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I noticed on this question that the Fate Accessibility Toolkit features

Discussion of specific disabilities, including... dwarfism

I was surprised to see dwarfism in the list of disabilities discussed. In what ways can dwarfism (if not properly accommodated) impede a person's enjoyment of TTRPGs? And what steps can be taken to make games more enjoyable for people with dwarfism?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Do note that in context the Toolkit is about how to include disabilities in the game as well as how to help make games more accessible to players with disabilities, so it could easily be the case that it covers dwarfism in-character and within game mechanics but need not discuss it out-of-character. \$\endgroup\$
    – Carcer
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 21:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ah interesting. Could be then that this question is redundant/unanswerable? \$\endgroup\$
    – Lovell
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 21:09
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    \$\begingroup\$ It's not an unanswerable question - certainly there will be people with dwarfism who have played TTRPGs (or players who played with them and observed them) who can answer the question based on their experiences. (It just may be the case that the answer is "it doesn't", which isn't a bad answer nor would it make this a bad question.) \$\endgroup\$
    – Carcer
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 21:12
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    \$\begingroup\$ I don't know if it makes it a bad question, but questions without standing - where the person asking doesn't really have that problem - are poorer because there is no one with that actual problem to provide useful clarifications or analyze answers. (Despite recent SE moves to the contrary, people with problems are usually better judges of a good answer than the general kibitzing population). Keep in mind this question is taking a space of a later question that might have an actual game table with someone with dwarfism in it from asking (inevitably closed-as-dupe). \$\endgroup\$
    – mxyzplk
    Commented Oct 4, 2021 at 20:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ Is the issue here not any physical barriers, but that “dwarves” are a non-human race in many settings? \$\endgroup\$
    – Dan W
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 22:26

2 Answers 2

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In the fairly recent past, I've played in a gaming group with a woman who, if not affected by some mild form of dwarfism, was especially small, short-fingered and short-limbed (I never asked or heard anyone ask; she wasn't quite short enough to make it obvious and all of us were polite enough not to pry). I don't recall her having any special difficulties (she was of normal or higher intelligence, in a graduate program), other than perhaps having to ask assistance in moving miniatures on the map and retrieving wandering dice a little more frequently than other players.

In general, the only limitations I can foresee with a little person playing TTRPGs are those directly related to their particular condition -- achrondroplasts, for instance, with their shortened digits, may have trouble handling a large number of dice for games like Shadowrun or Tunnels and Trolls; easily compensated by using a dice cup. Anyone below normal height will have the above mentioned issues of reach (as can people of typical height at a table large enough to accommodate a group of more than about five players), and might need some sort of boosted chair to sit comfortably at a table (they'll likely be used to this, as it would also apply at restaurants, office desks, and so forth). Some kinds of dwarfism may have effects on the voice, which can make it hard to be understood at the table (especially if the group gets loud), and a few have effects on brain development that could make it difficult to play any game that's mostly in the mind or highly strategic (that is, chess as much as RPGS).

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You're looking at the wrong angle here. Yes, there are some disabilities that can fundamentally render the physical mechanics of playing a TTRPG inaccessible. But that's not what we're talking about here.

A large portion of the FATE Accessibility Toolkit is about providing ways to make the in-game world in which players role play as inclusive and accessible as we'd also like our out-of-game world to be. That means providing players and GMs with the tools needed to properly incorporate both differently-abled players and characters.

Just as with the inclusion of the Combat Wheelchair for D&D, this isn't about providing a way to make the physical game table itself more inclusive, but rather about providing ways to make the worlds we portray at that table just as inclusive.

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