"Tropes, stereotypes, and clichés change all the time. The time of the Always Evil orc or drow is over." -- Say that first, most problems solved
"I guess if you don't want to make cultures for your PC races, then yes, D&D is a game of stereotypes." -- Do as you need, when you need. Alignments and stereotypes are there as tools, tweak them or not when you feel like. Sometimes I get deep, other times not.
"I assume you have accepted the changes the game has made since it was first created. So why are you so against changes being made now?" -- you are absolutely right here. Why? not against them. More accurately I don't feel or see the need for them. My problem is how wide a net has been thrown and the allusion that those who support the old school game are feeding, supported, or the very least not speaking out against racism.
"Since you apparently haven't realized it from the thousand times it's been said already by many people in this thread: We are not talking about your game. We are talking about what WotC is doing." Well, we are talking about 'my' game, 'your' game, what have you. If you haven't realized from a thousand times before, said by many people in this thread WotC isn't being racist. There is context to everything, apply that context to help you separate real from fantasy.
"What did I accuse them of? If it's the bit where I talked about Volo's, that's a direct quote from the book. From "Roleplaying an Orc": " -- pick one. Either chose what the feeling of the thread is, or what only have ever posted. Several comments have put forth by different posters have made claims. You had one direct quote. My apologies, You have not directly accused anyone that, just alluded that I support bigotry based on game based on complete and utter fantasy.
"For some reason, when we say that WotC is starting to move away from using bigoted language, people like you get upset and offended. Why is that?" Here again, you want to claim or allude to something not as true as you'd like it to be. When you call out "Why is that" it really comes off as snarky and only being used to get some sort of dig in there. I've explained my reasons too. I grew up with Orcs are Evil, I've read countless books where Orcs are Evil, watched some very long movies where Orcs are Evil. Why is that racist or bigoted? If I refuse to let the scorpion ride on my back to cross the river, is that bigoted? If the Inn/barkeep is a crabby Half-orc who dislikes elves as much as elves dislike him and continually calls them Faeries (they're grey elves) am I supporting bigotry or having a developed NPC (even if it is a simple trope). They gave us starting points, work from there, I see that claim of bigoted language as not as strong as you seem to feel it is.
"And if they're bad guys, then they need a motivation beyond "they're an orc, goblin, or drow." -- Why? the publisher puts out the general ideas, the users expand, refine, redefine as they see fit. They say Orcs are Evil, then you ask yourself why, then do your magic and own it. Or maybe at this time you don't see the need to expand on them, it simply 'is'.
"You are the one who has a problem with that." What you call problem, I call role-playing opportunity. My first character when the UA came out? A good drow ranger. Had to overcome a lot reactions in towns. I didn't feel like TSR was trying undermine my life or teach me how to treat other people. I seem to recall that it was mentioned that the Drow are a wholly evil race and that a PC drow needs to come up a reason for not being 'normal' -- it's what we did, we did not see that wholly evil phrase as justification for never happening, it meant we were challenged to change it through our game and experience.
"people like you" -- you see here, that's bigoted language.
Cool DLA info, thanks for the refresher. My copy of Dragons of Autumn Twilight came out 37 years ago (the next two shortly after), and while it may not have all the exact information on Tanis I remember, it is probably my strongest influence. Also my original (and near dilapidated ) DLA p63: Many half-elves were engendered during this period of rapine and violence. It happened, it did not normalize it nor nor tacitly support it in my opinion.
... what I'm trying to get at is, You think I'm offended by changing the fluff of the game. I'm not. There has been very strongly claims or fears of racism permeating out of the game. When some one says that TSR/WotC are using language that racists have used, it doesn't mean they are supporting that nor do they approve the message. The context matters, I can separate my D&D, Shadowrun, Battletech, from my real life and maintain my grip of right versus wrong. Volo was harsh and said something harsh ... actually kind of Lawful evil-ish imo. I know a bit here and there about the character, is he normally that way? If so, something to consider if your PCs encounter him.
