Issue #010: CRIT-ical Controversy at Gencon

Why a popular TTRPG award show was forced to cancel its in-person event at one of the biggest gaming conventions in the United States, and how it could lead to a boycott.

CRIT-ical Controversy at Gencon

The Creator Recognition in TTRPG (or CRIT) Awards has been the target of a significant amount of controversy this week after their decision to take a stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict led to them no longer hosting their physical award show at one of the biggest tabletop RPG conventions in the United States.

The CRIT Awards, which offers recognition to RPG authors, actual-play creators and a number of other elements of the industry, published a statement on June 14 stating that any members who hold pro-Zionist views will not be eligible for nomination and that it was updating its Code of Conduct to reflect this change.

The term Zionism has become a hot-button issue this year in light of the Hamas-Israel war, in part because it holds a number of different interpretations and has sparked significant unrest on college campuses and across the country. Some claim the term is antisemitic, others don’t. I’m not an expert on any of this, so for the sake of simplicity, we’ll assume Zionism refers to the role that the Israeli government holds with regard to residents in Palestine and the lengthy history of conflict between the two nations. Pro-Zionism supports the government’ss actions there, and anti is opposed to the unethical conduct of the government.

But back to the CRIT Awards. The updated Code of Conduct led to several reports of harassment from creators and from the leaders. This led to a flurry of videos and responses claiming that CRIT Awards was “Woke,” according to Rascal News. Several pro-Zionist accounts on Twitter/X responded to Crit Award and Gencon posts accusing them of antisemitism. Creators reported being contacted via email and urged to step away from the Crit Awards due to its anti-Zionist positioning; a notion that some people argue is antisemitic.

This escalated until June 24, when the Crit Awards issued a statement that they would “be unable to return to Gencon for its 2024 event due to safety concerns.”

The decision was not one made lightly by the Awards. Gencon was the one who forced the Crit Awards to cancel its physical event due to safety concerns, according to a post on the Awards’ Discord (I was unable to verify this claim myself due to the Crit Awards’ Discord being locked down amid all the online harassment. Critical Hit News reached out to the awards’ organizer to confirm.)

Hundreds of creators and award recipients have spoken out in solidarity for the Awards, with a number claiming that they intend to boycott the event.

Gencon did not respond to a request for comment from Critical Hit News.

With the conference only 40 days away, it’s unclear if these events will impact the conference’s bottom line or if Gencon will change its policy on the matter in the time to come. The CRIT Awards has promised a digital event, but the details appear to still be in development.

UPDATE: Rascal News was able to get a statement from CRIT Awards about the event but did not confirm if Gencon was directly involved in telling CRIT to cancel the event. They merely thanked all of their supporters and encouraged others to not harass those who do choose to attend Gencon instead of boycott it.

Game Deals

1. Big Bad Con, one of the newer gaming conventions on the circuit, is raising funds for its upcoming 2024 conference through a partnership with DriveThruRPG. Two bundles are currently available for $20 each. One offers rules and texts for Fallout, The Expanse and other TTRPGs while the other offers novels set in a number of familiar universes.

2. If you’re looking for a chance to play an iconic Call of Cthulhu campaign, the classic Horror on the Orient Express is currently on sale for 33% off.

THIS WEEK IN TTRPGS:

• Wizards of the Coast is slowly releasing new details about the 2024 update to Dungeons and Dragons, from new mechanics to updated class stats. I detail a lot of the new class options in my latest piece for The Fandomentals. I’m intrigued by the new character design options, but I really want to give them a spin in a game before offering anything more meaningful than “This looks neat.”

• Free RPG Day was last Saturday. Hopefully you got a chance to visit your local gaming store and get some goodies. Lots of goodies, from a toy-themed Pathfinder game to a Humblewood adventure.

• There was also Free VTT Day, a new event hosted by Alchemy RPG on Monday/Tuesday that offered a number of free maps, soundboards, stats and more for folks who wish to use Alchemy RPG for their online TTRPG needs.. It’s an interesting gesture that I honestly do hope other VTTs will also run as well. If not, it very well could help Alchemy bridge the competition gap.