The Potterization of D&D

They are modern people in a fantasy world, a delightful contrast that never fails to amuse!

The 2024 D&D PHB art has sparked a debate, with some labeling it as 'corporate stock photos' masquerading as fantasy art. The scenes depict groups of modern-looking, happy people enjoying 2024 fast food. It's a stark contrast to the traditional fantasy settings we're used to. But this modern twist on D&D has certainly got us all thinking about the influence of contemporary culture on our beloved fantasy genres.

We're witnessing a significant shift in audience preferences. In this day and age, Harry Potter captivates the younger generation, not the likes of Lord of the Rings, Leiber, Howard, Moorcock, Conan, or any of the Appendix N greats. For 95% of kids today, 'fantasy' is synonymous with 'self-insert YA stories of modern folks in fantasy settings.' This change is shaping the future of fantasy literature.

Look at that art again.

Let that sink in.

Harry Potter killed D&D as we knew it.

In fact, D&D feels like it is trying to "take that mantle" by adopting that theme and art style as its default "look and feel" of the game and its universes. D&D is trying to displace Potter as the next generation's "bible of self-identity." In some ways, this form of Potterism is a religion that D&D is fighting to supplant. If they ever remake Dark Sun, it will be happy Harry Potter YA characters in a Disney theme park sanitized version of the setting, eating fast food from cross-promoted chains like Chipotle.

Remember, the faith has to be safe enough for Wall Street to cross-promote in.

Back in the 1980s, during the Satanic Panic, there used to be hyper-religious types who preached against the dangers of "too much fantasy." It wasn't really D&D's occult roots that bothered them but about tying your identity too much to a fantasy that you could never attain and would spend your entire adult life chasing and living an unfulfilled life with no faith, children, legacy, and you would forever be the tool of crass manipulators trying to "sell you the dream again."

You can trace it back to 9/11 and a generation of parents trying to hide their children from a world nobody wanted to live in. Harry Potter became the "safe place" for parents to shove their kids into. D&D adopted some of these "safe space" concepts, such as the world not being too deadly, giving everyone too much power, and deemphasizing things that are not a part of the world of children (money, sex, politics, nations, laws, war, death, and responsibility). Classic games will dip into that "adult world" where the Potter reality shies away from them.

I come from the 1980s and have a healthy respect for the line between fantasy and reality. I can play these games safely and endlessly follow the advice the books gave us in the 1980s. I can mix in mature themes without needing handrails and safety tools. The Gen-X safety tool?

You are not your character and never put yourself in the game.

I look at games like Dungeon Crawl Classics, and there is a general love and appreciation for pre-Harry Potter fantasy works. You even see that "never put yourself in the game" theme here with funnels and random generation concepts. For me, DCC has replaced D&D, and I hope they will always retain their canonization of the classic writers and authors.

Those classic works are the heart of the hobby and genre.

Some people say D&D died when Wizards took over, but I am hesitant to say that these days, especially not in this light. D&D during the Harry Potter years was trying to hold on to that classic experience and traditional influence. But D&D could not keep the tidal wave of "never die YA fantasy fiction" out for very long, and in 5E, "classic D&D" eventually succumbed and left us forever in 5.5E.

Do not just look at today to find out where these pictures of "modern people in a fantasy setting" came from. It is easy to blame what we see as "the last outrage" as the cause. It never is.

Trees grow from seedlings and have roots that run deep.

Look at the books that today's generation grew up with.