D&D publisher apologises after omitting cultural consultant credit from Strixhaven sourcebook

Wizards of the Coast, the publisher responsible for releasing Dungeons & Dragons, has apologised after omitting a credit from its latest sourcebook.

In a tweet from the official account for the tabletop roleplaying game, it was confirmed that the initial print run for Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos - the newly released D&D 5E sourcebook inspired by a previously released card set for Magic: The Gathering - was missing a credit for cultural and sensitivity consultant Tanya DePass, who is otherwise best known as the creative director for the Into the Motherlands RPG and producer of D&D actual play series Rivals of Waterdeep.

The tweet publicly apologised for the omission, after DePass had already been given a private apology from Wizards, and stated that it had already amended all current digital versions of the sourcebook to include credit for DePass’ consultation work, with future physical printings set to feature the credit as well.

The apology from Wizards follows the claims made by author and designer Graeme Barber - known as PanzerLion online - earlier this year that their contributions to the D&D 5E sourcebook Candlekeep Mysteries had been significantly altered after submission. Barber, who runs a blog called POC Gamerhttps://pocgamer.com/, claimed that their one-shot adventure had been edited in such a way that the Yuan-ti species “were reduced down to just being evil for evil’s sake,” whilst “colonialist language and imagery” was used to describe the Grippli species. When Dicebreaker reached out for comment from Wizards of the Coast, the studio did not respond.

Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, which was released in the US earlier this week, is a sourcebook based on the Strixhaven: School of Mages expansion released for trading card game Magic: The Gathering. Set in the magical educational institution of Strixhaven, the sourcebook enables players to create characters based on the five different schools of magic taught there and embark on various adventures in and around its grounds. In an interview with the book’s lead designer, Amanda Hamon, it was revealed that the sourcebook was inspired by a mixture of teenage romantic comedies released in the 1990s - such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch - and films directed by John Hughes.

Throughout the sourcebook’s adventures, players will be able to pursue their own magical development alongside shenanigans surrounding student socialising, festivals, rivalries and relationships. Dungeon masters can use Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos to plan and run one-shot sessions and entire campaigns around both lighthearted and more serious storylines, with a collection of NPCs and enemies included.

The UK release date for Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos is currently set for December 14th, with the sourcebook available at a retail price of £37.