The game is set in the Nentir Vale, with the heroes "home-basing" in the City of Fallcrest.
The races are quite different:
Dragonborn, called "Beffraen," are rare, and by rare, I mean "you've probably never even heard of one." And Ghesh - the Beffraen in the party - has definitely never heard of another like him; and doesn't even know what he is. Viewed my most men as a monster, Ghesh can look forward to fear, horror, or - in some cases - overwhelming curiosity from the villages they visit (including Fallcrest).
The "Khazad" are a race of Dwarves who rarely leave their Mountain homes. Though not as rare as some other races (and less likely to face heavy social stigma), Khazad too are met with curiosity and mistrust in the lands of Men. Most villages will open their gates to a Dwarf, but the Khazad will not feel welcome. Dwarves of the Nentir Vale hale from Hammerfast to East.
The High elves of Aggrydar, the Eladrin "Noldor" once resided in the Blessed Realm of Aman (in the Feywild), and are the most mystical of all the Races. Noldor in the Vale have journeyed far from their Ancestral Home in the Naith Wood to the West. In the Vale, they are rare - but treated with a mixture of awe and fear. Noldor are likely to be treated somewhat like celebrities in the lands of Men.
The Sylvan elves come to the Nentir Vale from the great and expansive Harkenwold, which marks the southern border, though the majority of Wood Elves dwell in Mirkwood - the deep Jungle at the center of Harkenwold. The Harken Forest - the northernmost part of the Harkenwold - is home only to the Woodsinger Clan - which dwells in the eastern part of the North Forest.
The Sindar (and here's where the cosmetic changes begin to get serious) are the most "common" of the Elvish races, and the most likely to be found among the cities of men. In Aggrydar, Half-Elves are not half-elven at all; but a third elven people. Sindar are just as long-lived as their Noldor & Sylvan cousins; and they come to the Vale from Ossiriand in the heart of the Winterbole forest.
The Auflin, called "Halflings" by Men, because it was a "clever" bastardization of their own word for themselves) mostly come from Nenlast which - in Aggrydar is a Halfling settlement.
Numenorean are the last descendants of the First Men, and are indistinguishable from normal humans. They have all the game statistics, but none of the Demonic Aspect of Tiefling characters. They are gifted with long lives - often as long as three times the length of a "human" life. When a Numenorean's heritage is revealed, he is often met with either reverence or jealousy & scorn.
Said to have gifted mortal men with the knowledge of Magic, the Maiar are the reincarnated servants of the Ancient Gods. Pretty much exactly like the Deva in the Player's Handbook II, but more human/elven in appearance; and Maiar reincarnate with most of their memories from their former lives (or, at least, they regain those memories eventually); and Maiar are more often Wizards then anything else. Maiar may select any number of Multi-class feats.
Of the classes, there are no Clerics or Warlocks in Aggrydar; which are replaced with Shaman & Warden respectively.
Players rolled Ability Scores using 3d6 dice with no rerolls, though they gained a bonus action point for every three 1's rolled (rounded up). This was for every two, but that's too much. Hit points were lowered, brought in line with previous editions of the game (and Monster hp was halved to do the same.
Beyond that, I'm incorporating an Injury system when massive amounts of damage is taken - which represents wounds the character may suffer beyond the scope of hit points (detremental game effects which may heal over time); and I'm trying to roleplay more - bring some NPCs to life & be "in-character" when I can. I should bring beer or rum to game night.
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