Okay, so I have two cents to put in on the subject of role players and being human characters.  I have a response, but I think people in general may agree.  Here’s the short and skinny:  I think that most people that refuse to play human characters have one of three reasons:

1.)    I am a human every day of my life.  I am essentially not truly better at anything than any other person unless I hone that skill or feature myself.  I am boring, every day old Patrick.  I am myself, every day.  Why would I want to role play a human as well?  I mean, it seems to me that the likelihood of me enjoying the fact that I am role playing precisely what I am gets old quickly.  Besides, humans are portrayed as a species that has no true features, except an extra feat at first level.  In most cases, whoop die doo.  Who gives a #$%@?

2.)    The more likely and less glamorous answer.  Movies.  How badass would it be to play a dwarf or an elf after watching the two of them get into a friendly competition on who has more kills in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Yeah sure, the human character ends up getting to be the King, and that’s groovy, but look at the fighting sequences.  Few of the humans get to have really visually exciting fights in most movies that involve multiple species.  In fact, most of the time we’re considered a lesser race. 

3.)    The psychological analysis; People tend to play characters that match either their personalities, or the thing that they want to be most.  Some people are just shallow and are into Elves because they are beautiful people, and those people want to be just like those characters.  Some people are into dwarves because said people like to be closer to the earth- like to work with their hands, like to just be that scruffy guy.  Some people seem themselves as an ugly brute, and have the tendency to be that character.

Now, I may be completely off base with my observations, but they are my observations.  I’ve played a human in my role playing career enough times to count on one hand.  I like being something else, and occasionally stepping out of the reality of mortality.  In my mind, things are as they are for a true reason.  People have their favorite class, species, and even as specific as weapon.  The true logic of it all, is that people have their own reasons for everything, as simple as that thing may be.

Keep gamin’ lads and lasses… I’ll be watching.