Orc bashing was bad all this time

One of the reasons the unearthing of Gygax’ Chivington comments is causing such a decolonization effort in TRPG tropespace (and I’m here for it) is that it really put the whole Manifest Destiny ethos of his work (like B2 or the GDQ series) in a very clear intentional light.

Before, people could be like “maybe it’s deconstructing those myths? You’re supposed to spare the kobolds, attack the keep?” or they could be “It’s a way to keep using the old Western stories—in 1958, there were fifty western TV shows across four channels—without being disparaging any real human group”. Which was of course pish-posh and Gygax’ comments made that painfully real.

Thus, this great reckoning.

Manifest Destiny

The Keep on the Borderlands

“You couldn’t make Blazing Saddles today”

Being the Enemy.