D&D General RA Salvatore Wants To Correct Drizzt’s Racist Tropes

In an interview with Polygon, the author talks about how the drow are currently being redefined in D&D, and how he wants to be part of that process.

”But on the other hand, if the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away, be buried under the deepest pit, and never brought out again. I was unaware of that. I admit it. I was oblivious.

Drow are now split into (at least) three types — the familiar Udadrow of Menzoberranzan, the arctic-themed Aevendrow, and the jungle-themed Lorendrow. Salvatore's new novel, Starlight Enclave, helps to expand the drows' role in the narrative.

D&D’s Drizzt books were built on racist tropes. R.A. Salvatore wants to change that

‘If the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away’

www.polygon.com

In 2020 WotC made a public statement about how they would be treating drow and orcs going forward -- "Throughout the 50-year history of D&D, some of the peoples in the game—orcs and drow being two of the prime examples—have been characterized as monstrous and evil, using descriptions that are painfully reminiscent of how real-world ethnic groups have been and continue to be denigrated. That’s just not right, and it’s not something we believe in. "

Commitment to Diversity | Dungeons & Dragons

D&D continues to be made as diverse as possible with the reminder that only a diverse group of adventurers can overcome obstacles.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Nefermandias]

Seriously people, if we can't have entirely evil races in our games because it's socially unacceptable, we should also make an argument about how it's bad to go around murdering people for gold and power. I honestly believe we as a community should turn it down a notch on the self censorship. It's almost impossible to write anything at all without offending someone's sensibilities.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Seriously people, if we can't have entirely evil races in our games because it's socially unacceptable, we should also make an argument about how it's bad to go around murdering people for gold and power. I honestly believe we as a community should turn it down a notch on the self censorship. It's almost impossible to write anything at all without offending someone's sensibilities.

I thought that this was common knowledge.

Many D&D groups no longer play this way, preferring a more heroic fantasy style of play where there's less killing and looting involved; but D&D 5e's rules still encourage this style of play, if not to the extent of past editions. But that is a separate discussion.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Seriously people, if we can't have entirely evil races in our games because it's socially unacceptable, we should also make an argument about how it's bad to go around murdering people for gold and power. I honestly believe we as a community should turn it down a notch on the self censorship. It's almost impossible to write anything at all without offending someone's sensibilities.

With the Drow, we still do, sort of, because of the addition of the two Drow cultures that are not evil. Of course, this should have been part of the Drow from the beginning, and then at least this argument would never have existed.

 

[Charlaquin]

Seriously people, if we can't have entirely evil races in our games because it's socially unacceptable, we should also make an argument about how it's bad to go around murdering people for gold and power.

I mean… That’s a play style that hasn’t been in fashion for quite a while. Murderhobo is usually used to describe undesirable player behaviors, and the focus of most published adventures for the past few decades has been going on heroic quests, thwarting evil villains (usually villainous individuals or organizations, not racial groups), and saving the village/country/world/universe/multiverse (depending on the tier of play), rather than killing monsters and taking their stuff. Hell, “all conflicts can be solved nonviolently” is being billed as a selling point of Witchlight.

 

[Umbran]

And, while we argue all of this, I suggest...

Go and read Edgar Rice Burroughs' Gods of Mars, published in 1913.

Villains live underground? Check.
Dark skinned? Check - they are called "Black Martians".
Matriarchal society? Check.
Dominated by religion? Check.
Take a lot of slaves from the surface? Check.

 

[whimsychris123]

Seriously people, if we can't have entirely evil races in our games because it's socially unacceptable, we should also make an argument about how it's bad to go around murdering people for gold and power. I honestly believe we as a community should turn it down a notch on the self censorship. It's almost impossible to write anything at all without offending someone's sensibilities.

Imagine a fantasy world that is made up entirely of female people of color except for one race of white people led by males, who enslave, kill without remorse, and worship an evil god. Lots of white people would freak out. Some of them can't even handle a handicapped-accessible dungeon BUILT for someone who's handicapped!

Come on! It's just fantasy. Don't be so sensitive. If we can't have a race of evil white people who worship an evil god, then maybe we should ban everything.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It's almost impossible to write anything at all without offending someone's sensibilities.

It's really not. At least not in a world ruled by defensive hyperbole.

Seriously, I've done it for 15 years. I just put my hands on the keyboard and then... not portray whole categories of people as scum or jokes.

 

[Nefermandias]

Imagine a fantasy world that is made up entirely of female people of color except for one race of white people led by males, who enslave, kill without remorse, and worship an evil god. Lots of white people would freak out. Some of them can't even handle a handicapped-accessible dungeon BUILT for someone who's handicapped!

Come on! It's just fantasy. Don't be so sensitive. If we can't have a race of evil white people who worship an evil god, then maybe we should ban everything.

Dude, I'm quite sure most people would laugh at that instead of freaking out.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

So here is a good article that talks about various colors, including white and black, and their meanings in different cultures.

The Meaning of Colors in Cultures Around the World

Dive into color symbolism and explore the significance of colors in cultures around the world. Learn how to use color in your own projects.

www.shutterstock.com

 

[Steampunkette]

If you’re referring to the Birka woman, her situation is complicated somewhat by the fact that there are no signs of battle injury on her remains. I still think occam’s razer suggests that she was a warrior and simply didn’t receive any battle injuries severe enough to be shown on her skeleton - maybe she was just that badass, but more likely she just managed to avoid fighting on the frontlines. Still, I think it’s an important detail of the academic controversy surrounding her that tends to get left out of the discussion.

The Birka viking woman is just one example among many.

There's also the tendency to declare every grave with weapons and armor in it a man's grave even when the pelvis, DNA, and other signifiers show the occupant was a woman.

Though if historians wanted to acknowledge he was a Trans Man that'd be just fine, too. It's never their intention, obviously.