WotC WotC's Chris Perkins On D&D's Inclusivity Processes Going Forward

Over on D&D Beyond, WotC's Chris Perkins has written a blog entry about how the company's processes have been changed to improve the way the D&D studio deals with harmful content and inclusivity. This follows recent issues with racist content in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, and involves working with external cultural consultants.

The studio’s new process mandates that every word, illustration, and map must be reviewed by multiple outside cultural consultants prior to publication.

Leveling Up Our Creative Process: Learnings From Spelljammer

In this blog post, I'll talk about how we in the D&D Studio are changing our review process following the problematic content that appeared in Spell...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I miss blogs. And websites. I can't stand having to read tweets.

With a bit of luck, the way things are going one might not have to.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

I miss blogs. And websites. I can't stand having to read tweets.

They say that those who forget Usenet are doomed to reimplement it, poorly - but Twitter doesn't even achieve that goal.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm going to shrug my shoulders on that.

No one was asking you to be personally affected by it, but we have an explicit example in that Twitter thread of a gamer of the group the book is about being affected by it, so we know other people are negatively affected.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

With a bit of luck, the way things are going one might not have to.

Worth a separate thread elsewhere on the site, but there are communities that will lose out quite a bit when Twitter goes bankrupt, which now looks almost inevitable.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I miss blogs. And websites. I can't stand having to read tweets.

I hear ya! Do you know who else hates twitter?

Spoiler

Elon Musk.

You knew that was coming, didn't you?

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

I hear ya! Do you know who else hates twitter?

Spoiler

Elon Musk.

You knew that was coming, didn't you?

Too soon, man.

 

[darjr]

An example.

Oh and note this includes actual peoples

It puts the lie to “it’s just fantasy” arguments.

 

[MNblockhead]

do you really play that way... just random break into someones place and take there stuff?

 

[Vaalingrade]

Should have they have spoken to someone, ofc it would have been the decent thing to do to. Do they need to - eh - unless they got something egregiously wrong (and I'm not one to judge), I'm going to shrug my shoulders on that. If people do not like the product, they will feel its financial effects.

Should a driver not be blindfolded with their hands behind their head, ofc it would have been the decent thing to do. Do they need to - eh- unless they kill a requisite number of people I decide, I'm going to shrug my shoulders. If people do not like the massive property damage, they will be sued and feel the financial effects.

Again, it's just deciding if the level of harm means anything to us, not the victims. And then... deciding to let the invisible hand deal with racism? Ugh.

 

[Zardnaar]

Heh I live in Polynesia and have a Polynesian in my group.

Ran Drums of Fire Mountain few years ago. The arts terrible wouldn't take much to clean it up and it's a good adventure otherwise.

It's a lit more nuanced than what Americans are generally capable of understanding. Eg his tribe chose the British fully knowing they would probably get screwed.

But that was the best of a lit of bad options due to more aggressive tribes.