• The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!

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...

Status
Not open for further replies.
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.

 

log in or register to remove this ad

UngainlyTitan

Legend
Supporter
The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a peculiarly New England story, and what his xenophobic ire/fear is focused on is given away by the repeated references to the strange religious rituals and a weird religious cult in a sea-side town in Massachusetts.

He wasn't a big fan of Catholics.....
Now that you have said I get it, but as an Irish person that would never have occurred to me. I am aware of the general WASP attitude to Catholics and the Irish, but it still would not have occurred to me.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Cordwainer Fish

Imp. Int. Scout Svc. (Dishon. Ret.)
I think a lot of modern readers might interpret his work a bit differently. Reading The Shadow Over Innsmouth without knowing anything about Lovecraft, I might interpret it as a story about madness that runs in families and the fear of being unable to escape it.
"Shadow" reads a little different once you know that HPL wrote it in response to his shock and horror at discovering that one of his ancestors... was Welsh!
 


Everybody respects Chris Claremont, but no one says he created the X-Men. Because he didn't. Credit should go to those who did a thing, specifically. It's not a zero sum game who gets credit for the X-Men, or anything else worked on by more than one person.
I agree, but there are some that DO think that stan should get credit not Chris, and some that think Chris should get it all none to Stan...
 


I suposse this time they are going to await more time for the feedback. They will publish something about cruch, some PC races and monsters, but nothing of lore yet. Kara-Tur is possible within DMGuild because it is practically a spin-off of Forgotten Realms. Maybe the lineage of the spellcales are reintroduced as offsprings of the lungs(the dragons who work for the heavenly bureaucracy). I imagine here Hasbro is taking care a lot with the Japanese market, and my theory is we will see a new-brand setting created by Japaneses. I unknow how is the Korean market now but their "soft-power" is growing. The multinational Hasbro will be better informed than us about Chinese market and potential risks. And even some PC lineages should be redesigned because reasons of gameplay, because the racial traits of the shens weren't very interesting if you wanted a practical build.

I don't know your society, but in Iberoamerica the mixture of blood was so common than even there was a special lvocabulary of termes for the different types of mixtures. And I don't rembember racial conflicts in Guinea Ecuatorial when this was still part of Spain (here it wasn't a conquer like the rest of powers in the age of colonialism, but joined voluntary). Of course always there is bad people in every where and every time, but this doesn't mean it had to be usual.

If you want to use your story to report actions, then be subtile and diplomatic, because the people don't want to have to feel guilty and ashamed because shameful things happened generations ago.

Here in Spain "thanks monopoly" we don't suffer theological conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, but the world of the culture has been very hostile against the faith for more a century. When I complain about the abuse of the trope of the "sinniste ministers" it is not only because it's annoying for my own values, but potentially dangerous as a subtile hate incitement. In the past frays were killed for riots by false rumors about children being gaven posioned candies. And I feel unconfortable with the dark lord of G'Henna in the setting "Ravenloft". I don't want to ban to use characters as cardenal Richelieu as antagonists in your stories, but please, try to avoid the abuse of the trope in the name of the good sense.

If you say there are racist tropes in Tolkien's middle earth then I can say there are Hispanophobic tropes in Ixalan, the world of Magic: the Gathering where the vampire were wearing morrions (the helmet used by Spanishs conquerors in the New World). Maybe in your mind it is not offensive, but a Spaniard who is very sick with the anti-Spanish black legend would have a different opinion.
 


Vaalingrade

Legend
right now there is a major debate about Deadpool but yeah Stan Lee is a great example... he created the X men but did he make them what people think of as X men today?
Liefeld made the same boring killer 'hero' he always does only with an uncharacteristically for him cool costume. Nothing else of Deadpool was his creation.

Lee however has a greater claim: the core of the original teams' characters remain, as does the fighting bigotry allegory. What he didn't create was the additions to the team that led to their breakout success (the All-New, All Different team), so he deserves more of but certainly not all the credit.

And the X-men brings us back around to the issue of bigotry and 'of their time' crap. Lee in the 60's knew racism was bad, but read X-men #1 and you'll see he hadn't gotten to the 'no misogyny' stage, or even the 'no being terrifyingly creepy'. He shouldn't get a pass for that even though X-men as a franchise is something I give a lot of credit for teaching me empathy for the othered.
 

I'm in favor of making it as clear as day that H.P. Lovecraft is an unapologetic white supremacist whose writing and legacy is inextricably linked to his white supremacist views of race.
So like someone upthread mentioned a foreward which expounded on this. I think that is perfectly reasonable. I sadly (and this said because I'd like to be more familiar with the inspirational origins of elements within our fantasy games) have not read any of his works yet. Is it not included already? I would be surprised that no such detail is included given other literary works I've read which include something about the author and material.
 

Staffan

Legend
Liefeld made the same boring killer 'hero' he always does only with an uncharacteristically for him cool costume. Nothing else of Deadpool was his creation.

Lee however has a greater claim: the core of the original teams' characters remain, as does the fighting bigotry allegory. What he didn't create was the additions to the team that led to their breakout success (the All-New, All Different team), so he deserves more of but certainly not all the credit.
That wasn't Claremont either. Giant-Size X-Men #1 was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Claremont took over from Uncanny* X-Men #94, the first regular issue after Giant-Size X-Men.

What Claremont added was a very strong sense of continuity. Basically, the book became a soap opera, with plotlines stretching out for years while also keeping each issue relatively self-explanatory.

* At the time only called X-Men. The name changed with issue #114, but to avoid confusion Uncanny is applied to issues before that to keep them from being confused with the (adjectiveless) X-Men book starting in 1991.
 

Status
Not open for further replies.
Remove ads

Remove ads

Top