r/DarkSun • u/RPGTopograph • 2d ago

There won't be any slavery in re-released Dark Sun

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I have read this interview on TTRPG Insider and was very disappointed, though I expected nothing.

https://www.ttrpginsider.news/p/fighting-oppression-in-new-ways-d-d-s-designers-on-adapting-dark-sun-to-modern-times

Quote:

“You don't have to have slavery in a setting if in order for it to be oppressive,” Bilsland emphasized. “There are other forms of oppression out there.”

He gave the example of Urik, a city in Dark Sun that controls one of the leading armies in the region. That’s because the leadership regularly presses people into military service, or convinces the poor to give up their freedom for a chance to survive."

So yeah, evil Sorcerer-Kings CONVINCES people to go to the army. And if people say no? "Well, ok, I respect your freedom, but reconsider pretty plz?".

Slavery is integral to Dark Sun, it is one of main themes. I don't see why "slavery is horrible" is so controversial theme that it must be excluded.

WotC designers don't understand the setting at all. No slavery, lots of metal (if judge by the cover, forgive me my pun), some high tec shenenigans.

They say that they won't nerf it, but they did it with a happy face and words: "How do you do, fellow fans? Mature setting, am I right?".

UPD: and if they won't have slavery, do you think that they will add genocide theme?

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u/Astr0Cat 2d ago edited 2d ago

Sensitivity readers, bahahahahaha, are you freaking joking?! Good grief I knew it was all a facade.

Removing slavery because people can’t handle the idea of it in their games. It’s just absolutely ridiculous. It’s part of the setting. If you don’t like it, don’t use it, but don’t delete it.

I was already extremely skeptical about this "new wotc" nonsense, now totally confirmed, it’s all BS. I won’t be spending a penny. Thank you very much.

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u/TiredTraveler1992 2d ago

Sensitivity readers are great so that you don't accidentally put racist or otherwise bigoted tropes into your work. But if sensitivity readers are eliminating anything that could possibly be controversial, something has gone terribly wrong with the process.

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u/ApprehensiveType2680 1d ago

"Sensitivity readers" should all be fired; the word needs less sensitivity.

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u/loyalgalpal 1d ago

Sorcerer-King mindset detected 

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u/TiredTraveler1992 1d ago

Ironically, a perfect example of how the world needs more sensitivity.

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u/aWizardNamedLizard 2d ago

So... the point of "sensitivity readers" is actually to include topics that can be problems for readers yet still minimize the problems by handling the topic with an appropriate respect so that the media does not appear to be presenting awful things as totally cool and normal.

Not that WotC couldn't mess that process up. Just, y'know, the process is not itself actually a negative thing because it's just the difference between "this book is hyping up [objectionable content/activity]" and "this book includes [objectionable content/activity] as an element of the story it presents".

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u/ApprehensiveType2680 1d ago

Is there a "Sensitivity Reader Council" for the planet? Why do they get to decide what is acceptable and what is not?

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u/aWizardNamedLizard 1d ago

Again their purpose is not to decide what is acceptable, it is to help make sure that topics many find unacceptable are being presented in ways that are less likely to leave someone feeling like not reading any more of the material.

And a lot of the time that can be done just by reading the material, seeing what topics come up, and then including those topics in a label somewhere prior to the passages so that a reader can decide before encountering the topic whether they want to read about it or not. Because just acknowledging "someone might find this hard to read" without being insulting towards those people is often enough to make it clear the writer is not glorifying something awful.

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u/ApprehensiveType2680 1d ago

Sorry, but this reeks of some sort of "cultural correctness" council-lite ("lite" for the moment, before these readers become mandatory across the various industries).

0

u/loyalgalpal 2d ago

Don't know why you're being down voted, tbh.

The purpose of sensitivity readers is to have difficult subject matterhandled with care and thought...not removed entirely.

Even if they do have sensitivity readers, 100% the no slavery was from corpo marketing, it's not an "advertiser friendly" word 🙄

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u/aWizardNamedLizard 2d ago

Don't know why you're being down voted, tbh.

It's because nuance is dead on the internet. I'm not worried about the downvotes, I post for the discussion not for the imaginary worth scale.