Dev Blog: Leveling Up Our Creative Process: Learnings From Spelljammer

Quote from FinalKingdomHearts >>

To me, Culturally Respectful sounds a lot better than Culturally Sensitive.
Because, to me "Culturally Sensitive" means removal of any potentially offensive content even if it is not offensive, and "Culturally Respectful" means adding/representing culture in a non-harmful way.

I wish WOTC would focus on being Culturally Respectful, because to me it is more respectful and less offensive than Culturally Sensitive.

Why are you focusing more on people somehow possibly going overboard and being too compassionate (as if that's even a thing) instead of on the fact that hurtful things were allowed to go to publication? You're focusing on the wrong part of that and in doing so you are speaking out against compassion and empathy. Stop that. Also you're basically the first person who is using the term Culturally Sensitive, where are you getting this from? Because if you're just making up a term to then criticize that's literally the definition of a Strawman Fallacy.

Quote from Squiggit >>

 Quite good! I'm still a little iffy on the framing of essentially being 'rescued' by spelljammers, that sort of reliance on someone from without giving them a way forward, but I guess that's kind of baked into some of the themes of theirs and it's still a significant improvement over what's existed before. I think I'd like a little more give and take in that part of the story, but generally I like it and it's a big improvement, imo. 

That's good feedback.  I'd intended it to be less "rescue the primitives" and more the hadozee saying "Oh, you guys are from space?  Cool!  We're going too" and deciding to spelljam on their own initiative, but I can see the twinge in my write-up.  Suppose in my brain Spelljamming is an exceptionally weird technology that's not likely to arise independently in multiple places so it kinna has to spread from existing sources, but that's a me thing.  Good looking out.

Quote from mtngoatjoe >>

Quote from scatterbraind >>

The first printing of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space included two pieces of content that fans correctly flagged as offensive.

 I know this is going to be unpopular, but the quality of the printed books would improve if the digital versions were released first so users can point out issues.

It's 2022, and there's really no reason to print a book with typos, let alone offensive material. But yes, I know the physical books folks will never approve.

 I think releasing the digital content even earlier so typos & grammatical errors can be caught is a good idea, since digital editions of books can be changed, while the physical can't. However, these books should still have the sensitivity checkers and cultural consultants check them before they are released digitally. I don't think it would be fair to anyone to release digital copies of books that have not gone through processes to ensure they do not contain harmful content. 

Quote from Yurei1453 >>

Okay.  Lemme try my hand at this, since people are SuperMegaUltra Objecting to the amount of lore.  Recommendation: everybody write some hadozee origin lore.  That way there's tons of it in this thread, people can take their pick of their favorite, and we can "replace" the objectionable content with a great deal more less objectionable content.  We aren't under inclusivity review so do try to take care, but still.  Lessee...

{snipped: much lore}

So. How's that?  Do let me know if I stumbled onto something else sensitive and I'll strike the text, but regardless.  Two meaty paragraphs of hadozee lore that offers some new options for building up a character from.  Is that better?

 This is an excellent idea! When I write lore, I write a lot of lore. I'll write the lore and try and post it here tomorrow morning.

Releasing the product digitally first sounds great but as it was said above it take time to print books, ship them from point A to B and then to points beyond. So a good review group is a better way to go for larger companies, IMHO small companies can get away with it. Also in the future that may change and physical books may be a very small slice of the profit pie compared to the digital product pie. Even then though if a company has too many things slip threw it can harm their sales.