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We're all here to talk about D&D. The thing about D&D, indeed the thing about all fiction, is that it in many ways is a reflection of reality. Understanding the fictions that we create and why we create them is a window into our own realities. What we experience in the real world affects the fictions that we create and thus the D&D characters and games that we play. This is not a simple side effect. Indeed, I would argue that it is a function of fantasy and that it is thus a function of D&D.

I understand that "politics" are against the code of conduct. However, this board is about D&D and its art, its flavor, and its stories, and to discuss those matters, because D&D is a reflection of reality, we do need to discuss and figure out how factors that we experience in reality play into the game, particularly its story, flavor, and art. As a simple example, physics as it exists in the game world at least attempts to approximate physics as we know it. Social realities, what some might call "political" realities, are similar. Indeed, exactly because D&D as a work of fiction is a reflection of our reality, it is impossible for D&D not to address these social realities. It is impossible for D&D not to address gender or race or sexuality or socioeconomic class or ability, factors of our reality that many would deem "political".

So what is this thread? Well, the fact is that if this board is to do its job as a place for us to discuss D&D's story, flavor, and art in any way that's actually deep and socially relevant, we need to be able to discuss these things. We need to be able to discuss gender and race and sex and more. And often, we will need to include discussion of real-world "political" realities to explain ourselves, exactly because D&D is a reflection of them. So, how do we do it? This is where I would actually like the mods to weigh in if they can (though I hardly expect them to). How can we have a serious discussion about these topics and how they relate to D&D? How can this board fulfill its purpose? Do the rules need to be changed, or do we need to change how we work within the rules?

Right now, we're walking on eggshells, not really discussing the kinds of things that we need to be able to discuss. It's far too easy for a discussion to finally look like it's going somewhere but then get completely ruined by a couple of posts that end up getting a whole thread locked down. Why this is bad should be obvious. A great example comes from this article. The article's writer, Jon Schindehette, links to this article, which discusses many of these "political" issues. In the comments section, Jon even responded to one post by saying:
"This is SUCH a huge discussion. I wish I could have a giant room filled with folks that wanted to have a discussion about this subject. Email, forums, twitters just don't provide good means of having this discussion. That said, I want to hear folks opinions on this subject."
Know where Jon should be able to look? Right here on this board, "D&D Next Story, Flavor, and Art". We should be discussing all of that stuff right here.

I briefly considered posting this on Community Business, but this is really of specific and particular relevant to this board. We need to figure out how we're going to discuss these things, because they're things that we need to be discussing.

Feb 27, 2012 -- 8:15PM, Salla wrote:

Apparently this is subjective, as I can't recall EVER addressing any of that in a D&D game.

I apologize if I was unclear, but I was referring to D&D as a general medium, not any specific D&D game. It's certainly possible to run a D&D game where some of these things never come up, but designing the story, flavor, and art of D&D around the assumption that they won't is a big mistake.

Besides, I'm certain that you have most likely included at least some of these themes before, whether you realize it or not. Has any character in any campaign that you've played in ever been male or female? If so, then their characterization was based on a real-world understanding of teir gender. Your campaign doesn't have to address issues of sexism in order for gender to come up, and because gender is going to be something that comes up, it's something that those people working on story, flavor, and art should think about how they're going to depict.

Have you ever included a succubus or nymph in your games? If so, then your games have included an element of sexuality. Do the people that you play with only every play characters that are racially ambiguous? Because if characters could ever be described as looking black or white or anything else with a real-world counterpart, then your games have included elements of race (and this even also applies to many of the more human-like races, such as Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings). Has any character ever been introduced that had a scar, burn, eye patch, peg leg, hook hand, or something else of that nature? If so, then you've just added an element of disability, and if not, then you've reaffirmed ableism as an element, so there's no real escaping that one. Has your game ever included money or gold, and have characters been motivated by it? If so, then you've added an economic element that's very difficult to separate from socioeconomic class.

I don't think a game where you're trying to get together and have fun with folks is a good place for anybody to be promoting a platform, even if it's a platform I agree with.

The disconnect that we're having here is that you seem to think that I'm talking about D&D or campaigns directly and explicitly addressing these themes, but that's not what I'm saying. A game does not have to be promoting any platform in order to include these elements. I can play a character that's male or female without introducing sexism as a campaign theme, I can play a character that's black or white without introducing racism as a campaign theme, and I can play a character that's missing an arm or an eye without introducing ableism as a campaign theme, but even if I don't introduce those things as campaign themes, I'm still introducing an element that is a reflection of the real world, an element that has familiar implications in the real world, and that shapes how it's depicted in the game.

Anything WotC puts to paper will be ham-handed and offensive to somebody.  It's better to simply focus on creating a functional game world that offers players the freedom to decide for themselves what is part of their experience.   

It isn't about "How do we make this white as possible?"  It's about "How do we avoid pissing people off?".

Lets look at Africa.  An American has a different view of African Imperialism than a Frenchman does, or a Belgian.  A Frenchman has a different view of slavery than an American.  Both societies reached similiar conclusions at different times, and both continue to grapple with racism to this day.

So how do you come up with something that feels believable, without overstressing?  How do you make something that isn't insensitive to different cultures for different reasons?  How do you make something fair without appearing to be handicapping one group or another?  If fans project onto your fiction, how do you avoid them arguing you're being a racist or being politically correct?  It's incredibly challenging unless you twist fundamental assertions on their head in a novel way.  Elder Scrolls managed it via the Redguard, and their original as black imperialists.  You didn't feel too bad for the Men and Mer they killed because everyone in Tamriel is a jerk and it didn't feel weird.  But even then, "Why aren't there asians in The Elder Scrolls?"  etc.  

It never ends unless you somehow manage to create an entire planet with a detailed history of social interaction, wars, cultural trends, boons, and atrocities.   Which is almost impossible.