D&D 5E Ajit George Talks About Radiant Citadel's Creators

Project Lead Ajit George shared a post on social media about the development of and creators of Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel.

D&D 5E - The Next D&D Book is JOURNEYS THROUGH THE RADIANT CITADEL

We peered, poked, squinted, flipped, and enhanced the teaser image that WotC put out last week, and it turns out we got it right -- the next book is, indeed, Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel. Wraparound cover art by Evyn Fong Through the mists of the Ethereal Plane shines the Radiant...

www.enworld.org

Hi all,
I'm so unbelievably excited and proud to tell you that I have conceived and co-led the first book written entirely by people of color in Dungeons & Dragons’ 49-year history: Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel!

In June of 2020, I pitched the idea to Jeremy Crawford and Wes Schneider at the D&D Studio for a book written by Black and brown writers. The idea was to create new places and lands based on our cultures, histories, myths, and lived experiences. To my surprise and joy, they agreed and asked me to co-lead it with Wes Schneider!
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is an anthology of 13 compelling adventures that introduces 16 new locations, along with characters and monsters. The first location, the titular Radiant Citadel, was created and written by myself. You have never seen anything like it in D&D before.

There is so much we've accomplished with this unbelievable book:

• I am the first-ever PoC Project Lead for a D&D book.
• This is the first D&D book conceived, created, and written entirely by PoCs: Sixteen writers in total.
• This is the first D&D book where the cover art and alt-cover art were both created by women of color: Evyn Fong and Sija Hong.
• The co-Art Director is a woman of color: Emi Tanji.
• The Marketing Lead is a woman of color: Sara Chan.
• Two of the rules developers are PoCs: Makenzie De Armas and Taymoor Rehman.
• One of the editors is a PoC: Jessica Ross.
• Three cultural consultants are women of color: Nivair H. Gabriel, Jaymee Goh, and Carmen Maria Marin.
• Almost two-thirds of the artists were PoCs and they created more than two-thirds of the art for the book.
• One of our narrative design consultants (and also my wife), is a woman of color: Whitney Strix Beltrán. She was with me from the very first day to the very last. I am eternally grateful for all she's done.
• Additionally, half of the writers are women and several writers come from the LGBTQIA+ community.

More than 50 Black and brown people came together to work on this book and support its creation. I am overwhelmed by the scope of our accomplishments.

The sixteen writers for the book are: Justice Ramin Arman, Dominique Dickey, Basheer Ghouse, Alastor Guzman, D. Fox Harrell, T.K. Johnson, Felice Tzehuei, Surena Marie, Monidipa Mondal, Mario Ortegón, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, Pam Punzalan, Erin Roberts, Terry Romero, Stephanie Yoon and myself.

I am also grateful to everyone in the D&D Studio who made this book possible including Ray Winninger, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Steve Scott, Amanda Hamon, James Wyatt, and of course my partner through it all, Wes Schneider.

And to friends who helped with so many different ways, especially John Stavropoulos (who was the system and narrative design consultant) and Jess Ross (who was one of the editors). Both were there from the start in leadership meetings and helped with so many parts in the first several months.

Finally, I want to thank my talented and capable wife Whitney Beltrán. I juggled my full-time job and leading this project and she supported me every day. She was also my narrative design consultant and weighed in or saw everything I did. This book is brilliant in part because of her.

I genuinely believe Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is one of the finest books ever to bear the D&D logo. It is a layered book that hits upon complex and powerful themes. You can play it at the surface and have a lot of fun, or you can delve deeper with the questions it asks of you. Either way, it will offer hundreds of hours of incredible gameplay and new stories.

I can’t wait for it to be released on June 21st and to share it with the world!

 

[Ixal]

I think they all have very different bios, and that this book will therefore have a diverse range of cultural inspirations.

What are you assuming about them?

That what I could verify when I looked them up which often is grown up in the USA with a university degree.

 

[Bagpuss]

Okay, this may be a dumb question, but I want to ask it before all the comments by those certain types of haters start showing up around the Web about this book. A lot of the tweets announcing this book are saying it is by black and brown PoC, but I see Asian-looking names too.

Correction it says Black and brown, and I'm pretty sure that is misleading at best. Black gets a capital B, because it refers to a culture or ethic group rather than a color. So I guess brown refers to a colour of skin? Which considering a good portion of the authors seem to not be either Black or brown in skin tone is misleading at best. Not sure why they didn't just stick with PoC which is all encompassing.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

That what I could verify when I looked them up which often is grown up in the USA with a university degree.

If you're point is "Everyone from who graduated from a US college has the same perspective," I was hoping the quote I posted would rectify that.

If you still feel that way, there's clearly no point in me responding to you, cause there aint nothing I'm saying that's going to change that opinion.

 

[Scribe]

That what I could verify when I looked them up which often is grown up in the USA with a university degree.

Your assumption that this defines their culture/heritage, would seem to be the issue though. Thats not how it works in North America.

 

[BookTenTiger]

That what I could verify when I looked them up which often is grown up in the USA with a university degree.

What does "culture" mean to you?

 

[J.Quondam]

I have seen the assumption that PoC = different/additional culture than American before in various cultural appropriation discussions but I do not think you can make that assumption.

The US is over 320 million people, and contains all the subcultures that implies. And most other countries, while perhaps not as large, also encompass subcultures, including those associated with their own minority populations. So it really shouldn't be especially revelatory or strange for most people that members of a minority community might have their own perspective not experienced by the average pallid old neckbeard who has played D&D for 40 years.

What is strange is not assuming that basic fact.

 

[beta-ray]

A third option.

People recoil from corporate marketing, and view anything coming from such a corporation cynically at best.

If Wizards had not mentioned the authors, I continue to believe, most wouldnt even be aware of who authored these adventures.

I don't think Wizards would not advertise (corporate message) the book, so I guess there would be cynicism around it anyway?

I can just imagine if WotC did not mention the backgrounds of the authors, but it was puzzled together. Then it would be a "secret agenda". sigh

 

[Scribe]

I don't think Wizards would not advertise (corporate message) the book, so I guess there would be cynicism around it anyway?

I can just imagine if WotC did not mention the backgrounds of the authors, but it was puzzled together. Then it would be a "secret agenda". sigh

Thats probably fair lol.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Some of this reminds of some of the current "controversy" with the movie "Turning Red", many just can't wrap their heads around a movie being about a Chinese-Canadian girl. Sure I have some connection being Chinese-Canadian (though I'm 3rd generation and the writer might be 2nd generation) and I was a teenager once, but it's a different experience from me as I've never been a girl, don't turn into a Red Panda and have never lived in Toronto.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Some of this reminds of some of the current "controversy" with the movie "Turning Red", many just can't wrap their heads around a movie being about a Chinese-Canadian girl. Sure I have some connection being Chinese-Canadian (though I'm 3rd generation and the writer might be 2nd generation) and I was a teenager once, but it's a different experience from me as I've never been a girl, don't turn into a Red Panda and have never lived in Toronto.

I couldn't relate to the film at all... I turn into a blue baboon when I'm embarrassed, it's a totally different experience.