WotC WotC's Chris Perkins On D&D's Inclusivity Processes Going Forward

Over on D&D Beyond, WotC's Chris Perkins has written a blog entry about how the company's processes have been changed to improve the way the D&D studio deals with harmful content and inclusivity. This follows recent issues with racist content in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, and involves working with external cultural consultants.

The studio’s new process mandates that every word, illustration, and map must be reviewed by multiple outside cultural consultants prior to publication.

Leveling Up Our Creative Process: Learnings From Spelljammer

In this blog post, I'll talk about how we in the D&D Studio are changing our review process following the problematic content that appeared in Spell...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[darjr]

Note there is new errata as well. See the link in the callout below.

As I write this blog post, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space is about to be reprinted. Applying our new inclusion-review process to the Spelljammer reprint led us to make additional changes, which are captured in our official errata document and reflected on D&D Beyond.

I started a new thread about the errata here:

Spelljammer - Spelljammer Nov 10 2022 errata.

With the news of WotCs new review process going forward and Spelljammer: Light of Xyraxis reprint, comes a second round of errata. As I write this blog post, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space is about to be reprinted. Applying our new inclusion-review process to the Spelljammer reprint led us...

www.enworld.org

 

[bedir than]

The new inclusion-review process applies to not only products in development but also reprints. In other words, every reprint is an opportunity to conduct a new inclusion review on previously published content.

As I write this blog post, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space is about to be reprinted. Applying our new inclusion-review process to the Spelljammer reprint led us to make additional changes, which are captured in our official errata document and reflected on D&D Beyond.

Two key paragraphs in my opinion. Reviewing past content is expensive, and an indicator that they feel that 5.5 will be using old books. There's no point in reviewing and reprinting books that have no value.

Also, Spelljammer sold well enough it is being reprinted less than 3 months after release.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I suspect that this will be something that a lot of companies will be doing more of over time. The same way Human Resources became more and more of a "thing" over time that companies brought into their businesses because it helped solve potential issues that kept coming up... Inclusivity and Diversity will likely follow suit in US companies especially over the next years.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Overall sounds pretty good to me, though I admit that literally and figuratively, I have no skin in the game.

 

[Vaalingrade]

A commitment to doing this with reprints is HUGE. The standard had been 'well we already apologized for that one, so it's okay to keep profiting off it'.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I suspect that this will be something that a lot of companies will be doing more of over time. The same way Human Resources became more and more of a "thing" over time that companies brought into their businesses because it helped solve potential issues that kept coming up... Inclusivity and Diversity will likely follow suit in US companies especially over the next years.

Yeah, HR doesn't exist because it's better for the employees -- it's to prevent litigation or even criminal prosecution of the company/its top executives. That said, that means it typically benefits workers, at least when the potential consequence of not doing so makes the company vulnerable to future serious problems.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Overall sounds pretty good to me, though I admit that literally and figuratively, I have no skin in the game.

Me either -- I am smack dab in the middle of the Venn Diagram of "benefits from the world as it is" -- but even if I didn't care about these issues myself (and I do), I personally benefit from having more nuanced products that tell new stories, rather than the same tired stories I've seen a million times over already.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Two key paragraphs in my opinion. Reviewing past content is expensive, and an indicator that they feel that 5.5 will be using old books. There's no point in reviewing and reprinting books that have no value.

Also, Spelljammer sold well enough it is being reprinted less than 3 months after release.

I would suspect that the Spelljammer reprint has more to do with public relations than that it was flying off the shelves so fast a reprint was needed.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I wonder if now they are going to worry about a vampire wearing a morrion (the helmet used by Spanish conquerors) as potentially offensive for the vampires...(because Spanish army kicked-ass them, with or without the rose of Guadalupe).

The spirit of D&D always has been "your blood or place of origin doesn't matter, your actions and behavior as members of a team are more important very much". I understand Hasbro worries seriously to send the message of "everybody is wellcome in the D&D board game", and it is right. We have to take care to avoid unconfortable misunderstanding. Here myself if I make some mistake with the chosen words I could cause some troubles unintentionally.

I wonder if the greater challenge will be the far easten Asian market, China, South-Korea and Japan, because the relationship between these neighbors haven't been too good, and when you try to be polite with one then the other could be annoyed. Even with the best intentions any times the balace for correctness is not easy.

My suggestion is to rebember we have to defend and promote the good sense and the respect for the human dignity to stop all way of hate, intolerance and bigotry.