Dungeons & Dragons is currently undergoing several changes, with public playtesting of the new rules, called "One D&D," beginning in August, and several tone shifts have been introduced in recent years in the portrayal of fantasy. These include an attempt to move away from racial stereotypes by changing, for example, the portrayal of Romani-like people called the Vistani in Ravenloft. Not all went smoothly, and after criticism that the flying ape-man called hadozee in Spelljammer resembled a racist stereotype, Wizards of the Coast first apologized and then reviewed all D&D books to include a cultural consultant The company then changed its review process to include a cultural consultant in all D&D books.

The next step, described in a blog post published today on D&D Beyond (opens in new tab), is to stop using the term "race" to describe elves, dwarves, and the various other choices players can make when creating their characters. Ignoring the fact that it has been used to describe a variety of choices, including humanoid dragons, talking plants, and basically robots, it has always seemed inappropriate, to be honest.

"Dungeons & Dragons has a history of evolving to meet players' needs and foster spaces that are engaging for everyone," the blog post explains. With this in mind, we understand that "race" is a problematic term with prejudicial connections between people in the real world and those in the fantasy world of D&D; the usage of the term in D&D and other popular IPs has evolved over time. And now it is time for the next evolution.

One D&D's latest set of playtest rules (opens in new tab) reflects this, using the term "race" instead. According to Wizards of the Coast, "We have decided not to use the term 'race' anywhere in One D&D. The term "tribe" was chosen through close coordination with several outside cultural consultants.

Other popular fantasy RPGs have taken similar steps in recent years: the second edition of Pathfinder, released in 2019, used the term "ancestors" instead, and Warhammer switched to "races" beginning with the 2018 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition.

One D&D's new playtest packet comes with a questionnaire with each new packet, and the next one will begin on December 21." Players can provide feedback on the term "race" along with everything else present in the playtest materials."

The blog post concludes, "We welcome constructive feedback on this evolution and more to One D&D to make this game exciting, open, and accessible to all. Dragons and Elves belong in our world.