Taylor Navarro Joins Wizards of the Coast as D&D Designer

Wizards of the Coast has hired yet another D&D game designer - this time UK-based designer Taylor Navarro. Navarro announced that she was joining the D&D team this week on BlueSky. Navarro notably was a winner of the Diana Jones Emerging Designer Award back in 2024 and has worked for Ghostfire Gaming and Evil Hat in addition to working on several DMs Guild projects. Some of her most notable works was contributing to the DMs Guild publication Journeys Beyond the Radiant Citadel and publishing Not Yet: A Romantic Duet TTRPG.

Navarro is the fourth D&D game designer to join Wizards of the Coast in recent weeks, with James Haeck, Leon Barillaro, and Erin Roberts also announcing that they've joined D&D in a similar game designer capacity. Additionally, Justice Ramin Arman was promoted to Game Design Director of the group.

 

[HatWearingFool]

I don't understand Tasha's being described as purple and pink and smiles.
Clearly these aren't literal complaints., so I can only guess what it's code for..

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Google search indicates purple and pink and smiles has something to do with homemade makeup…I don’t get the reference either.

But it turned up this awesome gem of a video

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If we got a setting or books that reinforced browns, grays, and gritted teeth, then I could understand that all views/approaches/perspectives on the game are welcome within the Big Tent.

Post Tashas, there has been far too much purples, pinks, and smiles, to make any claim at equal support of various tones.

This conversation has been had a billion times on this forum however, there are other games that actually do support and reinforce those other styles and tones, and so it really is easy to shrug and move on from D&D when there has been a narrowing of styles and tones.

Add more kids to the family, welcome everyone, great.

Where's my book with Conan-esque art and tone, and grit?

Most of dnds history wasn't enough support of your style for you?

Not being the overwhelmingly dominant voice makes you feel unwelcome?

Seriously?

 

[Scribe]

history

Correct. History. So acknowledgment of the post Tasha shift.

Yet claims are made that both no shift occurred (false) and that my desired tone and style is still part of the big tent.

We are waiting for the Dark Sun to confirm if the latter remains false.

 

[Afroconan]

Google search indicates purple and pink and smiles has something to do with homemade makeup…I don’t get the reference either.

But it turned up this awesome gem of a video

I suppose it's in contrast to ye olde "browns & frowns" of yore

 

[Artamo]

Artwork direction can reflect choices in game design though I look at a book like Van Richten’s Guide and still see plenty of dark colors that reflect the tone of that setting. What I don’t expect is for D&D to go to a black and white or sepia-toned direction that you see in products like Shadowdark. I think if you want to play Shadowdark, play Shadowdark if that’s the art direction you want. Or maybe find other third party publishers who don’t have the budget of Wizards but still put out quality artwork in that style.

I don’t know…at the end of the day the game that I play at the table comes in the colors of the Vis a Vis set of markers I have. The descriptions the DM gives sets the stage for whether that’s a dry, dusty brown landscape or a desert that looks more like the Painted Desert. If I have my heart set on one and the adventure depicts the other, I have no problem shifting that adventure to suit my needs.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

It was Mardi gras, cooking?, and far outside the pseudo medieval identity of D&D. There are plenty of RPGs that cover this. Of course that's easier on my wallet because it doesnt look like the new roster of designers have worked on anything I'd be vaguely interested in. Yes I've read Radant citadel as a shared resource on D&D beyond. So its not just the Mardi Gras art turning me off.

What. Make this make sense.

Mardi Gras? You dislike Cajuns or something?

Correct. History. So acknowledgment of the post Tasha shift.

Yet claims are made that both no shift occurred (false) and that my desired tone and style is still part of the big tent.

We are waiting for the Dark Sun to confirm if the latter remains false.

I am quite sure that more serious, poorly lit, grim or gritty, tone products have come out since Tasha. You are still welcome in the big tent my dude. Seriously.

As for the shift...i guess. More of an expansion but yeah Mike Mearls was definitely keeping things exclusively "old school" tonally, and Jeremy and Chris opened the game up a lot to multiple tones.

But that is my point. The game has literally always catered to you. It is not a rejection of you for it to now also cater to other people.

I suppose it's in contrast to ye olde "browns & frowns" of yore

Idk if it is part of the dislike of anyone here, but some people call it "bisexual lighting" both because of the bisexual pride flag matching the color scheme and because a lot of queer art and film has that color scheme, and a lot of people seem to get upset when anything vaguely queer gets into their hobby.

 

[Scribe]

It is not a rejection of you for it to now also cater to other people.

That isn't what was stated, and I'm not going to bother going over it again.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

That isn't what was stated, and I'm not going to bother going over it again.

Okay. Just trying to help.

It very comes across that way, like you think that the game has shifted to a position of not wanting your preference to be part of the game. Shorthand for thst would be "the game has rejected you", thus my wording.

There is a shift, but it is false to say that it is a shift that leaves your preferences outside the big tent.

 

[Gradine]

Most of dnds history wasn't enough support of your style for you?

Not being the overwhelmingly dominant voice makes you feel unwelcome?

Seriously?

Once again, it never pays to ask questions you already know the answer to

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Once again, it never pays to ask questions you already know the answer to

Oh i dont know, sometimes it can illuminate exsctly what someone means and make it easier to present a differing point of view...