D&D General Joe Manganiello's D&D Campaign Includes a Game of Thrones Creator & Vince Vaughn

The entertainment magazine Variety has joined the long list of mainstream publications who have published articles about D&D in recent years. They take a look at Joe Manganiello's home game, which includes Vince Vaughn, plus the guitarist from Rage Against the Machine, and one one of the Game of Thrones creators!

Inside Joe Manganiello’s Epic Dungeons & Dragons Campaign

Go inside Joe Manganiello's Hollywood Dungeons & Dragons campaign, which includes Vince Vaughn, Tom Morello, The Big Show and more.

variety.com

 

[darjr]

We have some posts in this very thread doubting the sincerety of the group. There are some posts bemoaning the lack of representation and saying they must only play with guys. There are some posts with assumptions of what their playgroup is like already in mind.
But I guess all of that still means a welcomingness and openmindedness. Yeah.

I too detest some of the posts, but that’s a pretty broad brush you are using there bud.

 

[darjr]

I didn’t see the video posted, or has it?

 

[Paragon Lost]

I didn’t see the video posted, or has it?

Yeah, it was in the link in the article.

 

[Dire Bare]

We have some posts in this very thread doubting the sincerety of the group. There are some posts bemoaning the lack of representation and saying they must only play with guys. There are some posts with assumptions of what their playgroup is like already in mind.
But I guess all of that still means a welcomingness and openmindedness. Yeah.

I'm also disappointed in the posters who feel the need to criticize and judge Joe Manganiello's home D&D game by weird and inappropriate standards. Some of the critical posters are folks I normally find myself in agreement with and respect their opinions, some are folks I'm constantly at odds with here on ENWorld.

But, don't judge our community as a whole by the postings of a few. And try not to judge the individuals you disagree with too harshly, as we are all coming at this from different perspectives . . . . and we are all flawed in our own ways and give in to negativity from time to time.

Overall, I think ENWorld is actually a pretty open and welcoming community of gamers. We are not perfect as a community, and we are not perfect as individuals, and we certainly as hell don't always agree on things. But there's a reason why I've been hanging out here since the Eric Noah days just before 3rd Edition debuted, it's a nice place!

 

[robus]

But, don't judge our community as a whole by the postings of a few. And try not to judge the individuals you disagree with too harshly, as we are all coming at this from different perspectives . . . . and we are all flawed in our own ways and give in to negativity from time to time.

Well put. I was probably a bit harsh on poor Joe, but I still felt what I felt.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

Well put. I was probably a bit harsh on poor Joe, but I still felt what I felt.

And just as your allowed to let other people know your opinion on Joe Manganiello, other people are allowed to let their opinion on you be known.

 

[robus]

And just as your allowed to let other people know your opinion on Joe Manganiello, other people are allowed to let their opinion on you be known.

Sure, I wouldn't have it otherwise

 

[Todd Roybark]

well hell, even then I wouldn't be overly concerned about back-room deals over the D&D table.

Hell, in my own home game, I got one of my player's a job!

This is not intended to single Dire Bare out, but I think it is a good illustration of how systemic inequality actually functions.

Access to particular individuals, especially in informal settings, is a huge advantage.

In an institution that does not prioritize equity in hiring practices, casual interactions in a restroom with a superior, might make all the difference for a promotion, for example.

People feel comfortable with what they see on a daily basis, and this, can lead to real world equity issues.

If Joe and Vince Vaughn, are just handed roles in the Weiss helmed Star Wars movie, then the game goes from a “Mostly Harmless” rating in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, to:
“Most definitely harmful”.

From a D&D perspective, the fact that most of the D&D creative staff is White Male Americans is troubling.

 

[Mistwell]

I would not ever call Enworld closed minded and unwelcoming. What a strange thing to post?!

I feel certain you wouldn't.

 

[Dire Bare]

This is not intended to single Dire Bare out, but I think it is a good illustration of how systemic inequality actually functions.

Access to particular individuals, especially in informal settings, is a huge advantage.

In an institution that does not prioritize equity in hiring practices, casual interactions in a restroom with a superior, might make all the difference for a promotion, for example.

People feel comfortable with what they see on a daily basis, and this, can lead to real world equity issues.

If Joe and Vince Vaughn, are just handed roles in the Weiss helmed Star Wars movie, then the game goes from a “Mostly Harmless” rating in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, to:
“Most definitely harmful”.

From a D&D perspective, the fact that most of the D&D creative staff is White Male Americans is troubling.

It's okay, I don't mind.

If D.B. Weiss and David Benioff produced a new TV series starring Joe Manganiello, George Finn, Paul Wight, Taran Killam, and Vince Vaughn with a soundtrack by Tom Morello, directed by Kyle Newman, written by John Cassel, with actors trained by Ron Matthews . . . . okay, I'm getting a bit ridiculous here . . . . if a creative project came out of Joe's weekly home game . . . I'm okay with that. It's not institutional inequity, it would be friends choosing to work together on a creative project.

Now, if Weiss and Benioff cast Manganiello in their next project, not because he's best for the role, but because they want that +10 sword of weasel slaying in the weekly D&D campaign . . . . that would be problematic. Even moreso if it did become institutional, if this sort of thing happened all the time.

"Who you know" and friends choosing to work with friends has long been a part of how social networks have worked, and it isn't inherently unethical or inequitable. When it excludes classes of people and becomes institutionalized, that's a problem . . . but that is not what we are dealing with here.

What do you people want? For Joe to announce, "Due to points raised on the internet, I realize that my home D&D game with my friends, who also happen to be successful entertainment celebrities, is inequitable to those who can't play in my weekly home game. So, I will no longer play D&D unless it is a corporate or charitable sponsored event with equal access and players to be chosen by lottery."

Now your last point, that the D&D creative team is mostly (but not all) white dudes . . . I would say that is an issue, it is concerning (although, not "troubling"). It's an issue WotC is aware of and has begun to take steps to correct. Okay. What does that have to do with Joe Manganiello's home D&D game? Nada.