Whos the villian now? The Death of Evil Races in Modern TTRPGs

Greetings all,

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the trend of companies removing “evil races” from their games—Orcs, Drow, Goblins, and others being rebranded, softened, or erased entirely. On the surface, it feels like an attempt to modernize the genre, but I worry it misses the heart of what makes these stories compelling.

Let’s be clear: Heroes need villains. Not just faceless monsters or nameless threats, but intelligent, complex adversaries that challenge players morally and strategically. Take R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt series. The entire weight of Drizzt’s journey—his rebellion against the cruel, matriarchal society of the Drow—loses its power if the Drow themselves are stripped of their role as a ruthless, antagonistic force. Without that darkness, Drizzt’s choice to defy his people becomes mundane. He isn’t a hero defying evil; he’s just… a guy.

This isn’t about clinging to outdated tropes. It’s about recognizing that conflict drives storytelling. When every race is homogenized into shades of gray, the stakes flatten. Imagine The Lord of the Rings if Orcs were just misunderstood victims. Sauron’s armies become a therapy session, not a force to rally against. TTRPGs thrive on the tension between good and evil, and when we erase that dichotomy, we risk reducing adventures to hollow skirmishes against mindless beasts.

Yes, players should have the freedom to subvert expectations—to play a noble Orc or a pacifist Goblin. But removing the option for entire races to embody wickedness strips Dungeon Masters of tools to craft iconic villains. It’s not about racism or lazy writing; it’s about giving stories teeth. Evil isn’t a skin color or a species—it’s a choice. The Drow aren’t evil because they’re born bad; they’re raised in a culture that glorifies cruelty. That’s nuance worth exploring, not erasing.

I worry that in trying to placate a vocal few, companies are underestimating their audience. Players don’t need sanitized worlds—they need worlds where heroism means something. Where standing against a terrifying, intelligent foe makes you feel brave. D&D didn’t become iconic by playing it safe. It became legendary because it let us fight dragons in the dark.