There are a couple of issues that I am reluctant to bring up because I don't want to get into a prolonged argument about them, but I feel are kind of necessary for the discussion.
I bring these up not to tear the setting down or anything like that. I consider myself a fan of the setting and have run it (and would like to run it again) but I think these issues are sticking points.
1. Muls
The pronounciation as "mule" is a bit of a giveaway. Mules are, of course, horse/donkey hybrids which are sterile and experience heterosis (hybridization vigor)
Muls are human/dwarf hybrids who are sterile and tend to be stronger than either dwarves or humans.
And now I will point out the the words "mule" and "m**atto" (An offensive word for someone of mixed race) share an etymological origin.
So now when we look at the 4th edition's description of the origin of the word "Mul":
The word “mul” is derived from the Dwarven term mulzhennedar, which means “strength.” Pronunciation varies
throughout the Tyr Region; the word can be pronounced as mool, mull, or mule, although this last variation is considered derogatory and might start a fight. Given the derivation of the name, sages who care about such matters regard mull as the most accurate pronunciation.
This invented pseudo-etymology starts to look a little cringe. And I don't think I have seen this word "Mulzhennedar" prior to 4th edition. My guess is that it was invented to try to smooth over the very issue I am pointing out.
2. Roleplaying slavery in a diverse playerbase
I have run Freedom a couple of times. The first time was a disaster. I was still new to DMing, and I didn't really understand concepts like player agency. I did what the module told me to do: enslave the players, ruin any chances they have of escape, if they do escape enslave them again, treat the PC's like dirt, move them along the sequence of the events until they finally break free in the dramatic finale where they (checks notes) listen to an extended excerpt from the Verdant Passage before finally escaping by another's hand. The experience was miserable for everyone. I trusted the module, and the module lied.
I did make a second attempt. Shocking, I know. I still loved the setting (Still do) and my group wanted to try it. But this time I resolved to give the players as much agency as I was able. I thought of it like an experiment. Take them through a cliff's notes version of the module, and if they escape, they escape. And, at one point, one of my players did. He was a psionicist who was very, very good at being invisible. Late at night, he slipped out of his bonds and camp without being noticed by fellow slaves or the guards. The whole time I was fighting the urge to "invent" a reason for him to be caught. He went out into the city, and said he wanted to find an animal. I said okay, this being an urban environment, he found... a dog. I had no idea where he was going with this. Well, I guess the rotten food he was given for dinner was a bridge too far and something had to be done. So he sneaks back with his new meal. Well, the scent of cooking meat in one of the tents nearly sent the entire camp into an uproar. Some quick thinking by the players distracted the guards long enough and the players were generous enough with their catch that they managed to make it through the night. A+ session would play again.
So I bring these two experiences up so nobody misunderstands. You can have a fun session with enslaved PC's. However, it does take an experienced hand and a lot of trust in your players. If you don't, you can end up having a session like my first one, which could quite easily have turned into something truly abusive. "So we met in the slave pits" is Dark Sun's equivalent to "So we met in a tavern" and if they really want to release a product like that, they need to teach DM's how to do that ethically, which is going to be another issue.
A while back I saw a tweet from a D&D influencer who is a PoC (I won't name them because there are certain folks who read this forum that might go after them) who basically asked "why would you want to WANT to roleplay slavery?"
And my first thought was "why not?" For many of the same reasons others have pointed out in this thread. I thought about replying, but I realized the question was meant as rhetorical. After sitting with the question for a while my conclusion was that for them, the idea of actually wanting to roleplay in a game as a slave is so foreign that they can't conceive of why anyone would want to do it. The generational trauma of slavery is still very real, following black people like an albatross. It's not just an intellectual exercise for them. (At least that was my takeaway.)
I tried to think back to my experiences playing Freedom and imagined if one of my players had been black, and I can't say I would have even tried to play Freedom. The idea of everyone sitting around a table on a weekend, where I roleplay being a cruel slavemaster while they play someone who is currently a slave (however temporary that is) for FUN is just absurd.
And that means Dark Sun is not very inclusive. And if you can only play Dark Sun with white people that is a real problem for the setting and the product for ONE D&D.
