Wizards of the Coast recently announced that they’re doing away with “evil” alignments and intelligence penalties as racial attributes. But that’s left some traditional gamers crying about PC culture run amok.
How can you build a campaign without “evil” races? Does this undermine your bad guys? Does assuming “orcs are evil” make you look racist to your friends? (Maybe it’s not just a look?)
In this episode, the 3 Wise DMs talk about what’s happening, why it’s about time, and how hackneyed racial stereotypes don’t belong in your fantasy world any more than they do the real one.
1:00 The orc in the room
6:00 Fantasy politics and more interesting monsters
9:00 The Vikings were &#%!@?! evil!
12:00 Evil is a choice
14:00 Alignment, context and perspectives
17:00 Class typecasting
22:00 Good villains aren’t born bad
24:00 Customizing races
30:00 Should character powers be tied to RP pillars?
33:00 The great D&D tradition of ignoring stupid rules
37:00 What is alignment good for?
41:00 How a bad DM abused alignment and his players
45:00 Diversity in gaming and at our tables (and maybe our lack thereof)
47:00 D&D as the great connector
49:00 Tony continues hating on Monks
52:00 Gaming with our friends’ kids
53:00 Making D&D more inclusive and less alienating
56:00 Skyrim’s Ebony Knight: The ultimate anti-melee boss trick (A light aside)
57:00 Final thoughts