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.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think most people inclined to use the Setting at the table don't care, since table canon will inevitably diverge anyways and many are taking the material to file off the serial numbers anyways. I never had trouble mixing SCAG and the 3E book, my Fri nds and family are not FR lore scholars.

Sure, I’ve never really understood why people care about canon. I’m using a setting to support my game of D&D, I want it to be interesting and relevant to my players, not be unchanged from something written decades ago for D&D games that ended decades ago.

 

[EthanSental]

Yes its tons of fun and even better watching them, guiding them, and helping them DM and build encounters.

Of course their going to get away from the traditions I've shown them but at least they'll be educated about it and not fall for the nonsense they say about how the game used to be played online, or misconceptions about alignments, or the aesthetics of AD&D.

They'll probably even learn about narrative games like pbta and things like that which im not equipped to teach them. I would hope they continue to discover what they like and not leave it when they graduate

So are we wanting the kids to adapt and evolve to the games they enjoy OR are we going to watch them in 10 to 20 years say the game has left them behind because of (insert personal view )?

Side note - I hope they are still playing rpgs friends, it’s such a fantastic time with friends having fun! Since playing D&D since 1986ish, every edition has a couple items we don’t adopt or play and have still have fun playing the game as presented overall.

Edit and this isn’t a knock on Mourn as I’ve hit like on numerous of his posts and more of a general question of us on introspection

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Yeah, I don't like everything about the current D&D, just like I didn't like everything about the previous versions of D&D (I've played them all), but I don't feel like it's trying to leave me behind. It just also has some stuff aimed at people who are either new or previously overlooked. And I like some of that stuff, too - sometimes to my surprise.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Godsbreath/Written in Blood is great though.

I was really surprised how much that adventure freaked out my players. Great feeling of dread. If I had to do it again, I'd probably use some instrumental delta blues, for that Sinners feeling of impending doom.

 

[Scribe]

So are we wanting the kids to adapt and evolve to the games they enjoy OR are we going to watch them in 10 to 20 years say the game has left them behind because of (insert personal view )?

Why adapt to changes that are flawed in motivation, intent, or execution, when a working option exists?

 

[EthanSental]

Yeah I didn’t explain my post well enough and thanks for the replies and view point.

 

[Azzy]

And a great many other celebrations too. Humans love dressing up and having fun, and are quite good at finding reasons to do it.

The funny thing is that medieval Europe (and TSR-era D&D) was never monochromatic—even Europeans seem to like bright colors and have festivals.

 

[bedir than]

This seems to have been skipped in the discussion of Navarro's work -- she was one of two freelance designers who worked on Welcome to the Hellfire Club.

Stories from the Hellfire Club.

Stories from the Hellfire Club.

company.wizards.com

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

This seems to have been skipped in the discussion of Navarro's work -- she was one of two freelance designers who worked on Welcome to the Hellfire Club.

Stories from the Hellfire Club.

Stories from the Hellfire Club.

company.wizards.com

Oh my god, all she's going to write about is the 1980s?! I am outraged!

 

[BookTenTiger]

Oh my god, all she's going to write about is the 1980s?! I am outraged!

I just can't believe she was responsible for the disappointing plot of the final season.