Hey there fans of Dungeons and Dragons who are looking at all the DnD subtweets and wondering why indie ttrpg creators are so salty all the time, lemme pull back the curtain a bit:

Those of us who talk about your favorite game in criticizing ways aren’t just grousing about the success of your favorite game.

We’re engaging in game design.

I don’t mean this to say that criticism of the giant in the room is the only or best way to do game design. I’m saying that what you’re seeing is part of the work we’re doing: unpacking what doesn’t fit from a thing we might otherwise like, and seeing if we can put words to it.

This is important work. It’s important because usually, by articulating what we don’t like, we can more easily design solutions that do what we want.

For instance: I, as a designer (and particularly as a white designer), want to avoid creating games that establish, reinforce, or worsen racist ideas among players. One way to keep that on my radar is to talk about, or boost those who talk about, the issues DnD has with racism.

It’s important to do this for me, because if I don’t, I run the risk of growing complacent when those problems pop up in my own design space, or in the games I read or play.

It’s a form of creative and social inoculation. Doing it publicly contributes to herd immunity.

That’s important to me.

The reason I don’t usually say DnD or D&D or #dnd is that I’m doing this work for myself and the people who are already in my space. I’m not doing it to draw attention from fans and players of your favorite game.

So you can relax.

The only time we come for WotC for blood, is when they enact abuses against marginalized people directly. We’re usually pretty specific about our grievances at that point.

That’s all I’ve got to say on this.

If you see that discourse and worry it’s a criticism of you, odds are good that it’s not.

And if you disagree with it, you’re welcome to just...ignore it. Walk away. Mute if you have to.

These threads aren’t *for* you. And that’s okay.

Retweets are okay on this one, I’ve got my notifications adjusted as needed.