There are arguments that D&D should , or should not be, “racially diverse,” because it was, or wasn’t, like that in the world “back then.” Folks, D&D is usually not even attempting to represent a historical society. Even when it seems to be making the attempt, it’s still a fantasy representation based on other representations. It’s not relevant to argue about “what it was like back then” without any more specificity. Even then, the historical examples you happen to know will not cut it. They are not representative of the range of human experience. The societies of fantasy worlds are bound by genre, not history. Genre is about common expectations and shared references, not actual events. Just make the fantasy as you wish within the limits of shareability, or keep it to yourself. Many components of the fantasy genre are premised on incidental premodern or preindustrial representations, in the quest for the feeling of verisimilitude , to make the fantasy seem more real. Half-ba
Musings on table-top role-playing games today after spending a quarter century away from them.