Dungeons and Dragonsrecently put out a statement apologizing for the depiction of the Hadozee from theSpelljammer: Adventures in Spacebooks. The new player race stumbled into some troubling racist stereotypes, prompting a public apology fromDungeons and Dragons, as well as errata for its digital and future published works.
The Hadozee appeared inThe Astral Adventurer’s Guide–the player options and campaign setting book from theSpelljammer: Adventures in Spaceanthology released on August 16. These flying monkey-like humanoids first appeared inDungeons and Dragons40 years ago as sea-faring peoples, but took to the stars in thisnew5th Editionsourcebook.
RELATED:Dungeons and Dungeons Will No Longer Have ‘Editions’
However,Dungeons and Dragonsblundered in the depiction of the Hadozee in the newSpelljammer: Adventures in Spacebooks. The new history for the Hadozee had them as a race of primates who were discovered by a group of wizards and magically uplifted for the purpose of selling them as slaves. The Hadozee eventually rebelled against the wizards with the help of the wizards' apprentices, granting them their freedom. A simian humanoid race is not intrinsically racist, but when combined with a slave narrative–as well as artwork that hearkened back to the minstrel shows of the 19th and early 20th century–it left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans.
Outcry rose over the course of the weeks following the books’ release, leading to a public apology from Wizards of the Coast. In the statement, it apologized for allowing the racist tropes to make it past vetting and into print. Effective immediately,Dungeons and Dragonshas pulled the slave narrative from the Hadozee backstory and much of the artwork from its digital products onD&D Beyond, and will be updating the entries in allfuture reprints of theDungeons and Dragonsbooks. It also promised to take further steps after internal examination, but did not give details as to what that would look like yet.
Many players are happy to see Wizards of the Coast responding to the incident.Dungeons and Dragonsbegan in a very different era, and has unfortunately clung to many harmful stereotypes in its history. Though the process is slow, it is good thatDungeons and Dragonsis trying to make itself more welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
However, many believe Wizards of the Coast is not acting swiftly enough. Other TTRPG companies, likePathfinder’sPaizo, excel in the realms of inclusivity and sensitivity. IfDungeons and Dragonsis to keep up with its competitors, it must make good on its promises and prevent similar blunders from occurring again.
One Dungeons and Dragonsis in development.
MORE:One D&D: Everything We Know About the Next ‘Edition’ of Dungeons and Dragons
