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]

And you (or they) would have every right to complain and have those complaints addressed and for the books to be changed. Of course, if it gets changed probably depends on whether the complaint is "Vikings didn't historically wear horned helmets!" or "you're using gross stereotypes about these people who have and are suffered because of those stereotypes!" I don't think Norwegians have been harmed by by depictions of horned helmet-wearing Vikings (if I'm wrong, correct me) but (for example), Romani have been harmed by stereotypes about them.


I honestly don't know. I suppose it would depend on how much of the serial numbers have been filed off and how it's used in-setting.


This is very true. Although as I said elsewhere, Mythic Polynesia is supposed to be the real world (but with magic) and the writer chose to treat all the Polynesian peoples as being the exact same thing, presumably to make it easier to write a book about them.

Which is why a modern "Oriental Adventures" would need to be held to a much higher standard than the original one was, assuming that a new OA was ever created (which I doubt).

This somewhat about "privilege" within my society I have enough privilege to be unaffected by a negative depiction of my culture in your book. Though I or people probably will not be buying it.

I do agree that, as you say, the same is not true of a group like the Roma that are a minority and an underclass in many places.

So, yeah, overall you are correct, it is better to avoid that kind of stereotyping overall.

 

[Dreamscape]

Mind me asking in how you do nd the differences here with the Maori culture and back home (USA?).

Sorry, I don't get your question, I think a typo slipped in there? Back home for me is Wales now, by the way (was Hong Kong when I used to visit NZ).

 

[MGibster]

look, I am sorry if your REALLY want harmful things that can trigger depression and PTSD in real world people in your books, I just don't know what to tell you. If you do it in a homegame you know who you are showing it to, the bigger your audience the more you have to be careful, or you could end up hated for it.

So Vampire the Masqurade shouldn't exist? What about Bluebeard from Magpie Games? Given that all sorts of things we consider innocuous might trigger someone, I don't think this is the best standard to use when determining what is or isn't acceptable to include in an RPG. Descriptions of smells, a violent thunderstorm, or even a menacing figure might trigger someone. The world doesn't revolve around my pain and it's not your responsiblity to shelter me. It's my responsibility to work through whatever issues i have.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

except selling 1 will spread, and plenty of people will just refuse to do business' with you, some because you are being too much this or that and other because your other book is 'kowtowing'

True... The more I read this board, the more I am convinced that global market is a fiction, except for the mellowest of products.

 

[Aldarc]

Greenwood mashes up European cultures just as bad in the FR as the Design Mechanism did with Mythic Polynesia.

That is not a strawman - which would be an an intentionally misrepresented proposition.

I have highlighted and commented on what the strawman argument was. This is not the argument that I highlighted. It has already been discussed.

There is nothing misrepresented about the way the Forgotten Realms makes all the same mistakes about European cultures, that the Design mechanism has made with Polynesian cultures in Mythic Polynesia.

You got this reversed. Mythic Polynesia is making the mistakes that Forgotten Realms made thirty-five years prior. The author of Mythic Polynesia published this book in 2022 and not 1987. They should know better from all the lessons learned of Ed Greenwood's mistakes. They should try to do better. But they didn't. For all their faults, the staff at WotC can admit when they messed up and they do try to do better even when they stumble short of their own goals.

Yet when it was pointed out that FR has the exact same issues as Mythic Polynesia, those concerns were swept away with: "Greenwood is of European descent".

How exactly does a Canadian having European ancestry magically make it ok for him to mash up European cultures? I don't see the relevance.
It's a total Red Herring.

Forgotten Realms does not have the exact issues. Ed Greenwood writing about a fantasy pastiche of Europe is not the same as Mark Shirley writing a fantasy pastiche of Polynesia. One reinforces harmful colonialist stereotypes about minority cultures and peoples from the perspective of the colonizer and the other does not, at least when it comes to the comparison in question. I'll leave you to fill in the blanks about which RPG is which.

There is nothing inherent about Ed Greenwood's distant European ancestry that makes him any more qualified than someone of a completely different ethnicity that was born and grew up in Canada, that attended the same schools, and took the same classes, to write on medieval European culture.

As the critiques of TSR's Oriental Adventures show - There is no free pass - when and how Ed grew up, and when he wrote the FR does not matter.

No one is saying that Ed Greenwood's European ancestry makes him more qualified than someone else with a similar background nor is anyone (as far as I can tell) trying to give Ed Greenwood a free pass. If you knew anything about me and what I think about the Forgotten Realms, this position would be absolutely laughable. I said that his cultural background, life experiences, and origin are salient parts of his voice as an author writing about other cultures.

Are they committed to accurate representation of diverse cultures or are they not?

Are you? Because if you are not, then this is just insincere whataboutism that raises a lot of red flags. If you are sincere, then hopefully you too can recognize that if there is to be improvement in representing diverse cultures accurately, then there are other world cultures who have been more negatively impacted by harmful stereotypes and colonial efforts than Europeans.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

So Vampire the Masqurade shouldn't exist?

when did I say anything shouldn't exisit? this seems a strange take away...

Given that all sorts of things we consider innocuous might trigger someone, I don't think this is the best standard to use when determining what is or isn't acceptable to include in an RPG.

so in your mind if we can't be perfect we should nottry top be good?

Descriptions of smells, a violent thunderstorm, or even a menacing figure might trigger someone. The world doesn't revolve around my pain and it's not your responsiblity to shelter me. It's my responsibility to work through whatever issues i have.

if enough people share your trauma and make a loud stance saying 'no violent thunderstroms' then you may have a point...

again feel free to make what you want, but if what you want to make is money you will be considerate

 

[Dreamscape]

again feel free to make what you want, but if what you want to make is money you will be considerate

Of course, if what you want to make is money you will be better off in just about any industry other than TTRPGs ...

 

[Zardnaar]

Sorry, I don't get your question, I think a typo slipped in there? Back home for me is Wales now, by the way (was Hong Kong when I used to visit NZ).

Ah Roger. Just wondering how you find things here relative to wherever you're from/been. Outsiders perspective etc. It can be a bit insular here at times.

 

[MNblockhead]

* About Lovecraft and Tolkien I dislike a double standars. Tolkien was not racist, but I have seen more complains about Tolkien than Lovecraft.

Really? I know I'm in a bit of a bubble, but as a fan of the works of both authors, the issues in Lovecraft's works really jump out. I have to stop and take some time to think about Tolkien. The only thing that stands out, and the only thing I recall seeing much writing about, is that is related to it being very male centered.

 

[MGibster]

when did I say anything shouldn't exisit? this seems a strange take away...

You're arguing that there's something wrong with someone who includes subject matter that might trigger someone's PTSD.

so in your mind if we can't be perfect we should nottry top be good?

As LBJ once said, "Doing good is easy. It's knowing what's good that's hard." We disagree on what is the good here.