D&D 5E Thoughts on this article about Black Culture & the D&D team dropping the ball?

[Valmarius]

The article did not reference Nyambe, but it did provide a couple ideas for possible alternatives. One was described as an "African Atlantis", a "bleeding-edge technologist culture that architects magical machinery, who are black, or an ethnography of the cloud-dwelling black merchant princes who deliver their wares via airships."

Funnily enough, In a recent "Lore you Should Know" segment on Dragon Talk, Chris Perkins talks about the island of Lantan which is just Northwest of Chult, and I'd guess has a predominantly black population.
It's apparently a very high-tech, high-magical society and the only place in the Realms with the ability to make smokepowder (magic gunpowder).

He also said that we'd be seeing more of Lantan soon. So this might be the 'African Atlantis' the author has been waiting for.

 

[DeJoker]

And now we've got all the tropes out - because everyone knows that Dr King never advocated for inclusion of black people in existing institutional and cultural frameworks!

Hmm then let me just quote Don Sutherland from the movie Kelly's Heroes -- "Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" --or be more about positive oriented change rather than negative oriented criticism ?

 

[DeJoker]

The article did not reference Nyambe, but it did provide a couple ideas for possible alternatives. One was described as an "African Atlantis", a "bleeding-edge technologist culture that architects magical machinery, who are black, or an ethnography of the cloud-dwelling black merchant princes who deliver their wares via airships."

Ah well then perhaps I will re-read it -- if it is actually advocating positive change starting out with negative criticism makes it look like purely complaint oriented junk and for some (but assuredly not all) this is a complete turn off and can get the entire article closed without an in depth read which I am assuming is what the writer was aiming for. Further this forum seemed mostly to promote negative criticism (both from the little that I read and the response of its posting base to my posts) rather than promoting positive constructive change. -- Yeah I know I am the odd ball out there that seems to think that negative criticism is a bad thing. *shrug*

 

[Imaro]

Funnily enough, In a recent "Lore you Should Know" segment on Dragon Talk, Chris Perkins talks about the island of Lantan which is just Northwest of Chult, and I'd guess has a predominantly black population.
It's apparently a very high-tech, high-magical society and the only place in the Realms with the ability to make smokepowder (magic gunpowder).

He also said that we'd be seeing more of Lantan soon. So this might be the 'African Atlantis' the author has been waiting for.

Nope...

The Lantanna were one of the more recognizable human ethnic groups with their copper-red hair, large, green eyes, and pale, parchment-hued skin tones. They were rarely seen outside of their three native islands, except as merchants on trading vessels.

 

[Imaro]

Yeah I know I am the odd ball out there that seems to think that negative criticism is a bad thing. *shrug*

No... that's really not why you're the "odd ball out there..."

 

[DeJoker]

Funnily enough, In a recent "Lore you Should Know" segment on Dragon Talk, Chris Perkins talks about the island of Lantan which is just Northwest of Chult, and I'd guess has a predominantly black population.
It's apparently a very high-tech, high-magical society and the only place in the Realms with the ability to make smokepowder (magic gunpowder).

He also said that we'd be seeing more of Lantan soon. So this might be the 'African Atlantis' the author has been waiting for.

Really are they making a major change to Lantan -- the last time I read anything about it was predominately surface dwelling gnomes rather than their dark skinned cousins -- and there was not a predominately dark skinned human race there but I have to admit it has been a while since I read that informational piece about Lantan -- so I might be confusing it some with another one of the island kingdoms near it.

For that matter wasn't the Kalmishan region based around darker skinned humans?? I have to admit though that I paid very little attention to skin color for as far as I was considered every nation had a mix of skin colors including green ones because I made orcs in my world a viable race to play -- granted much more militarily tribal/clan oriented than many of the other races -- aka they were my more barbarian race along with the human barbarians that existed.

 

[DeJoker]

No... that's really not why you're the "odd ball out there..."

Says the all knowing and all wise always condescending @Imaro

"Always with the negative waves Imaro, always with the negative waves."

 

[pming]

Hiya!

No way am I wading through 23 pages. So I'll just sum up my whole take on it: ...shrug...

Don't care one way or the other. I'll play my game my way, you play your game your way. Problem solved as far as I'm concerned.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Alexemplar]

Funnily enough, In a recent "Lore you Should Know" segment on Dragon Talk, Chris Perkins talks about the island of Lantan which is just Northwest of Chult, and I'd guess has a predominantly black population.
It's apparently a very high-tech, high-magical society and the only place in the Realms with the ability to make smokepowder (magic gunpowder).

He also said that we'd be seeing more of Lantan soon. So this might be the 'African Atlantis' the author has been waiting for.

Only thing I know about it is from 3e where it's a place where they prefer technology and shun magic, has lots of Gnomes alongside worshipers of Gond. It's entry in the Player's guide suggests that they have their own language and speak the language of all the nearby lands- save Chult. I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Alexemplar]

Ah well then perhaps I will re-read it -- if it is actually advocating positive change starting out with negative criticism makes it look like purely complaint oriented junk and for some (but assuredly not all) this is a complete turn off and can get the entire article closed without an in depth read which I am assuming is what the writer was aiming for. Further this forum seemed mostly to promote negative criticism (both from the little that I read and the response of its posting base to my posts) rather than promoting positive constructive change. -- Yeah I know I am the odd ball out there that seems to think that negative criticism is a bad thing. *shrug*

No, it's starting with the complaint and pointing out that D&D doesn't have a very good track record with this sort of thing before giving suggestion. The only "off putting" thing is that the complaint involves issues of how people of African descent get presented in D&D, and matters of race always tend to put folks on the defensive and causes them to either deny there's anything worth criticizing to begin with, or that even if there might be, the people doing the criticizing should be dismissed because... reasons.

Then the rest of the thread involves people offering solutions, but mostly involves them having to defend the idea that there's a problem worth solving to begin with and that they aren't just complaining to complain.