“Races” are now “species” in the beloved game Dungeons & Dragonswhich recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, irritating some loyal fans.
“Certain traits have been divorced from biological identity; a mountain dwarf is no longer inherently muscular and durable, a high elf is no longer intelligent and dexterous by definition,” said one report in the New York Times explain. “And Wizards of the Coast, the Dungeons & Dragons publisher owned by Hasbro, has endorsed a trend in role-playing games in which players have the power to interrupt proceedings if they feel uncomfortable.”
The company also now suggests that expanded Dungeons & Dragons campaigns begin with sessions allowing players to lay out their expectations and topics they want to avoid, which could include sexual assault or drug use, the Times writes .
“What they’re trying to do here is send a signal, not only to current players but also to potential future players, that this game is a safe, inclusive, thoughtful and sensitive approach to fantasy storytelling,” said Ryan Lessard, writer. and frequent dungeon master of Dungeons & Dragons, according to the report.
Chris Pine, star of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
But some players are frustrated.
“It’s a pointless thing,” Robert J. Kuntz, an award-winning game designer who has frequently collaborated with Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, told the Times. “It’s trying to play on something that I’m not even sure is worth talking about, like the word ‘race’ is bad.”
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Wizards of the Coast executives defended the new rules by saying players wanted more latitude in creating their characters. But some have criticized the attempt to create a more “inclusive” game, which some say comes at the expense of the game’s authenticity.
Darren Kent on the Dungeons & Dragons red carpet. (Carey Dodd Associates)
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In a wire Regarding the new Wizards of the Coast Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide that analyzed the origins of D&D in the 1970s, users criticized WoTC and Hasbro for distancing themselves from the game’s original creators due to their apparent insensitivity . The foreword claims that the original role-playing game largely excluded women or depicted them “disrespectfully” and depicted slavery “not as a human tragedy but as a business transaction.”
“Wizards of awakening,” one X user said in response to the passage.
X owner Elon Musk weighed in with an even more direct message.
“No one, and I mean no one, can destroy E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons,” he wrote. “What’s wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? May they burn in hell.”
Musk also commented on a passage highlighted by Kyle Mann, editor-in-chief of Babylon Bee, in which players of the latest iteration of the game are encouraged to report if they are triggered by any of the game’s content.
“Wtf,” Musk simply replied.
Fox News Digital has contacted Hasbro for comment.
Former “World of Warcraft” team lead Mark Kern recently explained how the video game and entertainment industry in general caters to progressive views in their content in exchange for access to money. One consulting agency, Sweet Baby Inc., for example, described itself as an “inclusion-focused storytelling and consulting firm” working to “diversify and enrich the video game industry.”
“There is a coordinated effort to insert a diversity policy into games by ALL parties involved at the expense of the quality of the games themselves. Sweet Baby’s Inc.’s very public, self-published involvement is nothing but tip of the iceberg,” Kern said. Fox News Digital.
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Alexander Hall of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
