D&D 5E How should be the future Oriental Adventures.

[Urriak Uruk]

I don't agree that they should take it down, but it would be good for WotC to say that any revenues received from products like Oriental Adventures or Kara-tur are donated to a charity organization protecting Asian immigrants (or something else, it doesn't matter much).

I'll add that the op phrases creating Asian-fantasy content like some difficult balance when honestly, it's not that difficult to be not-racist. WotC can (and does) hire consultants, and they absolutely should from diverse backgrounds to ensure their content isn't putting out anything racist, intentional or not. Even better, they should have Asian representation in their art and writing for such a book (and I believe their art director Emi Tanji is of Asian descent).

Looking back through Jade Regent, a Pathfinder Adventure Path, I can see how one can create RPG content for Asian fantasy that also isn't racist (I haven't read the whole thing so may have missed things, please point it out if I do). I think WotC can do even better.

WotC can even return to Kara-tur, Al-Qadim, or other past settings as long as they feel happy in redesigning where necessary. It's been three editions or something since they've been visited, changes make sense.

 

[Slit518]

I believe the term simply means 'eastern'. However, my understanding is that the reason it has gone out of favor is that the term has historically been associated with a lot of racist tropes. So it carries a lot of baggage. And, since it's not all that descriptive anyway and it tends to lump a lot of very disparate cultures, I don't really think it is much of a loss.

I am happy to be corrected by someone with more knowledge on the matter.

AD

Thanks! This explains a little more.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

To say WotC can't publish a book about xiákè and kabukimono is like saying Disney can't produce movies about Alladin, Mulan or Raya and the last dragon. This is not about to forbbid but to explain how to do in the right way. Can't we watch the movies of Kung-Fu Panda? We shouldn't close those doors. If we complain about stereotypes then we could talk about beat'em videogames by Asian companies. If am Spanish can I complain about Vega (Street Fighters) or another Spanishs characters in videogames?

Honestly @LuisCarlos17f , I get you're trying to strike some balance here but I don't appreciate the "what-about-ism" you're bringing up here.

If you're actually offended by Vega in Street Fighter, you should complain. If you're not, don't. It's that easy. Being "offended" isn't really a choice for people, it's something that they actually feel.

I don't think anyone here is saying that banning Oriental Adventures means banning all Asian-fantasy content, and I think you know that. So let's try to stay on topic on what actual respectful Asian-fantasy content would look like, instead of engaging with logic fallacies like "slippery slopes."

 

[Mercurius]

The word "oriental" literally just means "eastern," as an antonym to "occidental" (western). There are also the more obscure terms "austral" (southern) and "boreal" (northern).

As for whether it offensive or not, well that depends on the person. There are obviously those people who find it offensive because they connect it to various stereotypes, but many Asian people don't, instead just finding it to be outdated. If nothing else, though, it is somewhat archaic and not really in common usage anymore.

But the term is Eurocentric; meaning, relative to one being European (i.e. the Eastern World being oriented to the west of the Occident). Asian Adventures would be more relevant to the contemporary global context. But the problem with Asian Adventures is that while "the Orient" was understood to be anything east of Europe, it also usually referred to--or at least connoted--the Far East (China, Korea, Japan), and Asia also includes the Middle East, south Asia, southeast Asia, central Asia, etc.

So it depends upon what such a book would include. Calling a book "Asian Adventures" and only covering Far Eastern analogues would be like calling a book "European Adventures" and only covering the British Isles, Germany, and France.

My guess is that we won't see an actual Oriental/Asian Adventures book, but that WotC will incorporate such material into specific setting books, like a Tarkir or re-vamped Kara-Tur, or perhaps a supplement with a very different title, ala Xanathar's.

 

[RangerWickett]

However, there is a problem. In Hollywood, it is no longer acceptable for a white actor to play a non-white role. Will that mentality filter down to role playing?

In Hollywood, the concern is that a) you're more likely to use a stereotype if you don't actually bring in a person with similar experiences, and b) you're taking jobs from people who are from that race/culture/etc.

At a game among friends, firstly you're probably not using real-world cultures, and even if you are, it's not like you're taking job opportunities from other gamers.

The new edition of Legend of the Five Rings is set in a fantastic world reminiscent of Japan and some other east Asian cultures, and they have some guidelines on how to roleplay the setting without being insensitive to the real world cultures that were an inspiration.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Who complained about OA for the 3rd Edition? Is anybody angry with Dreamworks about Kung-fu panda? or Asian authors/mangaka writing romance novels set in the British Victorian Age.

Why not to can adapt your favorite manga/manwha/manhua?

Don't you know the coprodution Nezha (a Chinese god) with transformers? Or Hasbro working with Toei for the new serie of Power Rangers.

 

[Mirtek]

If am Spanish can I complain about Vega (Street Fighters) or another Spanishs characters in videogames?

Maybe we europeans should complain how D&D mashes all our cultures together despite the big differences between France, Germany and Italy despite sharing borders

 

[Minigiant]

This, basically.

There's a step 4, as well:

4. Expect that no matter how much you try to do everything right, you will get pushback and criticism, either because you're still going to make mistakes because you are, after all, human; or that you'll potentially offend folks from perspectives even your consultants won't have considered. Accept them with grace and humility and promise to constantly improve.

Still, not very difficult at all.

The key part of the situation is "putting in the effort".

For most of human history, people in the media, either though laziness, indifference, and sometimes hate, put little to no effort into avoid offense. Now that the situation is turning on its head, some of the same media people will likely, either though laziness, indifference, and sometimes hate, will put little to no effort into finding the solutions to avoid offense

Luckily everyone is not in the same position as before.

And people will eventually understand if you commit some sweat and money to avoiding offense, you will wil get at least some leeway from backlash.

 

[The Glen]

Realistically any book dealing with Asian cultures is going to have a problem because of China. If they make a fantasy culture that is obviously based on Korea or Japan and those cultures appear to be anything less than subservient to a Chinese culture there's a chance to book won't get printed if Chinese printers are used or if Hasbro is looking to sell the book in China. That has been an issue lately or several companies

 

[ZeshinX]

My guess is that we won't see an actual Oriental/Asian Adventures book, but that WotC will incorporate such material into specific setting books, like a Tarkir or re-vamped Kara-Tur, or perhaps a supplement with a very different title, ala Xanathar's.

If they were to title it specific to the setting's name, that seems like the ideal solution (at least as far as the title on the cover). "Kara-Tur Adventures" seems like a more than apt title instead of "Oriental Adventures".

Obviously it tends to suggest a very specific approach to the content, rather than a more generalized one, but we've seen examples that point out alternatives within the product, like with Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (obviously most of the content is specific to the Forgotten Realms but contained a section offering at least the character options for other settings and worlds).