ragitsu]

There are times (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/84157-Funny-system-quirks?p=2141656#post2141656) when it behooves one to break outside their comfort zone...:-).

[pinecone]

I am starting this purely out of curiosity. What ethnicities have you played in your characters? Virtually all of my characters have been either generic caucasian, or Jews (which I am - somewhat). Please exclude posting about any characters with non-real ethnic backgrounds (aliens, atlanteans, mutants, etc.). Pardon the rough groupings, but they only allow a maximum of 10 options and there are only 24 hours in a day.

I tried to vote for several but it would only take One....most every one has seen play....

[dmjalund]

I designed a character in a campaign that never actually started. It was to be a super group in South Africa. I created a shapeshifter who didn't know if he was brn black or white. (When he was a kid, he was either one of two friends one black, one white, one who disappeared - and the other - the shapeshifter came back with the ability to be either with no memories)

[hfergus]

As GM, I had npc's of every possible race there is (and some of my imagining). As player I had a PC that was half Japanese(mother) and half American(father). I described him as "Looking almost totally Japanese except 6 foot 6." Yes, the genes actually did that. In secret ID mode, he acted fairly American. As hero, he went into "silent inscrutable oriental" mode. Although he often did it almost as a joke.

[lapsedgamer]

I never even thought about when I played D&D as a sprout. I just assumed everyone in the genre was European Caucasian or demi-human. There really weren't any Black role models in the fantasy literature I had read up to that point. I didn't discover the Imaro books until later. Later, I thought about it, and I made a North African style Moorish knight. I hadn't even heard of the concept of Sir Morien back then, it just seemed like a cool idea. I based it on this painting I once saw. I wish I could find again.

Anyway, in modern games I play African-American. One of my favorite supers characters from V&V was French-African. I rolled France randomly and just went with it.

[dmjalund]

what ethnicity is a Kenku? japanese?

[tkdguy]

what ethnicity is a Kenku? japanese?

It's a D&D monster based on the Tengu, a Japanese spirit.

Kenku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenku)

[dmjalund]

but what if you have a campaign where there does not seem to be any analog of Japan?

[tkdguy]

IIRC, kenku were generic enough in D&D so that they weren't associated with any ethnic group. They were just a race of birdmen.

[Lucius]

I'm so tempted now to go make up a bunch of characters of obscure ethnicity.

Ainu, Copt, Bushman, Sami, Pygmy, Andamanese....

Lucius Alexander

....Palindromedary

[Cygnia]

The key things, I think, are a) making sure the ethnicity isn't the end-all be-all of the hero's "gimmick" & b) making sure you don't fall into (negative) stereotypes. Design a Bushman who isn't a mystic hunter/witch doctor as an example.

[Lucius]

The key things, I think, are a) making sure the ethnicity isn't the end-all be-all of the hero's "gimmick" & b) making sure you don't fall into (negative) stereotypes. Design a Bushman who isn't a mystic hunter/witch doctor as an example.

No, he'll be an orphan who is adopted into a Canadian family who all practice yoga and tai chi, befriends an old master who teaches kendo, and ultimately learns to express his remarkable psychic potential by practicing meditative techniques.

Lucius Alexander

The palindromedary suggests that the Canadian family can also be Ashkenazi Jews...

[Gohu]

I suppose I'm predictably boring, I've only ever played the one kind, atleast in Hero or really in general. Hmmmm.:straight:

[Old Man]

Since I virtually always play human males, I can't think of any major ethnicities I haven't played. The one time I played a black character (an elemental earth mage who was black for no particular reason) he seemed to get picked on a lot by the GM, and it didn't occur to me why that might be until years after the campaign.

[CrosshairCollie]

but what if you have a campaign where there does not seem to be any analog of Japan?

The they're (whatever fantasy country they're from)-ian.

[Ragitsu]

I suppose I'm predictably boring, I've only ever played the one kind, atleast in Hero or really in general. Hmmmm.:straight:

Want some vanilla ice cream to go with that Wonderbread :p?

[CrosshairCollie]

It occurs to me ...

When I play fantasy games, I rarely cleave to the racial* stereotypes (tree-hugging elves, gruff half-drunk dwarves, etc). I usually go out of my way to subvert or ignore them, and enjoy it and am fine with it. However, I realized I have second thoughts doing that with RL racial* stereotypes because it somehow seems insensitive or offensive to play, to use the terms, an Oreo, Banana, or Apple. (Why are all the terms for (color) on the outside, white on the inside food?) Am I oversensitive, or is there something to this line of thought?

It may also be a side-effect of my group, where not acting according to stereotype seems to be an affront to nature. I remember playing an Irish character once who didn't drink, and one player looked at me like my head was on backwards.

*I know that, properly, the fantasy characters are different species, not race, but that's the term that's kind of stuck.

[Escafarc]

I've have developted a real hate for elves. I haven't played one since 2E/brown splat book days. Phased them out of my own fantasy campaigns(though they may make a return as the villains, having run into the Eldar Gods and have been corupted like the Slug:sneaky:)

[Shadow Hawk]

Since I virtually always play human males, I can't think of any major ethnicities I haven't played. The one time I played a black character (an elemental earth mage who was black for no particular reason) he seemed to get picked on a lot by the GM, and it didn't occur to me why that might be until years after the campaign.

In a Champions campaign many years ago, I played a Captain America knock off who happened to be a black male. The comment "Star Spangled Sp*d*" was repeated a lot.

[CrosshairCollie]

I've have developted a real hate for elves. I haven't played one since 2E/brown splat book days. Phased them out of my own fantasy campaigns(though they may make a return as the villains, having run into the Eldar Gods and have been corupted like the Slug:sneaky:)

I hate them, too, but I wouldn't go that far; the game's not all about me, after all. My players like them and would be displeased if they were unavailable as a PC race in a fantasy game. A game in which I only permitted elements that I liked would be quite limited indeed.

[Escafarc]

I hate them, too, but I wouldn't go that far; the game's not all about me, after all. My players like them and would be displeased if they were unavailable as a PC race in a fantasy game. A game in which I only permitted elements that I liked would be quite limited indeed.

Most of my group have been gaming together for over 20 years and don't have a problem with the lack of non-humans in my FH game. In my game the elves left in their ships(other "magica"l based races faded out with the lowering of the mana), the dwarves birthrate dropped so low that they died out, Halflings were destroyed by a magically created plague, Orcs and other goblinoids were killed in wars with humans, and no one knows where the gnomes went.

[CrosshairCollie]

Most of my group have been gaming together for over 20 years and don't have a problem with the lack of non-humans in my FH game. In my game the elves left in their ships(other "magica"l based races faded out with the lowering of the mana), the dwarves birthrate dropped so low that they died out, Halflings were destroyed by a magically created plague, Orcs and other goblinoids were killed in wars with humans, and no one knows where the gnomes went.

My group'd be the other way. They wouldn't care if the humans died out, but nonhumans are a defining characteristic of fantasy gaming for us. :)

[ghost-angel]

Bumping this thread, because I find it immensely interesting, and want to get discussion on it going again.

Also, where does "Middle Eastern" fit in: Asian?

The Middle East is the far western end of the Asian Continent; so yes, Arabs and Persions (and others of Middle Eastern Descent) are Asians.

This Poll would have been better as Multiple Choice.

I play Caucasians for the most part unless I have an idea where ethnicity plays a role; I have played half-Chinese-half-Caucasian, Japanese, Native American, Jamaican, and Brazilian (it was never decided if the character was of Native Brazilian or European Settler descendant or both stock. . .) character's before.

[Vondy]

The Middle East is the far western end of the Asian Continent; so yes, Arabs and Persions (and others of Middle Eastern Descent) are Asians.


While the inhabitants of the traditional Orient (Praefectura Praetorio Orientis) are geographically "Asian" it doesn't work out that way for anthropological (ethnic) purposes. Asia is a very big place and the Orient proper (as opposed to using it as a synonym for all of Asia) is a distinct cultural and linguistic region from East Asia.

If you look at the instructions for those annoying "check this box" for race/ethnicity on EEO forms, for instance, you'll find most peoples west of India are, for the most part, expected to check Caucasian rather than Asian. The reason for this is that the people's of the Orient have Caucasian cultural and linguistic roots. Ergo, Aryan (Indo-European), Semitic (Semitic languages) and Hamitic (Berber-Cushitic-Egyptian).

While its all geographically Asia, the term "Asian" is usually a reference for the peoples of East Asia when anthropological considerations are in play (India being the nebulous "East Meets West" of Asia).

Note: This is admittedly confusing because people in West Asia aren't "white folk from Europe," which is what most people think of when the term "Caucasian" is used.

[Lucius]

Maybe I'll write up a Samaritan...

Lucius Alexander

The palindromedary observes that the Bushman hasn't been written up yet

[Old Man]

Not a Sarmatian?

[Ragitsu]

Anyone here ever play an Eskimo?

[Shadow Hawk]

Maybe I'll write up a Samaritan...

Lucius Alexander

The palindromedary observes that the Bushman hasn't been written up yet

A Bad Samaritan?

[Lucius]

Not a Sarmatian?

I was thinking a Samaritan, but perhaps Sarmation. After all there are half a million of the latter, and less than a thousand of the former. Of course, both are in very "interesting" geopolitical situations, now I think of it...both groups stuck in the middle, so to speak, between larger populations that are in sometimes violent conflict.

The Samaritans are in the middle of the Isreali-Palistinean conflict, some in one territory, some in the other, most of them, I imagine, keeping their heads down a lot. It wouldn't take that much to render them totally extinct.

The Sarmatians - who call themselves Alans and are usually called Ossetes by others - live on one side or the other of the Russia-Georgia border. The ones on Georgia's side have declared independence, and have pretty much run their own affairs for years despite the best efforts of Georgia, because the Russians (for their own reasons) are backing them.

So either one might be an interesting background for a character.


A Bad Samaritan?

Perhaps a bad Sarmation?

Lucius Alexander

The palindromedary suggests a Sarmation Samaritan - the Samaritans DO accept converts, right?

[Vondy]

...the Samaritans DO accept converts, right?

Nope.

Its one of the reasons, along with genetic diseases, their numbers are so low. The Samaritan's in Israel, however, did recently decide that Samaritan men could take Israeli Jewish wives if they agreed to follow Samaritan religious practices. It hasn't been very successful, however. The reason is simple: the Samaritans are crazy-insane strict on laws pertaining to menstruation and separation after childbirth compared to orthodox Jews (even the most ultra-orthodox reactionaries), as well as comparatively restrictive attitudes about female social roles, and some Sabbath concepts. Its true, in Orthodox Judaism, that women don't become rabbis, but they do become doctors, journalists, lawyers, moguls, professors, researchers, politicians, etc. And they often hold prominent communal positions. So convincing a secular Israeli Jewish girl who doesn't want to be religious because that's too much for her to adopt samaritan practice is no small feat. They have a six month trial period, but only a handful of women have stayed afterward. They're interesting people, but their aren't many of them. The community on Mount Gezerim has 712 at last count, with about half that living in the rest of Israel. I'd bank on their being less than 2,000 of them in the world at most.

[ghost-angel]

While the inhabitants of the traditional Orient (Praefectura Praetorio Orientis) are geographically "Asian" it doesn't work out that way for anthropological (ethnic) purposes. Asia is a very big place and the Orient proper (as opposed to using it as a synonym for all of Asia) is a distinct cultural and linguistic region from East Asia.

If you look at the instructions for those annoying "check this box" for race/ethnicity on EEO forms, for instance, you'll find most peoples west of India are, for the most part, expected to check Caucasian rather than Asian. The reason for this is that the people's of the Orient have Caucasian cultural and linguistic roots. Ergo, Aryan (Indo-European), Semitic (Semitic languages) and Hamitic (Berber-Cushitic-Egyptian).

While its all geographically Asia, the term "Asian" is usually a reference for the peoples of East Asia when anthropological considerations are in play (India being the nebulous "East Meets West" of Asia).

Note: This is admittedly confusing because people in West Asia aren't "white folk from Europe," which is what most people think of when the term "Caucasian" is used.

Asian in the sense they're on the Asian Continent; there are multiple European ethnicities for which "Caucasian" is as poor a catchall term as Asian is to encompass the whole continent. I, personally, have never felt the generic (and highly overgeneralized) terms on a census form to be useful.

Oriental is, at least, more precise, than Asian. After all the Aryans were Adian migrants originally and currently means either Hindu or Norse, depending on who you're talking to, or even the depricated Indo-Iranian...

Race isn't static, I usually need a flow chart to follow most of it (I generally gave in when I learned the Celts were from the area we call France, before there were French...) ... So, Middle Easterners are Asian in that they're from Asia, and any further delineation is more detailed than I care to get into (e en 'Native American' is too broad a term...)

[Lucius]

And I thought the Yezidi were in bad shape....

Lucius Alexander

Sometimes I think the world needs more palindromedaries too. You know, just in case.

[Ragitsu]

There's but one race, yet many ethnicities.

[pinecone]

Anyone here ever play an Eskimo?

Yep a Inuit sorcerer....

[Ragitsu]

I have a character that is going to pretend to be Australian via their Acting Skill....but I haven't seen my cousin in a while, so I don't have any Aussies nearby to pick up language peculiarities from.

Now, besides a present yet not exaggerated accent, what other things can I incorporate into the acting to make them seem like the real deal?

[Roter Baron]

Used to play Jewish American reporters in Call of Cthulhu: one got killed (Bernstein) , the I played a black gangster who I discarted because he didn't really fit in London of the 20s' "polite society", then back to Jewish reporter (Rowen Israel Malter). Had a Yakuza ones (when we played Bushido) and then some Germanic Warhammer characters, but I usually stick with the genre and the setting, so usually white-generic somethings.

Oh yes - had a VERY short-lived Sikh-character in a pulpish Victorian setting ones (got shot in the head during the first fight).