How Dungeons & Dragons Is
Working to Eradicate Fantasy
Racism
Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of
the Coast is continuing to take steps to
eradicate fantasy racism from the popular
tabletop game.
13 hours ago
Dungeons & Dragons has been around for decades, and for
several of those decades it was reliant on an abundance of
racial stereotypes to advance storylines and fuel
worlds. Long before the appearance of Forgotten Realms'
Drizzt Do'Urden, the dark elves were heavily laden with the
burden of their twisted and evil nature. Among them, an elf
like Drizzt had no place when he came along because he had
a conscience and very little desire to fall in line with their
often abhorrent practices in the name of Lolth and self-
advancement.
Fantasy races like orcs, half-orcs and goblins were
also branded as evil, perhaps because of their historical
relationship to J.R.R. Tolkien's portrayal of them in his
fantasy works, which became a cornerstone for the genre.
Those races became enemies in the worlds of Dungeons &
Dragons: Greedy, power-hungry foes who needed to be put
down by the heroes of the game before they spread their
darkness throughout the land.
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As gamers evolved, so did Dungeons & Dragons, and it
wasn't long before those enemies became player character
options. D&D 5e offers the opportunity for any player to be a
drow, goblin, orc, half-orc, bugbear, tiefling, kobold or many
other races once considered enemies, but playing those
races often comes at a cost.
Racial traits include a number of stereotypes that fit in with
fantasy world expectations set by past portrayals.
Drow must be chaotic evil, because that's just how dark
elves are, and trusting one would be foolish. Bugbears are
noted for "fitting into the nightmares" of others, given their
history. Tieflings are almost always met with mistrust and
suspicion, given their devilish nature and heritage. Goblins
feel bullied, as if they have to lash out at the world around
them simply because they've always been persecuted.
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These player characters start off games meeting
overwhelming challenges thrust upon them by an
unaccepting, imaginary world, not to mention negative racial
traits that often put them at a disadvantage. While a lot of
that is left up to the Dungeon Master when creating their
own worlds to adventure in, many of the Dungeons &
Dragons modules have done very little to change those
stereotypes for the better -- until now.
To combat many of these stereotypes, Wizards of the Coast
has been making efforts to deemphasize negative racial
traits during character creation. Tasha's Cauldron of
Everything introduces racial alternatives and new rules that
can be incorporated into campaigns.
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Character's Origins
Another attempt, though considered half-hearted by many,
is the racial revamp of the Vistani in The Curse of
Strahd campaign setting. Though some changes were made,
critics have argued that many of the characteristics that
tie Vistani to the Romani people still permeate the adventure.
There has also been talk of returning to previously published
books and adventure modules to modify the racially
insensitive material that has plagued them for years. As part
of that effort, Wizards of the Coast recently began working
with sensitivity readers to preview and help hone material
before its release, which bodes well for the future, not only
for old adventures but for new ones as well.
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Because art imitates life and life imitates art, changing the
experience for players could potentially change the way
those players view the world and interact with others beyond
the game. D&D has seen an abundance of new players in the
last few years, with the popularity of shows like Stranger
Things and ongoing online campaigns like Critical
Role. Those players bring with them new expectations and
experiences to help shape the fantasy worlds in which they
play.
Wizards of the Coast has always encouraged Dungeon
Masters to make the world their own and run with it.
However, providing good examples to fledgling DMs and
players as they launch into exciting new adventures is
essential to maintaining the game's long-term popularity.
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About The Author
Jennifer Melzer (154 Articles Published)
A 2006 graduate of Bloomsburg University's English and
Creative Writing track, Jennifer Melzer has been a freelance
editor and online content creator for a variety of websites for
over fourteen years. She spent the last two years helping
build content on the Archivos Storybuilding Engine. She is an
avid gamer, lover of comics, manga and anime, and all
around nerd. Most currently, she spends her Tuesday nights
playing a Tabaxi ranger in a streaming Dungeons and
Dragons campaign called So Many Levels.
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