Wizards of the Coast, the publishers of Dungeons & Dragons, recently announced the latest part of its One DnD playtest as well as a controversial new take on DnD‘s races and the terminology used to describe them. As part of the next Unearthed Arcana playtest materials for the revised versions of the Ardling, Dragonborn, and Goliath are now available. However, instead of being listed as races as in previous versions of DnD, they are now being referred to as character species.
WotC announced the change of language in a post on D&D Beyond, where it says that DnD is evolving to meet the needs of its players. This change comes only months after WotC faced criticism and backlash following the return of Spelljammer to DnD, which featured an alien race, the Hadozee, which was accused of being a racist caricature. While the term race is one that is clearly not suitable for Dungeons & Dragons, many are questioning the choice of species as its replacement.
D&D’s Races Are Now Species, But Not Everyone Is Happy With The Change
It’s easy to see that this move has been made with the best intentions. However, switching one problematic and anachronistic term out for a slightly less problematic one doesn’t completely fix the issue. Technically speaking, the word species is correct. Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves are not different races, a term most commonly used to describe physical traits such as skin color in the real world. Technically they are different species. However, whenever the word “technically” has to be used, it’s clear that more work is needed.
This is not the first time Wizards has removed problematic content from DnD and, in its post, the company says that the term “species” was chosen in close coordination with multiple cultural consultants. However, species feels too cold and clinical a word, with some saying it feels more at home in sci-fi than it does in DnD‘s fantasy setting. Ancestry, heritage, parentage, culture, and lineage are all terms that have been suggested by the community in place of “species.”
Some DnD players are finding this switch to be too small a gesture toward the necessary improvements and modifications needed for a game that is over 40 years old. However, other players see this as a step in the right direction and that it is addressing what has been a long-standing issue within the game. While “species” might not be the best fit for some, it is still a word with less baggage attached to it than race and, while not perfect, is a viable alternative for a term that was not suitable.
This One DnD Cleric-focused playtest, as with the others, will allow players to give feedback on every aspect, including the change from race to species. The survey for this playtest will go live on December 21 and can be found via the D&D Beyond website. While WotC is standing firm that the term race is in the past, its replacement is still in the hands of Dungeons & Dragons players.
Source: D&D Beyond, 2