D&D General RA Salvatore Wants To Correct Drizzt’s Racist Tropes

In an interview with Polygon, the author talks about how the drow are currently being redefined in D&D, and how he wants to be part of that process.

”But on the other hand, if the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away, be buried under the deepest pit, and never brought out again. I was unaware of that. I admit it. I was oblivious.

Drow are now split into (at least) three types — the familiar Udadrow of Menzoberranzan, the arctic-themed Aevendrow, and the jungle-themed Lorendrow. Salvatore's new novel, Starlight Enclave, helps to expand the drows' role in the narrative.

D&D’s Drizzt books were built on racist tropes. R.A. Salvatore wants to change that

‘If the drow are being portrayed as evil, that’s a trope that has to go away’

www.polygon.com

In 2020 WotC made a public statement about how they would be treating drow and orcs going forward -- "Throughout the 50-year history of D&D, some of the peoples in the game—orcs and drow being two of the prime examples—have been characterized as monstrous and evil, using descriptions that are painfully reminiscent of how real-world ethnic groups have been and continue to be denigrated. That’s just not right, and it’s not something we believe in. "

Commitment to Diversity | Dungeons & Dragons

D&D continues to be made as diverse as possible with the reminder that only a diverse group of adventurers can overcome obstacles.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Zardnaar]

Are you not familiar with the conflicts in South America during the 80s, or the wars happening in the Middle East right now?

Indigenous Americans living in the USA, Brazil, and Colombia, to name but a few countries, would very much dispute that. So would many other ethnic minorities across the globe that we don't often hear about in English language news but are still being persecuted by the governments of their colonizers.

Well some of us know that things are terrible everywhere, and just because they were a different kind of terrible 2000 years ago doesn't mean things aren't bad right now. It's just that we tend to focus on what's going on in our own countries because that is what most immediately affects us, and what we can most effectively help to change.

I'm well aware but unless you're from those regions you haven't directly experienced it.

There's a tendency online and historically to look at the past with blinker in. The Roman world was insanely cruel relative to what most of us here have experienced. I suspect linving under a Roman conquest wasn't much fun but we don't know as those experiences weren't recorded. Or if they were have not survived or a one sided account.

When you're talking about a culture where slavery is perfectly legal and actively went looking for more, where blood sports were a thing, are on record as making racist statements, had very cruel methods of execution and where citizensship was not universal I highly doubt things were sunshine and rose's.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Oh god, how ancient does that make the folks who’ve been playing for 40+ years?

 

[Umbran]

Mod note:
So, was away from keyboard for a few hours. What's going on...

Ancient Rome. Thundercats. Negative age. Metatron....

And, obligatory denial that literature or art has impact on people. This, at least, was predictable. Some warnings handed out for that as racist apology...

Okay, we're done here. Thanks, everyone. Thread closed.