Culture Wizards considers removing Shaman and Druid from MTG over real religion comparisons - What, no QAnon Shaman?

https://nichegamer.com/wizards-considers-removing-shaman-and-druid-from-mtg-over-real-religion-comparisons/

https://archive.ph/DZFGD

by Brandon Lyttle on October 5, 2023 at 11:53 AM, EDT



Wizards of the Coast hinted that the Druid and Shaman creature types could be removed from Magic: The Gathering due to real religions which practice druidism and shamanism.

Mark Rosewater, the head designer of Magic: The Gathering since 2003 regularly answers questions about the game on his Tumblr blog. One question about how the Witch creature type was removed due to its association to a real religion led to an answer hinting at more removals in the future.

In reference to the question about using witch as a creature type: if ‘witch’ is excluded bc of its significance as a real world religious identifier, why are ‘shaman’ and ‘druid’ creature types?

We are currently examining that exact topic.

In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has been carefully removing content and language from their products to avoid accusations of racism and other forms of intolerance.

While druidism and shamanism are still practiced today, at least one user pointed out that the faiths’ representation in Magic: The Gathering counterbalances the Christian symbolism present at the game.

Please don’t phase out druids, I’ve always enjoyed seeing local Celtic culture/history represented and unlike witches they’re not a sinister depiction. If Magic can handle exaggerated fantasy clerics, angels and demons I think we deserve druids alongside them, Christian symbols have already crowded out pagan alternatives in too many places.

Druid is far less of an issue than Shaman.

Despite this, there appear to be no plans to remove angels or demons from the game.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

Holy crap wannabe commies are so thin-skinned.

 

[Kheapathic]

I'm pretty sure it was some dumb shit about racial supremacy in their case.

That's the case for damn near every different race in the game, and even if they're not openly hostile to each other, there are still tensions when humans get too close to a forest, and Orcish types have no problem jogging each other or other races, even friendlier ones. While there are variations, damn near any race with an evil alignment (which is what they really want to get rid of, NO ONE IS BORN EVIL) will stab you in the back when it becomes convenient to do so / your usefulness has ran out. Look in any sourcebook about Demons, Devils, Drow, Duergar, Ilithids, etc; they only tolerate each other as long as one doesn't trespass, and even then, they're thinking about what they'll do to you when they eventually kill you.

 

[Battlefield2142EU]

Only faggots play post-Hasbro D&D and MTG. Real men play 1986 Ghostbusters role playing game. But avoid IDW ghostbusters 2016 RPG and other IDW TTRPG like anal cancer.

 

[Woe-B-Gon (TM)]

What's next? Removing all references to magic?

Youtube vomited up an ad for me yesterday for a Doctor Who MTG set. So... if the IP they're milking demands it, I guess the answer is yes!

 

[Grub]

I've been slowly sourcing and buying all the D&D source books I can find before they rewrite everything and pretend the shit was woke the moment Gygax wrote it down. I don't run any campaigns or anything, but I'm gonna have the library.

I've got a box of d&d stuff I took from my dad with a full set of the first edition ad&d books. I still like the black and white artwork in those books the best and the DM guide is awesome. The amount of stuff that's crammed into that book. I remember being disappointed the first time looking through the 3rd edition books at how lackluster the DM guide was by comparison. I haven't actually played any d&d in a long time and I never really played it that much. The books are cool to have though.

 

[Kheapathic]

I've got a box of d&d stuff I took from my dad with a full set of the first edition ad&d books. I still like the black and white artwork in those books the best and the DM guide is awesome. The amount of stuff that's crammed into that book. I remember being disappointed the first time looking through the 3rd edition books at how lackluster the DM guide was by comparison. I haven't actually played any d&d in a long time and I never really played it that much. The books are cool to have though.

My mom gave me the small 1st Edition stuff she had from way back when. I started buying my own books near the end of high-school when 3rd was the thing. While I got the basics (Player's Handbook, DMG, Monster Manul) and a few others (Oriental Adventures, because I'm a fucking weeb), I never really got any more because my friends and I all graduated and went our separate ways. I never got rid of them, and right now grabbing up all the 3rd Edition stuff there is (and holy shit, 3rd Edition had a lot of books) and will move on from there. The hard part is finding sellers who aren't trying to rip you off.

 

[King George III]

This is what happens when swirlies and atomic wedgies are no longer delivered to nerds en masse.

 

[CarlosDanger]

I've been slowly sourcing and buying all the D&D source books I can find before they rewrite everything and pretend the shit was woke the moment Gygax wrote it down. I don't run any campaigns or anything, but I'm gonna have the library.

That is a really good idea, thankfully I still have all the books and manuals I had since high school and they are still in good condition.

 

[Hiphopopotamus]

Continued examples of why you must fervently gatekeep your hobbies.

 

[Positron]

Shamanism is not a "religion", but an anthropological phenomenon that has arose independently among many cultures. It is like banning wheels in the game because real-life people who use wheels might feel offended.

 

[CowPox]

Mark Rosewater sounds like a sniveling faggot and his appearance compells me to shove him into a locker.

 

[CharlesBarkley]

Wizard's most racist card yet...



Yo, what's Yavimaya stand for?! Detroit?! Ya'll at wizard ain't even thinking about like the uh... 5 black people on earth who play magic the gathering.

 

[Nate Scully 025]

Say what you will about Konami but I'd rather play tier 0 kitty cat OTK than worry about ethnic representation in my trading card game.
View attachment 5389133

Considering Kazuki Takahashi seemed to be a legitimate chad even in death, I’m glad that Yugioh has largely escaped the gayness that’s otherwise infested tabletop gaming and card games.

 

[teriyakiburns]

This is what happens when swirlies and atomic wedgies are no longer delivered to nerds en masse.

No, the people doing this are the people that used to deliver the swirlies and wedgies. They took over hobbies they despised and are destroying them.

 

[Flexo]

Considering Kazuki Takahashi seemed to be a legitimate chad even in death, I’m glad that Yugioh has largely escaped the gayness that’s otherwise infested tabletop gaming and card games.

To be fair... it's got its own unique kind of gayness to it.

 

[Sexy Peach Emoji]

Magic is a dead game, and its corpse is being worn like a skinsuit.

 

[Don't Tread on Me]

Say what you will about Konami but I'd rather play tier 0 kitty cat OTK than worry about ethnic representation in my trading card game.
View attachment 5389133

Very based.

 

[IAmNotAlpharius]

What the heck is their argument for beholders being racist?

Something something anti-semetism.

Very based.

YuGiOh is too autistic for me but their players are incredibly based autists.

 

[VargReallyDidNothingWrong]

They're doing this, and yet "white" is still the color of life, regeneration, creation and "black" is still the color of death, theft and decay. You'd think they'd go after the lowest hanging fruit first.

 

[Ebonic Tutor]

They're doing this, and yet "white" is still the color of life, regeneration, creation and "black" is still the color of death, theft and decay. You'd think they'd go after the lowest hanging fruit first.

Somebody should write to Maro's blog and tell him that just to see how he twists to avoid admitting it since that would fuck up his beloved color-pie.