As Donald Trump prepares to retake the oath of office on January 20, 2025—a day ironically shared with Martin Luther King Jr. Day—the TTRPG community braces for what lies ahead. Based on his previous term, campaign promises, and those he has appointed since the election, how will this impact the tabletop roleplaying game industry and hobby?

Import Tariffs & the TTRPG Supply Chain

High tariffs on imported goods could hit the TTRPG industry hard, especially for printed books. The US has limited options for hardcover offset printing, meaning many publishers rely on international printers to make high-quality books affordable. If Trump reinstates tariffs, TTRPG publishers could be forced to raise prices or shift to print-on-demand only, making it harder to produce affordable, high-quality products. If domestic printers need supplies imported, that will raise book prices further. These cost increases will make it nearly impossible for most TTRPG publishers to offer wholesale prices to Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS), which will limit the variety in those stores, the backbone of our hobby, and the players who depend on them for public game spaces and new TTRPG options.

Tip for Publishers: If you’re looking for a US-based printer that can print hardcover offset books, contact yearbook companies. I have learned of two that will print TTRPG books, although I’m not listing them here since I haven’t tried them and don’t know whether they have openings. As domestic printing demand increases, their availability may change.

Affirmative Action: Inclusivity Under Threat

We founded Wyrmworks Publishing on the principle of amplifying silenced voices and giving opportunities to the oppressed. We prioritize hiring disabled, neurodivergent, and mentally ill creators to ensure our products authentically reflect all voices and experiences. But with Trump’s Project 2025, affirmative action policies could be dismantled, penalizing companies that prioritize diversity, potentially forcing us out of business.

Regardless of governmental threats or penalties, Wyrmworks Publishing will fight with every resource we have to keep creating and hiring in line with our values. We’ll continue amplifying marginalized voices, standing with those who’ve been ignored or silenced, and showing that diversity isn’t just a checkbox—it’s the heart of what makes TTRPGs truly immersive and transformative.

Benefit Cuts: Hurting Players and Publishers Alike

The Trump administration has a history of trying to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and disability benefits—resources that many in our TTRPG community rely on. Losing these essential services would hurt countless players, especially those who turn to TTRPGs for mental health support and community connection. We know how much these games mean to so many.

So, we’re taking action. Wyrmworks Publishing is working on accessible options to ensure TTRPGs remain within reach, regardless of someone’s financial situation. Sign up for The Dragon’s Hoard or support us on Patreon to get updates on our initiatives and help us keep this community strong.

Meanwhile, we’re encouraging everyone to use #DefiantKindness with whatever resources you have to help those who are struggling in your community, especially those directly impacted by these forthcoming changes, like those struggling financially and of tenuous housing or immigration status. The way to Make America Great Again is through empathy, compassion, and working together to improve the lives of the disadvantaged.

And of course, contact your representatives to tell them how these changes do not put “America First,” but rather hurt American small businesses.

And thanks to our patrons, if you’re already struggling financially, you can grab some free Community Copies now. We will be restructuring this program to add more copies and a wider variety in the near future.

Roll initiative, and leave a comment below with your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions to help struggling gamers!

How exciting! Take a look at that screenshot from the preview video for the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Players Handbook (PHB)! They’re showing a picture of a character in a wheelchair and talking about new ways to customize your character!

I told my family and friends. I said, when we launched Limitless Heroics, that this is a movement, that we’re showing the industry that people care about disability, neurodiversity, and mental illness representation. Wizards of the Coast (WotC) hired a fantastic consultant to talk to them about the importance of authentic representation. They showed us what was coming in that video. Even if our work wasn’t an impetus for this change, it’s a Divine Smite against ableism!

So I talked to some of my friends who got advance copies and asked them how the 2024 PHB handled disability inclusion! “There’s nothing there.” Is there maybe a wheelchair in the equipment section?! “No, nothing like that.”

Really?

Today, I looked for myself to see whether they missed something. I searched the D&D Beyond version for anything that might reveal an overlooked section. Nothing. That video was poorly planned at best and completely misleading at worst.

Roll for Racism

But it doesn’t stop there. Because WotC (admirably) wanted to remove terms like half-elf and half-orc due to problematic racist connotations, they removed all rules for creating any character of mixed ancestry. They could have included an adapted variation of the custom lineages from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything as a paragraph or two instead, but they didn’t, so the 2024 core rules allow only pureblood people groups, effectively gamifying miscegenation laws.

Then, by refusing to follow the distinction between biology and culture as begun with the excellent Ancestry and Culture that nearly every 5e variant since has emulated, they doubled down on the bioessentialism that they attempted to avoid. Contrast that with PJ Coffey’s excellent Homebrew and Hacking: Crafting Heritages and Cultures, which not only offers an infinite variety while distinguishing between biology and culture but also offers a Creative Commons licensed SRD including a digital braille version for accessibility!

GM: “A Hadozee and Tanis Pureblood-Elven walk into the tavern….”

OK, but what about neurodivergence?

Neurodiversity gets even less authentic representation than physical disabilities in games and other media, but WotC showed their (one-time) commitment to this by introducing Asteria in the Book of Many Things, their first autistic character. But sadly, their ADHD representation wasn’t as accurate.

With ability scores, the PHB suggests, “Once you’ve assigned your ability scores, give some thought to what those scores might say about your character’s appearance and personality.” It includes suggestions for high and low scores, but the only remotely neurodivergent trait included, “Fidgety,” is listed under High Dexterity. I can tell you as a fidgety guy with ADHD, Dexterity is my dump stat. Clumsiness is a common trait for ADHD, so if that was an attempt at subtle inclusion, they did not hit the necessary DC for a success.

But not a critical fail

That said, they did make some improvements.

The artwork includes a vast range of demographics, showing far more diversity than ever, although still no body differences like face differences, body proportion differences, or pigmentation varieties such as vitiligo. The inclusion of disabled characters in the artwork is commendable, even if it’s a picture that lacks 1000 words that should explain them.

Common Sign Language has been added to the common languages list.

The physical version has a larger font for better readability than before but still no braille, not even electronic braille, even though WotC promised this back in 2020.

The Best Improvement

But if I could get them to include one subtle change, one Limited Wish, it would be the inclusion of this sentence, which does appear in the 2024 PHB:

Many effects impose a condition, a temporary state that alters the recipient’s capabilities.

Conditions like Blinded, Deafened, and Paralyzed have often been used to represent the permanent experiences of blindness, deafness, and paralysis, but we have argued that conditions in 5e, in spite of the problematic images in the 2014 PHB (Thanks for removing those!), are designed to represent temporary circumstances, not the permanent disabilities we encounter and experience in the real world. WotC finally codified that.

This is a critical inclusion. This clarifies that disabilities are more complex than rolling with disadvantage. It hints that disabilities are nonbinary spectrums. It removes the insinuation that people can’t learn to adapt to their disabilities and even thrive with them.

Yeah, I’m probably reading too much into that, but we’ll take our victories where we can get them and use them to ascend yet another step in an inaccessible world.

We are still in Initiative, and it’s our turn.

Are you or someone you know a Dungeons & Dragons player with print or reading disabilities? We’re excited to announce a new resource designed to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in tabletop gaming.

We understand the importance of accommodating diverse needs within our gaming communities. That’s why we’ve developed a set of character sheets tailored specifically for players who have difficulty with traditional text-based materials.

They should be fighting monsters, not their character sheet!

Our Accessible Character Sheets utilize 🧙emojis🧝 alongside text to help players navigate character information efficiently. Whether it’s tracking ⛑️🎶Abilities♿️🪽, ✨Spells⚡️, or ⚒️Possessions🪙, the intuitive layout makes it easy to find what you need at a glance. Plus, with blank spaces for personalized drawings, players can create visual cues that resonate with them, enhancing memory and engagement.

Key Features:

• 🧑‍🎨 Emoji-based design for easy navigation 🧭
• Blank spaces for personalized drawings
• Images of dice shapes for quick reference
• Available in PDF and DOCX formats for flexibility and customization
• Screen reader-friendly DOCX option for enhanced accessibility

We’re committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in gaming, and these character sheets are just one way we’re working to make TTRPGs more accessible to everyone. Best of all, they’re offered under a CC-BY-4.0 license, so you can share and adapt them to suit your gaming group’s needs and share your creations.

Join us in fostering a more inclusive gaming community. Download our Accessible Character Sheets today so everyone can explore together!

Together, let’s make tabletop gaming accessible for all.

We’re committed to creating a more inclusive gaming experience for everyone. We’re thrilled to announce the release of the first-ever braille conversion of the 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD), making the core rules of 5th edition accessible to a wider audience of players and creators.

This comprehensive resource is completely free and available in multiple formats:

• Players Guide: Explore core character creation options, including races, classes, backgrounds, and equipment.
• Game Master Guide: Discover essential rules for running the game, crafting engaging campaigns, and utilizing magic items (with harmful content removed).
• Monster Guide: Encounter a vast library of creatures, faithfully adapted for braille readers.
• Spellcasting Guide: Master the art of magic with comprehensive spellcasting rules and descriptions.
• Step-by-Step Tutorial: Designers, open your games and supplements to more fans and customers!

Designed with accessibility in mind, the SRD braille conversion comes in two formats:

• BRF: Optimized for dynamic braille readers and physical embossers.
• BBZ: Editable in BrailleBlaster software for further customization.

This resource is released under a CC-BY license, allowing anyone to freely use and adapt it for their projects. We encourage the RPG community to embrace accessibility and make their content inclusive for all players!

This braille conversion marks a significant step towards a more inclusive gaming space. While we continue striving to create RPG materials that are not only accessible but also celebrate diverse representation, this resource provides a valuable starting point for players and creators who are blind or visually impaired.

Join us in breaking down barriers and making gaming a more inclusive hobby for everyone!

Download the 5th Edition SRD Braille Conversion and Tutorial Files

We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions! Share your thoughts in the comments below.

In this thought-provoking episode, Dale sits down with Dr. Dave Eng, an expert in using board games for educational purposes. Dr. Eng shares his groundbreaking insights on how tabletop games can revolutionize the learning experience. From cooperative classics like Pandemic to the innovative “Matrix Games” that leverage words over numbers, this episode dives into the benefits of interactive gameplay in classrooms. Discover how board games can foster critical thinking, teamwork, and experiential learning in ways traditional lectures cannot. Learn about Dr. Eng’s inspiring work and his mission to bring gaming literacy to educators worldwide. 

Plus, Dale reveals Wyrmworks Publishing’s pioneering effort to introduce the first-ever braille ruleset for tabletop RPGs, making the hobby more accessible than ever before.

0:00 Introducing Braille to the TTRPG hobby

06:49 Interview: Dave Eng, EdD on gamifying education

42:16 An invitation to change the world

Links:

• Wyrmworks Publishing http://wyrmworkspublishing.com/ 
• Braille System Reference Document for D&D 5E on DriveThruRPG https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/472156/5e-SRD-51-System-Reference-Document-Braille-Transcription-and-Tutorial?affiliate_id=2455077 
• Dr. Dave Eng https://davengdesign.com/
• UniversityXP https://universityxp.com/ 
• Banditos Gaming https://www.banditosgaming.com/ 
• Wyrmworks Publishing Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wyrmworkspublishing

Manually captioned. Transcript available at our website.

Please leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice!

At Wyrmworks Publishing, our mission is to help you make lives better through tabletop roleplaying games. That mission inherently depends on you — we can’t do this ourselves. We — our team, our patrons, and our subscribers — the Dragon’s Hoard — worked together as a party of thousands of heroes to make lives better last year.

Here’s what we did together in a year (in roughly chronological order):

Changing the TTRPG Industry

We were the only public voice speaking to the effect of the OGL debacle on accessibility (that I could find, and I looked). In the short time Hasbro posted its final OGL survey, that page got 27,000 visitors. I hope that some of the readers who subsequently filled out the survey form, including the hundreds who clicked through to the survey from that page, included those accessibility insights in their responses. And I hope that it in some small way added to the influence of so many others who fought for our community. More than that, I hope that it raised representation and accessibility awareness at Hasbro for future designs across their product lines. We’ll never know whether they heard us, but we’ll keep talking about it regardless.

I was asked to design a character for Azrael’s Guide to the Apocalypse, the sequel to The Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible. They included this sidebar with my character, Rodney Watts, and another disabled character who was also included:

Disability in the Afterlife
In 1 Corinthians 15:42-49, Paul briefly ponders what bodies will look like when we awaken in the spiritual realm, saying “there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another.” Basically, no one knows what our bodies will look like in the world to come, but it is reasonable to assume they will be an “idealized version of ourselves,” whatever that means to the individual. For many people, this likely means an end to their physical and mental disabilities.
However, our minds and bodies have a way of shaping our identity – our sense of who we are. For example, one person may feel that their reliance on a prosthetic is a hindrance, another person may feel that their prosthetic is an extension of their own body, and an integral part of their physical identity. As a result, the diversity of human bodies in the afterlife is likely to be diverse as it is in the Physical Realm, with some people choosing to be freed from aspects of their physical form that they did not like, and others choosing to embrace their disability as an eternal part of who they are. This is why some people (like Rodney or Rodriguez) may appear in this adventure with a disability, even though they have already entered the afterlife.

– Heroes of the Heavenly Host, p. 41

We worked with DriveThruRPG to add “Ableist” to their CCP non-discrimination template, and seven companies followed that suggestion in their agreements so far besides the one who already had.

Limitless Champions: Making Disabled Fantasy Heroes a Physical Reality

We crowdfunded Limitless Champions. We created the largest, most diverse collection of disabled fantasy minis ever made. Like stock art, very few miniatures include disability representation, and those available are mostly limited to representation through wheelchairs and canes. We expanded that range significantly, including miniatures and printable STL files, cards, accessible condition markers, and more. If you missed the campaign, you can find the collection in our shop.

In 2024, we will crowdfund Limitless Champions Adventures, a collection of adventures featuring these NPCs. To supplement those adventures, we created Limitless Champions Adventures Bonus Encounters with STLs and animated maps. They were each available free for a week or more, and they’re currently available through our Patreon.

Interviews

I love meeting the amazing people using TTRPGs to make lives better on our Gaining Advantage show. (We posted 11 episodes last year.) I also had the honor of being interviewed last year (including here a few from late 2022):

• Accessible Games
• ADHD20
• Alexandria RPG (October 2022)
• ComicBook.com
• Disabled & Dragons
• Everyone-Games Gaming and Mental Health Panel
• Invisible Not Broken
• Randomworlds
• Red Panda Publishing
• Tufts University Tabletop Club & neurodiverse students (October 2022)
• Wired.com

Community Copies

We want to make our resources available to everyone, but poverty prevents a lot of people from accessing many TTRPG resources. So to allow us to both pay our team and make our content as available as possible, we include full previews of our content on the product pages in our store. But that preview isn’t accessible or convenient for many people, so we also partner with you to make Community Copies of some of our products available. Thanks to individual Community Copy purchases, crowdfunding add-ons, and Patreon rewards, you helped us make the following free copies available:

• Limitless Heroics Coloring Book: 250
• Limitless Heroics, Full Edition: 110
• Limitless Heroics, Players Edition: 1
• Total: $5,678

We still have plenty of copies available, so go get one or more of them if you’d benefit, and please share that link with anyone else who needs one.

Specific Awareness

We released the Heart of Ice adventure for Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.

And for Porphyria Awareness Week, we produced a new magic item shop and raised $390 for the American Porphyria Foundation.

The Dragon’s Lair

We launched the Dragon’s Lair, a modular database of all of our publications, maps, and lots of exclusive content. It is the most affordable, accessible way to use our content. As of this writing, it has 1,704 entries.

We also launched the Wyrm’s Workshop, an opportunity for you to get your ideas published in our books! This also gave us the opportunity to hire more disabled, neurodivergent, and mentally ill freelancers. And because it costs money to pay those freelancers fairly, we developed a credits system via our Patreon to enable those without the financial means to contribute their ideas to the Wyrm’s Workshop.

Fighting for Online Accessibility

We participated in the Reddit blackout to protest for improved accessibility and helped spread the word about their discriminatory policies. When they didn’t back down, we launched an alternative to r/disabled_dungeons.

#AccessPunk

We created a new literary genre, accesspunk, with the development of the Andovir campaign world, currently in its early stages and available to patrons. Andovir was selected among 70 out of over 600 entries for Kobold Press’s Labyrinth. We created two new languages (the first of many) for Andovir to model improved cultural accessibility in a campaign world.

And we emailed 49 notes of encouragement to the Dragon’s Hoard. (A big thanks to those of you who expressed your appreciation for the encouragement. That becomes ammunition to fight my inner critic.)

I’ve also had conversations with other publishers and content creators almost every day about accessibility and representation in their products.

What’s coming in 2024?

Here’s a sampling of what we’re already working on

• We have at least two, hopefully three Kickstarters coming in 2024. The first two are currently in the playtesting and editing stages:

  • Ready-to-Roll: Last minute, no prep adventures: The first in a series, get the full digital adventure for just $1! Get notified when the project launches!
  • Limitless Champions Adventures: A collection of adventures featuring the characters from Limitless Champions! Get notified when the project launches!

• Expanding Andovir and explaining accesspunk in more detail
• Adding audio to existing and forthcoming projects
• VTT Adaptations (Foundry and Roll20 conversions of Limitless Heroics are nearly complete and in the bug-fixing stage), others are in the works
• Braille adaptations
• Making our products available free in Bookshare, a global library of accessible books

We have more plans in the works, which we share with our patrons.

How can you support this work?

• Sign up for the Dragon’s Hoard weekly emails. Get weekly updates, free gifts, discounts, opportunities to make a difference, and encouragement.
• Support us via Patreon. We get a chance to know each other better, you get access to all of our work, and we give away more Community Copies!
• Rate our products (and write reviews) on DriveThruRPG, your favorite podcast directory (Apple, Google, etc.), and our store.
• Rate our company on Google and Facebook.
• Leave a comment below or on any of our products or posts.
• Send us a note to share how our work has made a difference to you or people you care about.

Finally, a heartfelt thank-you. When we started this, we wondered whether anyone would agree with our intentions and resonate with our work. We wondered whether this ridiculous idea of changing the world by rolling dice and pretending together could change lives and make the world better. Hundreds of people told me it wouldn’t work, and that I should quit before I started.

And the truth is, it couldn’t. Not without you. But here you are. And here’s how far we’ve come. And we’re just getting started. And we’re not going to stop.

Join Dale as he interviews Jonathan Connor Self, a top-rated pro DM and founder of the D8 Summit, a charitable organization using TTRPGs for good. They discuss using games therapeutically, fostering community, and supporting mental health. Connor also discusses Koboa, an upcoming RPG based on South American mythology.

This episode covers using tabletop RPGs to heal trauma, build connections, and create positive spaces. It’s about leading with compassion at the gaming table and using the hobby to give back. From small local charities to suicide prevention, learn how you can make a difference through something you love. See how gaming can transform lives.

0:00 Introduction
01:37 Interview: Connor Self
42:11 Patreon Showcase & closing

Manually captioned. Transcript available at our website.

Conner Self Links

• Webpage: https://thehealerdm.carrd.com/ 
• Socials: @TheHealerDM
• D8 Summit: https://d8summit.org , email [email protected] 
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness https://nami.org 
• Become mental health first aid qualified. Search for resources local to you on Google.
• Reach out to people 24-7. Text “helpline” to 62640, or call/text 988
• The Word Refinery (to learn more about what we do, and Koboa): https://thewordrefinery.org 

Wyrmworks Publishing

• The Lair: https://cutt.ly/LairYT 
• Get weekly updates: http://wyrmworkspublishing.com/hoard 
• Wyrmworks Publishing: http://wyrmworkspublishing.com

D&D is turn-based, but there comes a point when you can’t wait any longer and take action.

I was one of the mods over at r/disabled_dungeons, and we had a promise to keep. If Reddit didn’t change its ways, I vowed to find a new alternative community for everyone there, and if I couldn’t find one, I’d create one. Well, the time has come.

Reddit’s Accessibility Puzzle

This past summer, Reddit made changes, like setting an impossible cost on their API, which basically banished many third-party Reddit apps. Some of these apps were like magic items, offering better accessibility options that made our community more inclusive. In response, like many subs, r/disabled_dungeons went dark (private) in protest. Reddit doubled down and forced many subs to reopen, removing existing owners and mods and replacing them.

Our New Quest on Lemmy

In the face of these challenges, we decided it was time to embark on a new adventure, a quest for a more accessible and inclusive home. We found Lemmy, a federated Reddit alternative that’s more aligned with our values.

At this new community, we encourage people to find what access tools work for them. You can expect the same supportive community there with opportunities to make friends and share your adventures.

Join the Party on Lemmy

We invite you to join us and continue the mission of making TTRPGs accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Your wisdom and insights are our greatest treasures on this journey.

Now, here’s the exciting part. Our Discord remains a private sanctuary for our patrons and the talented freelancers who bring our products to life. But this new community is an open tavern where you can chat about our creations and all the fantastic products from other companies that champion accessibility and representation.

We hope to meet you there.

Link to Disabled Dungeons on Lemmy

We have exciting news! The pre-launch page for Limitless Champions Adventures is live! We’ve got a groundbreaking Kickstarter campaign on the horizon, and here are the top 10 reasons why you should click that “Notify Me” button right away:

1. Historic Inclusivity: Be part of history by supporting the first-ever published collection of D&D Adventures featuring a wide variety of disabilities represented. Join the movement for a more inclusive gaming world! 
   Click here to get notified 👈
2. You get to push the button! Unlike the elevator buttons where you had to take turns with your siblings to push them, you can push this one yourself without waiting! Push it now! Don’t wait your turn! 🔘👈
3. Versatile Adventures: These adventures can be used in any campaign world and at any 5e table. Whether you’re exploring the urban sprawl, braving the arctic tundra, scaling mountain peaks, wandering enchanted forests, or spelunking in dark caves, we’ve got you covered. Now you have my attention!
   
4. Free Adventure for Early Backers! Get a free bonus horror mystery adventure, The Insiders, if you back it for any reward tier within the first 48 hours of launching. I don’t want to miss out!
   
5. There is no 5th reason. Perfect! I like clicking buttons for no reason!
6. Hardcover Book: Get your hands on a beautifully crafted hardcover book filled with gripping narratives and diverse characters. Sounds like a good addition to my game shelf!
7. Cards and Handouts: Dive deeper into the adventures with tarot-sized character and encounter cards and immersive handouts. It’s all about the details! What a great deal! (Catch what I did there? 🃏)
   
8. Digital Options: We’ve got you covered in the digital realm too! Access our adventures in PDF and other accessible digital formats like plain text, audio, and ePub for easy integration into your campaigns, and all copies include downloadable 4K digital maps for every encounter. I am proficient in clicking!
9. Miniature Add-Ons: Enhance your tabletop experience with miniatures available as add-ons, plus links to extra free downloadable STLs or low-cost printed miniatures to complete the adventures. Paint ‘em, display ‘em, and bring your adventures to life! Color me intrigued!
   
10. Inclusion Tips: The book includes a section to help you make your game more accessible and add representation into your game. That alone sounds like a valuable resource!

So, what are you waiting for? Click that “Notify Me” button, join our quest for limitless adventures, and help us make gaming more inclusive than ever before!

Yes! I like pushing people’s buttons! 😏