Why I'm still talking about D&D - A Response to the Hadozee Controversy

This podcast is about characters. And when it comes to characters in Dungeons and Dragons, there have been problems with the way the game defines race from the very beginning. You may have heard about the most recent example. And oh boy, it's a doozy. The latest Wizards of the Coast release Spelljammer contains a character race called the Hadozee. The way this race is characterized and depicted in the book is to be straightforward, racist. The community has called for accountability from Wizards of the Coast, but they have failed to adequately address and rectify the harm that they have caused Black players. Wizards of the Coast issued an apology, they changed the depictions in the digital content, and they have said that they will change the content and future printings. To me, this fails to address the physical copies that people have bought and still have. Wizards of the Coast has said that they will conduct an internal review, but they have done this in the past and this keeps happening. Sensitivity consultants were not hired to review Spelljammer the book must have gone through multiple edits that failed to recognize the racist content. To me, this is troubling. There are many who have decided to stop playing d&d, there are also many who have decided to stop talking about d&d altogether. I support these players and creators in their decision. d&d has been a balm to me as I struggled to make and maintain friendships during the pandemic. Playing d&d has enriched my life in many ways, including creating this podcast. This game and the other TTRPGs that I've subsequently discovered, have given me an outlet for creative expression. They have bolstered my confidence and taught me new skills. I'm not ready to give all that up. I have had wonderful conversations with many players who have talked about the act of building a character and how it gives them opportunities to explore their identities. I'm very excited to bring more of these conversations to the podcast, I'd like to continue exploring these questions. For these reasons, I will be continuing to publish episodes about characters built for d&d, but with some reservations. I will continue to recruit players using different systems to celebrate the creativity of all TTRPG players. I'll be releasing some non D and D episodes in the coming weeks. questions of race and identity continue to come up at our TTRPG tables and I want to have these conversations. I will continue to seek out a diverse spectrum of guests who will bring their unique perspectives to the table. If you have a back pocket character built for a different system, I want to hear from you. You can go to characters without stories.com and find my submission form there. If you have thoughts or feedback, please email me at characters without stories@gmail.com. I look forward to discussion on this topic. Thank you for listening