Dungeon & Dragons’ latest campaign, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, has been praised by critics as a return to the game’s joyful and satirical roots. But now that the material has been airing for a few weeks, fans are pointing out something else: a character background rooted in racist fanatics. The issue has plagued D&D since its inception, and it is back in the form of an exceptional new release.
the offending route in question comes from Astral Adventurer’s Guidewhich effectively acts as player’s handbook three-volume spelljammer group. On page 13, the book introduces the hadozie, an astronaut mammal that looks like a primate.
“The first hadoos were timid mammals,” the passage begins, “no larger than house cats. Hunted by larger natural predators, hadozies took to trees and evolved feather-like wings that enabled them to move from branch to branch. From there it tells the story of a magician who trapped and effectively enslaved these creatures with the intention of selling them to the “highest bidder”. Eventually, the magician’s apprentices befriended these Hadozis and freed them. Gave.
Fans on social media are pointing to the black experience, and similarities to the history of slavery in the United States and abroad—including the setting’s reliance on ancient sailing ships, the same type of ships that brought enslaved people to North America. . in the first place. Critics have also found illustrations in the book that listen to the racist minstrel show. Amidst the controversy, some have dug even deeper into the archives of D&D’s original publisher, TSR. Wizards of the Coast bought that company in the 1990s. In those archives, things really get derailed, with additional background information about Hadozzi uncovering many other racist stereotypes of black people.
The Wizards are acutely aware of that problematic back catalog. That’s why it includes content warnings in DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild on those materials:
We (the magicians) believe that some of the legacy material available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some of the older material may reflect the ethnic, racial and gender biases that were common in American society at the time. These illustrations were wrong then and are wrong today. This material is presented as it was originally created, because otherwise doing so would be the same as claiming that these prejudices never existed. 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.
Wizards has recently reiterated its commitment to inclusivity. During the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Wizards came out strongly against racism and the role the company has played in promoting it. It sold D&D and . has vowed to do better going forward for the fans of Magic the Gathering, It replaced several 5th edition D&D books, and was pitched by author RA Salvatore as he expanded the cultural footprint of the Drau, the black-skinned race of elves who count the protagonist Drizzt d’Urden in their numbers. also published Journey through the Bright Citadel, an anthology of adventures written exclusively by Black and Brown authors. Its creator, Ajit George, won the coveted Diana Jones Award at this year’s General Con.
After those progressive works, many fans, as well as other tabletop game designersHas been vocal in his criticism of the Wizards’ choice to reintroduce Hadozzi in this way.
All this raises the question of why Hadozzi was included in this new book. They were not part of the original setting, but were instead introduced in an even earlier game called star frontiersFirst published in 1982. Wizards is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with another publisher that is attempting to reboot. star frontiers without the permission of the magicians. That trial is expected in court this October.
The Wizards was reached before publication, and the organization declined to comment on the situation.
