Thread by @ArcanistPress

D&D has a race problem.

In @WIRED, @mjgault describes @Wizards_DnD's resistance to changing parts of #DnD lore & rules concerning #race.

They want to retain the game's legacy. Here's why that's a problem:

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#DnD5e #TTRPG #TTRPGs
wired.com/story/dungeons…

A core element of #DnD5e is retained from #DnD's earliest days: fantasy races have significant inborn differences that include ability and morality. So, elves are smart, agile, & good, while orcs are strong, dumb, & evil -- they’re biologically savage & menacing.

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Why is this a problem, you ask? Because it mirrors real world racism, & lots of folks don't like to play out fantasy racism when they have to deal with it in the real world as well.

Imagine if an RPG required you to role-play being sexual assaulted; it would alienate many.

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So why not just get rid of the racism? Well, D&D has rules. Players are encouraged to amend them as they like, but many players don't like to deviate too much.

And the default experience should be the most accessible & inclusive one, yeah? WotC claims that's their goal.

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One big reason why the core rules don't get changed, & why lots of folks get angry when you suggest the rules should change, is tradition. They want to retain the legacy D&D experience inherited from its creators. Changing orcs means it's not D&D any more, they say.

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But, sadly, that legacy is tainted with racism. For example, Gary Gygax, the co-creator of D&D, argued that a Lawful Good hero is right to kill orc babies.

And when asked to justify that, he approvingly quoted one of the worst racists in American history. It's pretty bad.

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In a Q&A, Gygax quoted John Chivington by name, who justified murdering native-american babies, by saying, "Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice." His men murdered hundreds in the Sand Creek Massacre.

Why? Because they thought the babies were inherently evil.

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Gygax also said LG heroes can murder their prisoners, & Chaotic Good heroes can enslave them.

Anyone familiar with Chivington, who knows their history, or who experiences racism, should find the comparison jarring.

Gygax’s handle was Col_Pladoh:
dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtop…

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This is the legacy that people want to retain. This is why they refuse to make the game more welcoming & inclusive.

Instead of fearing that they might ‘offend’ their legacy players, perhaps Wizards should try teaching them. Wizards could lead. We hope they will in 2021.

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Some addenda:
1st, the game functions perfectly if individuals, but not whole races, are evil. You can still have evil people, evil gangs. You don’t need evil babies, or people savage because of race. That makes the game & community less inclusive. & it’s lazy storytelling.

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Second, as the Wired essay suggests, we and those who raise these issues do so because we love D&D and want it to grow. We think this is a part of that. The lead designers say more changes are coming to address this; we would welcome them!

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Third, yes, we have put our money where our mouth is! We published alternative rules for race in D&D which tries to fix these issues. It gets mentioned in the Wired article, too. But what we say above stands regardless of our book.

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drivethrurpg.com/product/314622…

But don't take our word on the solution. Go listen to (and support!) the marginalized gamers who have been speaking out on this for years. Folks like @OrionDBlack, @GabeJamesGames, @danielhkwan, @cypheroftyr, @DeeEmSteve, @IsaacMandagie, @LulaVampiro, @TheDovetailor, & more.