Gnomeaphobia!

[T. Foster]

Dwarfs are dour and humorless and boring until they get drunk, then they're long-winded and sentimental and boring. Gnomes are more fun -- they have a sense of humor and like to party.

[Philotomy Jurament]

I'm not much for demi-humans as PCs, but I think they're fine as monsters. (And I'll tolerate them as PCs.)

[geneweigel]

The characters that are classified as races in my campaign are starting to notice that I've made them all into equivalent Bran Mak Morns...

[AxeMental]

I like hobbits and gnomes. You just have to find the correct illustrations. In one of the modules (can't remember one of the classics) there's a picture of a bunch of gnomes looking like dwarves just smaller and a bit thinner, In a way they seem cooler then dwarves. I actually started a new campaign two weekends ago and rolled up a gnome illusionist thief extraordinare. Think 3''+ pretty cool. So yeah bring it on and I'll open a can of whoop (phantasmal force of a lightning bolt) ass on ya. And welcome to the site.

[Chainsaw]

I'm not much for demi-humans as PCs, but I think they're fine as monsters. (And I'll tolerate them as PCs.)

Same here. In my longest running campaign, demi-humans weren't available as PCs, though they made appearances as monsters. I was pretty controlling though. Race was limited to human and the PC had to start as either fighter or thief, then, if they wanted, they could dual class over to something else if they could find someone to train them. No one complained too much, but I was also the only DM they knew, so they didn't have much choice.

[TRP]

/me nods
Humans rock.

Total badass CJ Cheryh elves are the shiz as NPCs. If you're not familiar with her elves, and elf-like races, think of loner Vulcans in nearly perpetual bad moods.

[Mythmere]

I also dislike gnomes.

[AxeMental]

You guys aren't confusing gnomes and halflings with Gary Newman midgets right...or garden gnomes (with fat bellies and pointed shoes)?

[geneweigel]

Don't get me wrong, I allow all the "races" but I prefer to use my own versions and mix that up with these "elite Gygaxian remnants" hence my reference to Bran Mak Morn. For instance if you want to play a gnome straight out of the PHB thats totally fine however as long as you realize that isn't the only thing defined as "gnome" in the campaign and you are most likely a dying breed of that particular Gygaxian race.

[Ragnorakk]

Not partial to the halfling, keep wanting to like the gnome...

[crub90706]

Humans, elves, fighters and magic-users. Those are the ones that realy get on my nerves. Give me a group of gnome illusionists, 1/2 orc assassins and halfling druids any day.

Just kidding actually.
Come to think of it none of the races or classes really bothered me. As a player I often played a hobbit (thats what we always called them too) thief, or a 1/2 orc fighter and on occasion a dwarven fighter. Never multi-classed (no particular reason). Don't recall anyone in my group, then or now even, wanting to play a gnome. As I recall the only thing that really bothered my was when someone tried to introduce the ninja character (from Dragon) into our standard game. He spent the whole time trying to assassinate everyone in town. Needless to say, he didn't last long. The other players wouldn't put up with it. The guy went back to playing his old PC, a cleric.

EDIT- Remember this was the 80s when ninjas were all the rage at the movies.

[PatW]

Can't stand gnomes or halflings. Had a campaign once where the major country had annual Thanksgiving dinners with halflings as the main course, as an expression of my dislike. Of course that prompted one player to roll up a halfling because he thought it was interesting, not exactly the result I expected.

[Wheggi]

Gnomes are rad. Here for example is gnome on an ashtray, courtesy of Mr. Rumph:



If Rumph was cool with gnomes, I'm cool with gnomes, man.

- Wheggi

[Mythmere]

You guys aren't confusing gnomes and halflings with Gary Newman midgets right...or garden gnomes (with fat bellies and pointed shoes)?

Gno, I'm gnot.

[Bard]

Don't get me wrong, I allow all the "races" but I prefer to use my own versions and mix that up with these "elite Gygaxian remnants" hence my reference to Bran Mak Morn. For instance if you want to play a gnome straight out of the PHB thats totally fine however as long as you realize that isn't the only thing defined as "gnome" in the campaign and you are most likely a dying breed of that particular Gygaxian race.

I have no problem with gnomes or other races, really, I think that they are all cool, even halflings, I mean hobbits are better than halflings, but even halflings are good for me...

But as I was thinking more and more about the btb rules, the level limits, etc. I started to view the ad&d demihumans just as you DM them, as dying races. And they began to look even more cool for me... A dying race of smaller than human, pointed ear elves who are best at thievery... This is better than Tolkien IMO...