Fans criticize Dungeons & Dragons for creating new ‘wake’ rules at the expense of ‘authenticity’

“Races” are now “species” in the beloved game Dungeons & Dragons, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, angering some loyal fans.

“Some character traits are separated from biological identity; a mountain dwarf is no longer inherently strong and durable, a high elf is no longer intelligent and resourceful by definition,” explains a report in The New York Times. “And Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro-owned publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, has adopted a trend throughout role-playing games in which players are empowered to stop the proceedings if they ever feel uncomfortable.”

The company also now suggests that extended Dungeons & Dragons campaigns begin with sessions that allow players to lay out their expectations and what topics they want to avoid, which could include sexual assault or drug use, the Times wrote.

“What they’re trying to do here is send a telltale signal, not only to current players but to potential future players, that this game is a safe, comprehensive, thoughtful and sensitive approach to fantasy storytelling ,” said Ryan Lessard, a writer. and frequent Dungeons & Dragons dungeon masters, according to the report.

But some players are frustrated.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Robert J. Kuntz, an award-winning game designer who often collaborated with Gary Gygax, a Dungeons & Dragons co-creator, told the Times. “She tries to play into something that I’m not sure is worth addressing, as if the word ‘race’ is a bad thing.”

Wizards of the Coast executives defended the new rules saying players wanted more freedom in creating their characters.

But some have criticized the drive for more “inclusive” gameplay that some argue comes at the expense of the game’s authenticity.

In an X thread about the new Wizards of the Coast Players Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide that analyzed the origins of D&D in the 1970s, users criticized WoTC and Hasbro for distancing themselves from the game’s original creators due to their apparent insensitivity.

The foreword claims that the original role-playing game largely excluded women or portrayed them “disrespectfully” and portrayed slavery “not as a human tragedy but as a commercial transaction”.

“Awakening wizards,” said one X user in response to the passage.

X owner Elon Musk weighed in with an even more blunt message.

“No one, and I mean no one, can give up on E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons,” he wrote. “What fk is wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? Let them burn in hell.”

Musk also weighed in on a passage Babylon Bee editor Kyle Mann pointed out in which players in the latest iteration of the game are encouraged to report if they are triggered by any of the game’s content.

I had to see it for myself. It’s true: the new edition of the D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide encourages players to raise their arms to “X” if prompted by any in-game content. pic.twitter.com/prXnno1MB0

— Kyle Mann (@The_Kyle_Mann) December 2, 2024

“Wtf,” Musk simply replied.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hasbro for comment.

Mark Kern, a former World of Warcraft team leader, recently reflected on how the video game industry and entertainment in general cater to progressive views in their content in exchange for access to money.

One consulting agency, Sweet Baby Inc., for example, described itself as an “inclusion-focused narrative and consulting company” working toward “diversifying and enriching the video game industry.”

“There is a concerted effort to introduce diversity politics into games by all parties involved to the detriment of the quality of the games themselves. The very public and self-published involvement of Sweet Baby’s Inc. it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Kern told Fox News Digital.