Dark Sun is Problematic | The Goblins and Growlers Podcast

Episode Introduction

Is the mere depiction of enslavement enough to classify an entire Dungeons & Dragons setting as problematic? Maybe. Recently there was some low-grade Twitter fire about D&D's "Dark Sun" setting, a fan-favorite from the Second Edition era. The setting is known for being D&D on hard mode -- a mostly barren planet ruled by draconic sorcerer kings who revel in oppression, enslavement, and gladiatorial combat; it's a daily struggle to survive on Athas. 

Wizards of the Coast employee and Dungeons & Dragons executive producer Kyle Brink recently did an interview with Bob the Worldbuilder and, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it mention, he talked about how we're unlikely to see a "Dark Sun" rerelease under Fifth Edition or One D&D because of a lot of the issues inherent to the setting.

It was a brief conversation -- less than 30 seconds because mainly they were talking about he recent OGL debacle -- but it got some folks talking about whether it was appropriate to rerelease "Dark Sun" essentially as is in the current climate. Wizards has gotten a ton of flack lately for their seeming inability to get their arms around the lingering racial issues in their content.

In this episode, we go through some of the original "Dark Sun" book to see how deep those elements run throughout the setting and think about whether the setting can stand on its own without them.

Would "Dark Sun" be unrecognizable if those elements were removed, or are some folks just looking to complain and stir up noise on social media? What do you think about Dark Sun as it is now? Would you enjoy the setting if it were tidied up a bit to incorporate some of the cultural lessons we've learned since its publication? Should it have an essentially unchanged re-release? Let us know at contact@goblinsandgrowlers.com or on Twitter.

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Links!

Kyle Brink Talks to Bob the Worldbuilder (YouTube)

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The Goblins and Growlers Podcast is produced by Goblins and Growlers, a Richmond, Virginia-based tabletop-roleplaying-game content and events company dedicated to inclusivity through TTRPGs.