Some “fans” react in the most abhorrent ways possible.
Painted by Irvin Rodriguez, a talented American artist whose other works are awe-inspiring.
I’ve seen things go sideways before, but this is an all new low for some Magic: the Gathering fans. Artwork for the upcoming Magic: the Gathering/Lord of the Rings expansion was just released showing Aragorn holding Andúril, Flame of the West. My hot take on this: Lord of the Rings fans just need to get over themselves. It’s one artist’s interpretation of the character. I rather like it.
Strip the names away for a second. Pretend it’s Tyrael of Diablo fame holding El’druin, his Sword of Justice. Oh, that’s okay. Huh. Wonder why? If that was in a M:tG expansion, would people be making the same obnoxious comments?
I refuse to reprint the hundreds of really awful comments I’m seeing on Twitter. My Block list is getting full rapidly on this one. If we can’t stand up for what’s right in the hobby space, what does that say about us as a larger society?
“But Aragorn is supposed to be white.”
I’ve seen all of the supposedly diehard Tolkien fans talk about how Aragorn is supposed to be white, and how it was set in Middle Earth, which is about as white as typing paper. Tolkien himself was white, and blah blah blah. Whatever. Guess what? Aragorn is a fictional character from a book.
Something interesting about books- if you miss a character description or one isn’t included, it’s natural for us humans to imagine the character any freakin way we want to. There is no right or wrong. If I read a fictional book about baseball, maybe I imagine the entire team as Asian. Why would it matter? It’s my imagination.
This is absolutely no different than Disney reimagining Ariel in the Little Mermaid franchise. Halle Bailey looks absolutely stunning as Ariel. This is what inclusion looks like in mass media. IF you can’t handle it, move on.
Magic: the Gathering fans have no room to complain.
Lord of the Rings is over 100 years old. IF you can’t handle a painting of Aragorn as a black man, please crawl back under your rock for another century. Magic: the Gathering fans- WTAF is wrong with some of you? It’s card art! Get over yourselves.
For those who might be unaware, we just went after parent company Wizards of the Coast a few months ago about their lack of inclusion and representation in Dungeons & Dragons as well as their executive staff. Now WotC has given us a vague attempt at showing some diversity and y’all are freaking out? Really?!? Isn’t this exactly what we’re fighting for?
Now, I understand why some folx are saying it’s just posturing and identity politics. WotC has to start somewhere. Personally, I hope Strahd Von Zarovich gets recast as a black lesbian woman in the next run. Some Magic and D&D fans just need to get a grip.
I get some of the Old Grognard crowd can’t adjust, but what’s everyone else’s excuse?
Which is not to make excuses for the Old Grognards. We’ve been around long enough to know better. Once upon a time, diehard D&D fanatics tried desperately to gatekeep the Magic crowd away from conventions and FLGS events. Wow, have things ever changed.
What I find shocking is I used to believe that the Magic crowd was a lot more accepting of people in general. Much in the same way I used to thing role-players were okay with literally everyone after having been picked on, beaten up, and chased by the religious right. Now, even some of the Magic crowd is turning to the ugly side of bigotry. What gives?
I just had a discussion on this very topic on Twitter a few days ago. Much to my surprise, very few people joined the conversation. A post appeared in my feed to the affect of, “The OSR is full of sh🦆t takes and nazis. The few decent folks left should wash their hands of it.” I still contend it’s not just the OSR, but the entire TTRPG hobby as a whole is still riddled with bigots. It’s not okay.
I want the entire TTRPG community to be welcoming and inclusive of everyone, regardless of our differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, philosophy, or nationality. That is now also my dream for the Collectible Card Game community as well. Really, I’d like to see all of humanity united under one banner regardless, but we’re so far away from that yet.
Yes, there are some pretty rotten people in the Old School Renaissance of TTRPGs. I absolutely agree. I’ve spoken out before against the OSR. We see bigots in everything from blogs, YouTube, and even conventions. It has to stop. There’s no two ways about that.
Using fantasy to escape the cruel, often unforgiving reality outside.
Everyone should be welcome at the table. Everyone should be able to enjoy the hobby. 2023 isn’t the time and the TTRPG or CCG hobby isn’t the place for bigots and 🦆holes. It’s not just a game to some of us, it’s an escape from that very ugly, cruel, real world out there. At least in fantasy worlds we can escape that nastiness outside.
Wait. Isn’t that how Lord of the Rings came about? Didn’t Tolkien write the stories of The Hobbit while fighting in the trenches of WW1? Yes, Middle Earth was born of trench warfare. The horrors of that brutal mess known as WW1 echo throughout Tolkien’s writings. Fantasy is all about escapism.
So why is the artwork on a Magic: the Gathering card such a big deal? Get over the fact that someone brilliantly reimagined the character. At best it’s a bold statement from an artist of color and at worst it’s art on another Magic card. It’s not going to be hanging in the Louvre next week. (Maybe someday if we’re lucky.)
Is WotC using this as a public relations stunt?
I sure as Hell hope not. Of course, WotC hasn’t responded to any of my requests for interviews before and I doubt they will on this one, either. We may never know for sure what their true intention behind releasing this card art truly was. I’m remaining positive that this is a giant step in the right direction for them and the beginning of a trend in the hobby.
Do I like to wear rose colored glasses? Oh yeah. That might be the new tint on my bifocals. This is the same company that is so desperate for any publicity right now. WotC is doing their darndest to stay in the spotlight any way they can. Basically, they’ve taken the approach that there is no bad publicity, only attention. I’m not a fan of their shenanigans as seen elsewhere on my blog.
Price Hike.
Content Creator Summit
TTRPG Conspiracies Part 3
To be clear: I’m not here to defend WotC or suck up to them. I am willing to give them a chance to improve, reform, and apologize for prior bad acts. I am not ready to let the Open Game License fiasco from January just fade into memory. They’re not going to be off the hook on that one. And who could forget Kyle Brink’s epic comment during his apology tour? Oh, and there’s the Content Creator Summit which started its own share of online arguments. And let’s not forget those wacky Pinkertons raiding a Magic: the Gathering YouTuber’s house to retrieve cards.
While WotC might be a big, unfeeling, greedy, oversized corporation, they do own the name Dungeons & Dragons. The do produce the world’s largest Trading Card Game ever: Magic: the Gathering. But let’s not forget Disney/Ravensburger’s Lorcana is coming. Maybe WotC is desperate to stay in the public eye?
On the other hand, would any corporation really stoop so low as to use negative attention from race or “identity politics” just for social media clout? I think that would be pretty low for anyone to do, especially since 2020. I mean, it’s a Magic card after all.
Please embrace BIPOC creators in any community.
I know we, as people, tend to squabble over a lot of dumb stuff. D&D players argue over rules and whether or not politics should influence games. Magic players argue over legality of certain cards in game, proxies, and other seemingly petty issues. Don’t even get started on the Games Workshop crowd… But, honestly, Aragorn painted as a black man? We should pin a medal on Irvin Rodriguez.
Let’s put aside our differences on this one and focus on what’s most important. It’s a beautiful piece of art by a brilliant artist. Game stats be damned. Thank God, someone finally did something outside the norm for both the fiction and the industry. We should be celebrating this card, not threatening to burn it.
We need to lift one another up in all walks of life in every community right now. There’s no place for bigotry in any profession or hobby. If we don’t start standing up for one another, soon there won’t be anyone left.
Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it. Let’s all be nice to each other this week, okay?
Jeff's Game Box 
