I'd definitely play as a ghoul (or even an intelligent super mutant) if that were an option.

Ha yes, i want to be a Super Mutant very much, but i could see why that option would even more difficult to implement than a Ghoul

Aren't ghouls unable to heal though?

only thing i don't like about ghoul/super mutant deal is they heavily distort your human character permanently and for good reasons mind you

just for me i would feel i lost ownership of my character if he she became a mutant or ghoul.

were as vampires/werewolfs can pass for human and don't edit your character too much.

They are healed by Radiation, so perhaps instead of carrying around Stimpacks, the player could eat irradiated food for better benefits

While I would love to play a ghoul and some of your suggestions are awesome, like the mental degradation on hardcoe mode, I really don't see it happening. It would require quite a bit of work to truly reflect being a ghoul in that setting, as everyone would have to react differently to you, it would need to be recognized and reflected within the main plot and the mechanics would need to be different if it was to be lore-friendly, such as the healing and radiation immunity.

If they were to allow us to play a ghoul, then they would have to commit to those types of changes otherwise you would just be playing an ugly human for all intents and purposes. Also it would probably be very unpopular as most people want to make their characters look awesome or whatever, and I doubt having a face with it's skin falling off would appeal to many players, especially new-comers who would probably not have a clue as to what was happening.

So while I would love the choice, I can't see them committing the resources to something that only a minority would be interested in exploring.

"Is that.. fur?... Coming out of your ears?"

While I think that it would be interesting to play as a Ghoul, I have to agree with your assessment that most folks wouldn't like it. If nothing else, the fact that pretty much every 'smoothskin' either distrusts you, hates you, or tries to shoot you on sight would (significantly) diminish the appeal, even for some of those who would otherwise be inclined to play as one. I'd probably still try it, but given Bethesda's propensity for heavy-handedness where presentation of racism/speciesism is concerned, it would almost certainly prove rather unsatisfactory in the long run.

That's actually a reaction to the PC being a Werewolf, not a Khajiit. Khajiit get snide remarks about being thieves, regardless of actual skill distribution, as well as comparisons to house cats.

It would be cool to have racial transformations in the game. Like maybe get to become a ghoul, or a cyborg, or an FEV mutant of some sort.

But not much. Nothing will change... You can even go in the cities as Khajiit but all people tell 'Khajiits aren't allowed in the cities!'... But as player you don't notice anything like this. There is no difference.

And in FO it would change very much if you play as ghoul. Or at least... it should change very much. The most people will hate you. Some would even attack you on sight. Ghouls would handle you different than a human. It should change a lot to be realistic.

Following my theory that the PC is an android, I think we'll get enough oppression for being an android when people find out, late in the game's story I'm guessing, also androids can't be ghouls.

I know. It's just one of my favourite lines.

Still felt sarcastically applicable on the subject of Khajiit though lol.

Well.. you are still the Dragonborn, and before that's even realized you do carry some pretty crazy information regarding the spontaneous return of dragons.

Nothing needs to drastically change. Few changes to the way your character is affected by certain things like rads (Vampires/Sun from ES). The way people react/treat you (Skyrim) It's really not that complex to have extra dialogue regarding being a ghoul, or to have NPCs wandering the wastes attack you occasionally. We've already had features similar to this in some form in other Beth titles.

It's a bit of a stretch to say that we should be able to complete the story as a ghoul, THAT would require much more work for the narrative. But as some side feature after you're done with the main questline? When it becomes irrelevant what your character does in the Wasteland? Why not?

If they treated like a starting class then that would be better. Plus, I don't think there is anyway to make it canon for you to suddenly become a ghoul or Super Mutant.

How exactly could they get away with selling a game that discriminates and slings racial slurs at the player?
How could they possibly do justice to representing the ghouls without that?

If Bethesda made ghouls and/or supermutants into playable races, it would not be like the original [Interplay/Black Isle] team's treatment of them... It would be Oblivion's treatment of Argonians and Khajiit. I can't imagine that anyone would actually want that. The ghouls plight, and the supermutant's infirmity and unacceptability in most of society, would be cast aside and made light of. It would just be a different character skin; and maybe some racial perks.

*If they made them into PC conditions ~curable conditions, that would be contemptible.

It would be an interesting feature, but I don't think I'd use it. Not saying that means it shouldn't be in the game or anything. But I do suspect we won't be seeing it this time around anyways.

They would have to change most of the game in order for you to play as a Super Mutant. That would be more about extorting towns or destroying them. Then it would be more of a strategy game than the original Vanilla game. With the ghoul it would be like you said plus a bunch of paths that are cut off because you essentially would have a charisma of -5.

The OP was talking about a non-feral ghoul. I was actually thinking of a feral ghoul myself.

Remember Ghouls still do have a circulation system. We Know from FO3 that Jet dosnt work on them too well at all, thus the need for UltraJet. I think Stimpacks would heal them a lot less and you would need to concoct a special stimpack to help you out more.

I think its unlikely however they would ever let us play a Ghoul.

I think that if they wanted to do it they would, and that we here, like everything else, overthink it to oblivion and overcomplicate it for the sake of overcomplicating a video game.

The original team [Fallout ~1] contemplated it, and at least one said that had they had a blank-check budget, they would have liked to allow the PC to survive a dip in the VATS; becoming a supermutant.

Offhand I'd say that would entail alternate dialog and quest states for most the interact-able NPCs in the game, and would have required additional recorded lines for all principle talking heads ~especially Jacoren.

In Bethesda's games, it would (to do it right), have to have two additional voice actors, or fake it with sound engineering; and additional lines, and alternate lines for all encounters possible after the dip, or from the start if the PC started as one.

*The same again [additionally] for Ghouls.
(And of course... Alternate lines for much of the dialog from NPCs, for a ghoul and/or a mutant PC.)

I just can't see it happening for Fallout 4. Maybe something like an expansion pack could introduce this sort of thing, but we've heard absolutely zero about the idea in any of the trailers, press conferences, and screen shots. It's possible they wanted to announce this closer to release to build up hype I suppose, though I've just got a gut feeling it's going to be absent.

At the end of the day, all signs point towards FO4 being a spectacular game and I won't be bothered if we have it or don't.

Not worth it when you put it like that. Having a voiced PC really ties their hands.

I think it's still pretty highly unlikely. I wouldn't mind the option, along with appropriate balancing/bonuses, but I don't expect to see it in the game.