D&D 5E Dark Sun, problematic content, and 5E…

[Scribe]

I’m not a MTG player but I have been reading a lot about Phyrexians lately as inspiration for my Spelljammer campaign. What’s the problem with Phyrexians in DnD?

They are part of the MTG setting, not the D&D one.

 

[Haplo781]

Sure. And that direction would be published in the actual rules? It wouldn't lead to arguments at the table?


As I said before (or possibly in another one of these Dark Sun threads), a quick google ("dark sun slavery legal") had the very first result being a post on reddit about a party who bought a slave, and the DM wondering if the slave should come to love the PC owner as a brother. That post was from last year.

Your experiences are, sadly, not universal. There are plenty of people who would have no problem with slavery in their game.

The bear solution I can come up with is to not have chattel slavery in Athas. Just the "prisoners with jobs" variety.

Which is still horrific but sidesteps the issue of PCs being able to buy them.

 

[Shardstone]

I'd really like D&D to take a long break from its addiction to depicting slavery for every third society or species it generates. IT's not about promoting it as much as shoving it in people's faces (especially people still suffering the societal repercussions of it) ALL the time and trivializing it as just another edgy backstory element.

And if Dark Sun can't be a setting without that stuff--if you can't have the desert sword and sandal adventure with psionics and defiler magic-- without yet another of D&D's seven hundred slave-holding civilizations, then... good riddance.

As someone who is half-black, I often include slavery in my worlds. I find it both cathartic and fascinating to analyze through the lens of my own insight into my own culture. I know other mixed people or African Americans on the site might not agree, and that's fine, but I think it's a bit unfair to say that me creating "yet another slaver civilization" is a waste of time. It's an important part of the history of my culture, and the origin of many of the socioeconomic consequences my family has faced. I would go on, but I think I've gotten the point across hopefully.

 

[Hussar]

As someone who is half-black, I often include slavery in my worlds. I find it both cathartic and fascinating to analyze through the lens of my own insight into my own culture. I know other mixed people or African Americans on the site might not agree, and that's fine, but I think it's a bit unfair to say that me creating "yet another slaver civilization" is a waste of time. It's an important part of the history of my culture, and the origin of many of the socioeconomic consequences my family has faced. I would go on, but I think I've gotten the point across hopefully.

But, there is something of a difference between what you create for your home game with your group and expecting WotC to create the same thing with the same sense of history and gravitas that you bring to your game.

 

[Shardstone]

But, there is something of a difference between what you create for your home game with your group and expecting WotC to create the same thing with the same sense of history and gravitas that you bring to your game.

I don't expect WotC to be able to handle it. I'm just speaking in general terms.

 

[Vaalingrade]

As someone who is half-black, I often include slavery in my worlds. I find it both cathartic and fascinating to analyze through the lens of my own insight into my own culture. I know other mixed people or African Americans on the site might not agree, and that's fine, but I think it's a bit unfair to say that me creating "yet another slaver civilization" is a waste of time. It's an important part of the history of my culture, and the origin of many of the socioeconomic consequences my family has faced. I would go on, but I think I've gotten the point across hopefully.

You can do what you want. The big company making general audience products should probably check themselves.

Especially since it took them 48 years to even have a book written exclusively by PoCs and they use slavery as extra spicy flavor for whenever they need a trite backstory for a new species instead of as an exploration of what happened and what it means.

 

[MGibster]

But that’s the problem. You want the “problematic elements “ but keep it all nicely sanitized. After all it’s just “slave pens”. And the cheerful slave serving the king

Doesn't this ethos pretty much encapsulate the D&D experience? The sanitization of violence alone is truly something of a marvel in and of itself.

 

[Tonguez]

Sure. And that direction would be published in the actual rules? It wouldn't lead to arguments at the table?


EeAs I said before (or possibly in another one of these Dark Sun threads), a quick google ("dark sun slavery legal") had the very first result being a post on reddit about a party who bought a slave, and the DM wondering if the slave should come to love the PC owner as a brother. That post was from last year.
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Your experiences are, sadly, not universal. There are plenty of people who would have no problem with slavery in their game.

In my mythic Polynesia game I used an influence mechanic based on Cha+level, those with negative Influence had to become slaves to higher influence characters or be landless outcasts (a fate worse than slavery).
As it was in that society a slave who proved themselves skilled in combat or a trade could rise in influence and eventually gain wealth and status.
It allowed for the fact of vassal slavery to exist in game with a way for PCs to still interact ‘freely’.
Of course the setting also features cannabalism which I incorporated via turning Barbarian Rage into a Cannibal Frenzy.

 

[Hussar]

Doesn't this ethos pretty much encapsulate the D&D experience? The sanitization of violence alone is truly something of a marvel in and of itself.

So that makes it all okay then? We sanitize the violence so it’s perfectly acceptable to sanitize everything else too?

 

[Hussar]

I don't expect WotC to be able to handle it. I'm just speaking in general terms.

looks at the thread topic and the OP

I guess I’m a bit confused as to why people seem to think talking about home games is relevant then.