WotC Older D&D Books on DMs Guild Now Have A Disclaimer

If you go to any of the older WotC products on the Dungeon Master's Guild, they now have a new disclaimer very similar to that currently found at the start of Looney Tunes cartoons.

We recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website, does not reflect the values of the Dungeon & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

The wording is very similar to that found at the start of Looney Tunes cartoons.

Edit: Wizards has put out a statement on Twitter (click through to the full thread)

 

[Tsuga C]

If you go to any of the older WotC products on the Dungeon Master's Guild, they now have a new disclaimer very similar to that currently found at the start of Looney Tunes cartoons.

Better a disclaimer than a re-write of the content to soothe the outrage mob.

Gods above, I'd hate to be a kid today...

 

[whimsychris123]

I love Tolkien's works about as much as any other author, but that doesn't mean I can't still be critical of things. Same goes for D&D. I can love my 1e orange spine collection fiercely and still critique it.

This. So much of people's arguments seem to be either/or. Either we like old stuff or we hate it. Either we're for it or against it. Life is complex. You can love something, but also see its flaws. I'd like more people to come to these discussions with less defensiveness and more willingness to see multiple views.

 

[Zarithar]

You can do whatever you want. And I have no problem with you criticizing the book - but you're insulting the actual people. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy. Calling people who buy and use the book "losers" is not inclusive. Consider that some of those people could be members of this forum.

I agree. I personally thought the book was puerile garbage - but whatever floats your boat as they say. It doesn't harm me if others enjoy it.

 

[bedir than]

Citation massively needed. Really multiple, detailed citations. This is a wild claim and definitely not as plainly true as you claim it is. There's some truth in it for sure, but unless you can find some god-tier citations, it's not the hard fact you're claiming. The big problem you're going to face is that many of these creatures didn't even have specific or consistent appearances. The idea that goblins were some sort of solid, consistent concept in the past is fundamentally false.

More to the point, though D&D's goblins don't really fit with the tropes described. They're not typically large-nosed, for starters. That's a pretty aberrant illustration that had to be cherry-picked.

As long as you ignore the art provided by WotC and their partners, you are correct, goblins don't have large noses.

Goblin

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the [action]Disengage[/action] or [action]Hide[/action] action as a bonus action on each of its turns....

www.dndbeyond.com

Reality is that large-nose goblins is the norm.

 

[VelvetViolet]

As long as you ignore the art provided by WotC and their partners, you are correct, goblins don't have large noses.

Goblin

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the [action]Disengage[/action] or [action]Hide[/action] action as a bonus action on each of its turns....

www.dndbeyond.com

Reality is that large-nose goblins is the norm.

Look no further than a google image search.

 

[Ravenbrook]

The French have big noses (it's not surprising that Cyrano de Bergerac was French!). So are the French goblins - or perhaps gnomes?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I have just read a Spanish-languange blog and hist opinion is this has caused the opposite effect, something like the old stickers of "parental advisore" what really helped to sell more music discks.

This is really dumb, fool. I can understand today the crows of the old cartoon movie "Dumbo" wouldn't be tolerated, but if we really want to help to fix the things, we can't trust who wants more authority to forbidd and censure and nothing about promoting ethical values as the respect for the human dignity.

Maybe OA had got stereotypes, but worse than the own speculative fiction by the own Asians? If an European publishers sells a comic what is a parody of a famous manga, is it racism?

 

[VelvetViolet]

I have just read a Spanish-languange blog and hist opinion is this has caused the opposite effect, something like the old stickers of "parental advisore" what really helped to sell more music discks.

This is really dumb, fool. I can understand today the crows of the old cartoon movie "Dumbo" wouldn't be tolerated, but if we really want to help to fix the things, we can't trust who wants more authority to forbidd and censure and nothing about promoting ethical values as the respect for the human dignity.

Maybe OA had got stereotypes, but worse than the own speculative fiction by the own Asians? If an European publishers sells a comic what is a parody of a famous manga, is it racism?

Yeah, I totally hate censorship.

Anyway, you might like reading this article:

How Dungeons & Dragons Appropriated the Orient | Analog Game Studies

 

[Zarithar]

Anyway, you might like reading this article:

How Dungeons & Dragons Appropriated the Orient | Analog Game Studies

That essay is full of errors. Two that jump out immediately are that the comeliness stat first appeared in Oriental Adventures and that Gary Gygax invented the alignment system.

 

[Alzrius]

Anyway, you might like reading this article:

How Dungeons & Dragons Appropriated the Orient | Analog Game Studies

Definitely make sure to check out the comments section at the end, where none other than D&D historian Jon Peterson, of Playing at the World fame, makes some salient observations about this article.