A significant challenge exists for us humans when we attempt to take our play character beyond the status of game piece and into the realm of "make believe person". Role-play involves an attempt to play the character as someone separate from our self. That can be part of the fun as we adopt a funny voice and make choices that maybe we wouldn't if we were actually put into a real-life situation similar to that our character encounters during play. We compose backstories, talk about personality traits, appearance, mannerisms and gear all like this imaginary being is indeed a "person".
The crux of the matter is that we are all who we are. By being 'me" I bring a part of that into my role-play of every game character. Whether as a player or acting in my role as referee and judge, I am limited (to a degree) by drawing upon my own experiences, material I have read or heard about, or others that I have observed. Fortunately, we live in a diverse world where there is a lot upon which to draw for inspiration when imagining for a fantasy game.
But there are limits. None of us has ever seen an elf, let alone known one personally. The best we can achieve is to read about them, or observe someone else acting the part of an elven character. Being human beings, we are naturally best suited to play human characters. We inevitably impart human characteristics upon the non-human character when we attempt to play them. Given thoughtful consideration and ample research, we may achieve a "believable" elfin impression - to a point. And since none of us can really say with certainty we know anything about elves, there is always room for disputing whether our portrayal is "legitimate" or not.
Certain very popular authors, film and game franchises have promoted their take on what an elf is like. These fictional images often become the basis for our opinion regarding what is true about elves. Are elves generally taller than humans, or shorter? How long and pointy are their ears? Are they vegetarians? These are only some of the basic physical traits that may define an "elf", but the sources vary greatly on these points.
What about personality? Does an elf have a different perspective on morality - right and wrong, good and evil - as compared to humans? What is the basis of their "belief system"? Do they have an immortal soul like that of humans? The questions are endless, because we are talking about something that exists only in our imagination - an each of us is free to imagine something unique regarding the "elf".
The current trend in gaming circles is to allow each player a great deal of freedom in imagining their character - including the ability to define what is "elfin" about them. The resulting characterization is frequently at odds with how other elves have been portrayed within the game setting. Reconciling conflicting views of what defines an "elf" may cause some players a degree of cognitive discord especially if they like consistency in the game's setting. (Need I say that the goal of the game is for everyone, including the referee to have a good time.) Some referees are known to "baulk" at player attempts to re-define a significant part of the world in which they have set the game.
Players vary greatly with regard to how they approach character generation and what they aspire to create through the role-play of their character. The ability of each player to control the actions of their character is at the core of the role-playing experience, but this can be done within parameters. Some players enjoy imagining each character as a totally unique individual and prefer there be little or no guidance from the setting. Other players enjoy the challenge of playing to type - taking on the role of an individual within a group with well defined norms. Some referees reserve the right of final approval for any character used at the table. All of this can obviously become a source of conflict among the players of the game if everyone is not in agreement. Therefore it seems appropriate that any limitations on character generation should be discussed and resolved to everyone's satisfaction prior to creating the first (elfin?) character.
Once the character sheet is filled out, the fun begins. It can be quite fun to create details for your imaginary person. Sharing what you come up with among the other players can be a great source of amusement for all. In the words of the first games master, why not "decide how you would like it to be, and then make it just that way!"
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