IT’S COME TO THIS: Dungeons and Dragons goes woke.

Accusations of racism have long haunted the fantasy realm, dating back to the days of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. Critics claim Tolkien’s physiology of orcs as barbaric and murderous creatures was designed to reflect people of color, primarily blacks, negatively. The same thoughts made their way to the doorsteps of D&D. In June 2020, as racial riots upended the country following the death of George Floyd, D&D’s publisher Wizard of the Coast released a statement entitled ‘Diversity and Dungeons & Dragons.’ The company denounced D&D’s alleged history of racism stemming from its characterization of orcs and drow races (also known as ‘dark elves’).

‘Throughout the 50-year history of D&D, some of the peoples in the game — orcs and drow being two of the prime examples — have been characterized as monstrous and evil, using descriptions that are painfully reminiscent of how real-world ethnic groups have been and continue to be denigrated,’ the statement reads. ‘That’s just not right, and it’s not something we believe in. Despite our conscious efforts to the contrary, we have allowed some of those old descriptions to reappear in the game. We recognize that to live our values, we have to do an even better job in handling these issues. If we make mistakes, our priority is to make things right.’ The company vowed to offer new descriptions and rewrite the rules for races in future guidebooks.

Wizards of the Coast assumed control of D&D in 1997 and is far removed from the leadership which reigned during the ‘Satanic Panic.’ A new disclaimer on the D&D store reads:

 ‘We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today…Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.’

While many in the online media sphere welcomed the reforms with open arms, veterans and newer players have concerns.

Why not just avoid the controversy all together, and stick with the sci-fi RPG Traveller? Who wants to be in a smelly old woke dungeon when you can be centuries in the future in a faster-than-light spacecraft?