We’ve been hearing a lot of noise about the newly announced Tomb Raider RPG.
Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.
I think some people are being really obnoxious about this recent announcement. I don’t think Evil Hat Productions deserves so much ayre from a third or more of the TTRPG community. Maybe I’m biased because I backed two of their more recent Kickstarters- Girl by Moonlight and Deathmatch Island.
I’m not saying this new vision of Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft is my cup of tea, but it’s not as bad as certain pundits are saying, either. The announcement was made clear back in February and it’s now April. The game doesn’t come out until after crowdfunding sometime in 2025. Here’s the official announcement from Evil Hat. But, people are crying about it.
OH Noes! It’s gone all “wokies!”
Any time I see people crying “woke” I just start to laugh. Allow me to translate what a lot of these right wingnuts mean by, “woke.” They’re crying because something is going to be pro LGBTQIA, pro DEI, pro civil rights, pro BIPOC, and pro- anything else that isn’t basically “old white dudes in a basement somewhere.”
These guys are crying about the new Tomb Raider RPG supporting “anti-colonialism” and being “woke” when it hasn’t even been in crowdfunding. Evil Hat Productions isn’t even fully into playtesting yet. The game uses at least 6d6. What? Suddenly six sided dice are a threat to indigenous people everywhere? We don’t know squat about what’s being planned much beyond what the announcement said.
All of the guys crying about the game being about anticolonialism are going strictly off of Evil Hat’s reputation and the part of the announcement that says:
In this officially licensed tabletop RPG you play members of the Truth Seekers: contemporaries of Lara Croft who strive to reveal long-hidden knowledge and thwart those who would steal and exploit artifacts for their own gains. It is a game of action, exploration, and self-discovery. Face perilous challenges and tough choices as you learn what it takes to be a hero.
After reading through the announcement, Tomb Raider RPG sounds more like a board game than a true RPG. I don’t see how anyone’s precious colonialism is threatened here. I’m only kinda playing stupid when I say that, but the whole “OMGeez, It’s so terrible,” just makes me cringe.
Here’s the solution for those who don’t like the new Tomb Raider:
Sign up for the playtest. The link to the official site for the upcoming video game and Evil Hat TTRPG playtest. Evil Hat’s newsletter is also a good source of information for things like that.
Offering vital feedback during playtesting is a good way to get a point across to the writers and game designers. Of course, I realize the group of “old white dudes” I’m referring to won’t go anywhere near the Tomb Raider playtest or back the crowdfunding. That fact in and of itself makes me wonder why bother crying about the anticolonialism issue if they were never interested in the first place.
Or we could address the real Thirsty Sword elephant in the room. To be continued.
Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 