Orcs have long been seen as one-note villains in a lot of fantasy media, but Dungeons & Dragons’ latest revision is attempting to change this long-standing trope. As any fantasy fan knows, the genre can suffer from a (somewhat ironic) lack of creativity at times. Even today, many fantasy creators cling tightly to genre conventions established by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, which makes any changes, like DnD’s new orcs, feel threatening or unprecedented to some.

That said, DnD is far from the first fantasy property to challenge genre conventions surrounding a traditionally villainous race. Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel, Snuff, for instance, challenges readers to reconsider the mistreatment of goblins. With the growing popularity of Dungeons & Dragons in the last decade, it’s understandable that Wizards of the Coast would want to modernize some of the game’s elements, like the way orcs are depicted.

How D&d...