Dungeons & Dragons' Owners Are Suing to Stop a "Racist and Transphobic" RPG from Publication

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

White nationalism may be ascending in multiple forms across the U.S., but gamer bros are still out here to remind us that nobody does bigotry like them.

Last week, Wizards of the Coast, the publishers of such tabletop games as Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, filed its latest legal complaint against publisher TSR LLC to prevent them from selling games based on their intellectual property. For over a year, TSR has been developing the science fiction roleplaying game Star Frontiers New Genesis, based on the original Star Frontiers published in the 1980s, with an eye to publish their new version soon. But it’s not just the alleged copyright infringement that has WotC hopping mad; it’s that TSR is doing it with a game that features explicitly “racist and transphobic content.”

Little was known about TSR’s Star Frontiers New Genesis until July, when details about a playtest of the game leaked to gaming outlets. According to the leaks, racism is baked into the game on a fundamental level. The human “Ulfars” are divided into “Nordic” and “Negro” races, with the former having a minimum score of 13 in all attributes while the latter has a maximum Intelligence score of 9. Players are told “don’t do racial things like racism,” but the text also repeats the maxim “some races are superior than others” [sic].

Star Frontiers New Genesis also allegedly contains some truly lazy transphobia; genders in the game are reportedly limited in the text to male and female only, with a guidance of “no Trans.” According to the filing, a playtest comment suggested creating “a trans type race” and suggested the name “Transbots.” (Would that just be like Thor: Love and Thunder’s gay rock men, but for gender?)

https://www.them.us/story/dungeons-dragons-owners-suing-racist-transphobic-rpg

[TheRealNorth]

1. That's fucked up

As someone who has played RPG's this sounds very racist. This isn't "elves have higher IQ, Dwarves have higher CON fantasy bullshit that the makers of the game will probably try to hide behind.

[exboyfil]

2. Can't believe they let the copyright protections lapse on TSR

When I was a kid they were the king of role playing. I used to play in the store of Louis Zocchi, who was one of the pioneers of role playing (he had his line of dice).

[moonshinegnomie]

4. it hasnt lapsed

[Angleae]

5. I think he means the trademark on "TSR"

The current TSR has nothing to do with the old one which was bought up by WoTC.

[MatthewG.]

3. I used to play Star Frontiers. This is really disappointing.

I owned Star Frontiers as a kid back in the 80’s.

Wasn’t a brilliant game, but it had some fun concepts and alien species. This is really disappointing.

There was no racism at all in the original, although it imagined a capitalist interplanetary future where corporations had the powers of nations and sometimes fought full scale wars with one another.

Sad to see there’s an effort to turn it into some kind of alt-right gaming fantasy.

[Bettie]

6. It's what the guys who were mad

when women started playing decided they wanted.

I've seen more and more of this attitude since more and more women are playing.

I'm 56 years old, still play regularly and have been since high school.

[Xolodno]

7. Gary Gygax

Would not approve.