Well, He always saves, so...
Clearly Lisa Stevens thinks gamers can do better to represent women and other disadvantaged groups. Let her actions speak: look at the representation in the pages of a Pathfinder book and compare with AD&D.
We can do much better than we did back then and we should.
Maybe you should make yourself more aware. Go find a a couple women or minority folks you don't already know, who have been playing for a couple of decades, and talk to them about their experiences. That will be anecdotal, but it will be a start.
Was this while you were still in Louisiana?My own experience? I’m a creole from Louisiana ...
Of the 5 women I’ve gamed with, 3 were in one group. That group also contained the only out gay player I’ve met, and after one player moved out of state for a post-graduate program, consisted entirely of pagans except myself.
I can’t speak for them in general, but in another setting, one of those players introduced me as “Catholic, but cool with wiccans.” So I can’t help but think that they’d had problems finding games where they were welcome.
I started playing D&D about 40 years ago, and I was introduced to the game by a hispanic kid, my best friend Alberto. Since that time I have played D&D with hispanic, black, asian, and white kids and adults. In the late 80s I started playing RPGs, including AD&D, in groups that included girls and women. My current group includes women. I say this only to provide context for the following: I have only ever known one person who found AD&D offensive. No one else objected to the boobs in Deities and Demigods, nor Oriental Adventures, nor the chainmail bikinis. The one person who got offended "found Jesus," and decided that any alluring image of a woman was temptation sent by the devil. He was the only one.
I'm not trying to say that there aren't folks out there who might have been offended by any or all of that, clearly there are some. I am saying that it is wrong to imply that by finding "a couple women or minority folks" you'll find people who got offended by D&D 20 years ago. You might, but that's not been my experience. I've known people who've lead sheltered, nurturing lives free from persecution, and I've known people who have endured and barely survived the most horrendous abuse. I've never known anyone other than that one religious guy who was offended by D&D.
It seems to me - and this is just my perception here - that most of the people who are getting offended by the depictions of women, asians, black people, etc. in D&D aren't in fact women, asians, or black people. No, most of the offended people are white dudes who feel like it's their solemn duty to get offended on behalf of the women, asians, and black people because those folks can't stand up for themselves. That, too, is a position at odds with my experience, but your mileage may vary.
Let me tell you, in Austin back around '90 the Wiccans were playing a lot of D&D. There was a lot of overlap among the pagans, the SCA, and the folks from Origin Systems (makers of Ultima, Wing Commander, etc.). I never actually played D&D with Richard Garriott, but I played with a few people who played with him. I feel like I missed out, though--despite dating a wiccan and hanging out a bit in those circles, I never actually played D&D nekkid....I can’t speak for them in general, but in another setting, one of those players introduced me as “Catholic, but cool with wiccans.” So I can’t help but think that they’d had problems finding games where they were welcome.*
* perhaps it was their many invites to “come party skyclad”...
5ekyu;7502541 Now said:Does R20 have a limit on how many people they sponsor? If so, being picky makes sense. Was there a none white - ideally black female - option around at this time? If yes, being picky makes sense. I have heard of no one they picked instead of "5 more white guys" so there is probably no one around they would rather sponsor. Which makes this smell like discrimination, even if it wasn't.