Dungeons & Dragons Adds Disclaimer on Older Titles Due to Racist Stereotypes

Dungeons & Dragons has added a disclaimer on the selling pages of several of its older titles in response to criticism over selling content with outdated racial stereotypes. Yesterday, Dungeons & Dragons added a disclaimer to the DMs Guild pages of Oriental Adventures and several other older titles, acknowledging that the titles "may reflect ethnic, racial and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time." The disclaimer condemns those prejudices, noting that they were "wrong then and are wrong today," but also states that the material is being presented in its original format so as to prevent claiming that the prejudices never happened. The disclaimer also notes that Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength and that Wizards of the Coast strives to make their D&D products "as welcoming and inclusive as possible."

The disclaimer was added at least partially due to a movement to remove Oriental Adventures from the DMs Guild by a group of tabletop RPG fans led by Daniel Kwan of the Asians Represents podcast. Kwan had previously produced a series of videos breaking down the racial stereotypes found in Oriental Adventures and questioned why Wizards of the Coast was selling the product for a profit. Kwan and others who supported him were the subject of mass harassment online, and the D&D team also made a separate statement condemning that behavior. "We want to make clear that we condemn the harassment or bullying of those raising their concerns about our content," D&D wrote in a separate statement on Twitter. "D&D wants to be an open, welcoming, and inclusive space. Those who do not reflect those values are not welcome in our community."

Wizards of the Coast acknowledged that the disclaimer was an "early step" and that the company is hiring external consultants to review their content and practices. They also apologized for the initial posting of the disclaimer without communicating what other steps they were taking, which also faced some initial criticism from fans.