Racially diverse artwork in D&D...does it influence you?

[WayneLigon]

LOL patches.

Indicates that the writer never met a mixed race individual as would be expected.

Or the person in question suffered from vitiligo. It's a skin disorder that destroys or changes the pigmentation in patches. In blacks it's really noticable since it gives them large patches of pale white skin.

 

[Wyrmshadows]

Or the person in question suffered from vitiligo. It's a skin disorder that destroys or changes the pigmentation in patches. In blacks it's really noticable since it gives them large patches of pale white skin.

I thought about that, but considering the fact that mixed race individuals would be exceedingly rare at the time and that medieval/dark age people were rather credulous and superstitious...I went with the option I did.


Wyrmshadows

 

[mmadsen]

You know I'd really like some examples of diversity and integration that came about naturally and through everyone just accepting it... especially in the U.S.

I don't think we should veer off into explicitly political terrain, but I will say that many, many Americans are descended from people who belonged to despised minorities when they first arrived in the US -- only we don't even think of them as minorities now. They didn't demand integration; they simply integrated.

As minorities I think there comes a realization that in order to diversify institutions, media, or whatever you have to start small.

I don't even begin to see a noble cause in bringing Diversity to imaginary lands ruled by knights in shining armor.

D&D has set it's own precedence for what is default and people are just asking that it better represent this through it's artwork.

I don't think anyone's objected to having humans of various shapes and colors each living somewhere in a fantasy world. What they've objected to is the notion of a 21st-century multicultural society spread across an entire fantasy world. That feels really, really forced.

Why is it a choice between whiteness and "superficial" diversity?

It seems pretty straightforward really. If each society is composed of a mix of races who are no different from one another except in superficial ways, then that is superficial diversity. Some Gondorian knights just happen to be black under such a system. It doesn't matter to anyone though.

Inclusivity really is superior. Fantasy gaming has no special exception to the rule that pervades every other aspect of public life.

Wow. The ideology is thick.

 

[Imaro]

I don't think we should veer off into explicitly political terrain, but I will say that many, many Americans are descended from people who belonged to despised minorities when they first arrived in the US -- only we don't even think of them as minorities now. They didn't demand integration; they simply integrated.

This is so absurd I'm going to leave it alone.

I don't even begin to see a noble cause in bringing Diversity to imaginary lands ruled by knights in shining armor.

Please stop doing this, where do I mention "noble causes" Was getting on tv really all that "noble"? No, but it was still a good thing. Why are you again assigning intent to what I said I made no statements quantifying how noble something was.

I don't think anyone's objected to having humans of various shapes and colors each living somewhere in a fantasy world. What they've objected to is the notion of a 21st-century multicultural society spread across an entire fantasy world. That feels really, really forced.

I'm sorry, so are you saying, it's ok if a dark-skinned character is represented in D&D artwork... as long as he has dark-skinned peoples weapons, and dark-skinned peoples clothing, and a dark-skinned peoples background. Give me a break. The multitude of skin colors is default...plate mail armor is default in default D&D they can go together.

 

[Barastrondo]

I don't think anyone's objected to having humans of various shapes and colors each living somewhere in a fantasy world. What they've objected to is the notion of a 21st-century multicultural society spread across an entire fantasy world. That feels really, really forced.

Surely you see, though, why it seems a bit... prickly to be told "Nobody objects to humans of your skin color living somewhere in the world, it just seems forced for them to be accepted and commonplace here"?

Though the use of the term "21st-century" does bring up one question: Just how many centuries of trade and travel have been going on in the "assumed" D&D world? Most I've been exposed to have had at least as many millennia of past history as our own world has, if not more, just to rationalize a decent number of elven generations. It seems perfectly logical to have lots of cultures interacting — which, again, makes the itch for Eurocentricism really seem far more like a personal choice than some sort of underlying assumption of how the game works.

 

[S'mon]

It is sad that even in an imaginary world, this guy is just too much for people to handle.

Mmm, this looks just like how I imagined Lord Than, the father of my Midnight-setting Sarcosan PC Zana Than, to look.

In fact, y'know, I think I've changed my mind. I came into this argument kinda anti-Diversity - "They're stealing my Tolkien!" - but I think I've changed my mind. Just make sure the art for the non-white PCs looks cool, as cool as the art for the white ones.

 

[el-remmen]

Well, I think this thread has run its course, and is treading into political/social ground far beyond art in D&D books, and as fascinating as I find the topic, I feel that I should close it before it becomes something ugly as opposed to the (generally) polite and productive discussion it was.

Peace.