Though the primary writing for each section was done by one person, each of us had our fingerprints on every page. But for the writing, we felt it best to avoid giving individual credit to each writer - it’s an anthology that had many collaborators, including various editors, rules developers, and consultants. The visual artists received specific credit for their work on the page itself. That’s why we avoided giving individual credit for each section. The team was constantly riffing off of one another, and you can see this from subtle elements in each section that hint or allude to other pieces. There were shared boards, messaging apps, co-working sessions, peer-review rounds, and more.
I used some of the techniques I employ in my full-time work to set up the team for success. The entire project was very collaborative. I always double-checked my choices with my co-lead, but Wes approved all my choices - he was very supportive across the board. I knew a lot of people of color whom I wanted to bring onto the project from my past work organizing mentorships and networking events for Black and Brown people in games, so I had a long list of potential candidates. Simultaneously, I began to work through my list of contacts for potential writers. Those vision docs were instrumental in guiding the writers on the themes and ethos of the book. Once the project was greenlit, I worked with my co-lead, Wes Schneider, and our consultants on vision docs - I had some specific things I wanted to avoid, like centering war as a storyline, and what I wanted to see - like conflict without conquest. So that was part of my pitch - explaining how powerful it would be to open up D&D’s audience to something fresh and new, something that hadn’t been seen before in the fantasy and fiction of D&D. I realized that much of the world’s societies had never been included in D&D - cultures, myths, legends, folklore, politics, history - by writers who came from those areas. GEORGE: I did a lot of research in the pitch phase - scoping out what D&D had covered in the past and what was missing. HIGGINS: Can you say a little about what it was like bringing this book together once the pitch was accepted and you had the green light from D&D? Overall, how did you approach this project in terms of the direction you provided to the creators?ĪJIT A. Higgins, a senior editor for LARB, corresponded with George via email to celebrate the release of Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel and explore its creative genesis.ĭAVID M. He has also organized international collaborative live-action role-playing events, and he is an energetic diversity consultant, speaker, and activist.ĭavid M. As a game creator, he graduated from the Clarion West Writers Workshop, and he has written for a variety of gaming companies such as Bully Pulpit, Thorny Games, and Monte Cook Games. He has spoken for TEDx, the International Monetary Fund, and NPR on topics including education, gender equality, community development, and poverty alleviation.
Outside the gaming world, George is the director of operations for the international nonprofit the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project. George, who served as creator, co–project lead, and co-writer for the book. The visionary behind this project is Ajit A. In addition to the 16 Black and Brown writers who contributed to this groundbreaking adventure anthology, other people of color who contributed to the book include the co–art director, two rules developers, one editor, the marketing director, a multitude of consultants and researchers, and two-thirds of all the artists (including both cover artists). JOURNEYS THROUGH THE RADIANT CITADEL is the first Dungeons & Dragons product of its kind in the game’s nearly 50-year history written entirely by authors of color.
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