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

 

[Bill Zebub]

We always assume people outside our country know more about our history than they do. The international release of Lincoln had to include a preamble explaining the American Civil War and Lincoln's role in it.

How many Americans can name the sides in the English Civil War, and can tell you which one supported the king?

It was the Mods against the Rockers, right?

 

[Smackpixi]

Nobody back in the day had any confusion about what Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima represented. They just didn't see it as offensive.

When they were created, those people knew exactly what they were doing and, “they didn’t think it was offensive“ is a gas, they didn’t for one second think about the people they were representing. It wasn’t offensive to people who bought the rice and syrup and loved the stereotypes. So all was good? they Didn’t see it as offensive to anyone they were trying to sell their product to Isn’t the same as we created innocent icons, how could we know better? It was deliberate, it wasn’t innocent.

 

[Zardnaar]

It was the Mods against the Rockers, right?

Demolition vs Road Warriors?

 

[MGibster]

How many Americans can name the sides in the English Civil War, and can tell you which one supported the king?

Without using Google, was it the Roundheads and the Royalist?

 

[Blue Orange]

Without using Google, was it the Roundheads and the Royalist?

Yup, Parliamentarians/Roundheads and Royalists/Cavaliers. There's some interesting speculation it may have helped underlie the American Civil War, with the religious-puritan Roundheads helping found New England and inequality-tolerant-but-laidback Cavaliers helping found the South, but it always struck me as more an interesting connection than anything causative--too many other things happened afterward, including slavery of course.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well, they didn't have that many, compared to Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Missisisippi, but being able to own slaves was one of the big reasons they seceded from Mexico.

History of slavery in Texas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The federal holiday of Juneteenth is also a commemoration of the slaves being freed in Texas, being one of the last places to do so.

 

[Incenjucar]

For those very rare sincere accidents caused by true ignorance, it's still bad because the effect on the audience is the same, and a sensitivity reader helps to point it out without anyone having to defend themselves as being ignorant instead of vile.

 

[Voranzovin]

It was the Mods against the Rockers, right?

It's actually quite complex. It was often assumed that the Mods supported the King, since they were so well dressed, but when someone asked King George whether he was a mod or a rocker he actually claimed to be a "mocker," which has confused historians ever since. That's how King George ended up invading America with his buddies John, Paul, and Ringo.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's actually quite complex. It was often assumed that the Mods were on the side of the King, since they were so well dressed, but when someone asked King George whether he was a mod or a rocker he actually claimed to be a "mocker," which has confused historians ever since. That's how King George ended up invading America with his buddies John, Paul, and Ringo.

The only kings we recognize were Elvis and Michael.

 

[darjr]

I only recognize King Diamond!