The complicated labor behind voicing diverse D&D characters
Some players feel apprehensive, other overburdened, when portraying minority cultures at the table.
“I don't think I’m good enough at accents to make it sound believable,” said Madeleine Clermont, a tabletop gamer for over a decade. “And not make everyone giggle at how silly I would sound.”
Madeleine likes to try new classes and concepts each time she plays Dungeons & Dragons to live out new experiences. “While my playgroup is a diverse group, none of us use accents when we play,” she said. She still uses character voices, but her group keeps it simple — gruff voices for orcs, softer for elves. “I don’t think anyone in my group is confident enough in their skills, but I don’t think I would mind if they tried! It’s all in good fun and in the spirit of roleplaying. Plus, I trust that they wouldn’t do it with ill intent.”
Like most playgroups, they came together because they trust each other. They know everyone is here first and foremost to have fun. Even so, every D&D table and its players have their own preferences and unwritten rules. Some keep their playbooks handy to reference as gospel, while others eschew rules-as-written entirely and make their own way. Even the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide recommends this in the section 'Every DM is Unique’. “You’ll be most successful,” it reads, “if you choose a play style that works best for you and your players.”
And some of those assumed rules underline the voices players feel comfortable bringing to play.
We see expert voice actors deftly using dialects in online play, but they don’t reflect the majority experience. In their home games, players express hesitance to use character voices at all, much less accents – in a phenomenon similar to the infamous “Matt Mercer Effect.” While players agree anecdotally that getting into character enriches the roleplay, putting that into action is fraught with social pressures and anxieties.
Portraying a wide array of cultures isn't so easy for small playgroups. It might require playing characters of a different race than your own. Some white players told me this puts them in an uncomfortable position. They say there's a fine line between inclusion and appropriation when it comes to character voices. Meanwhile, minority players can feel forced into a corner. Adding diversity to our fictional worlds shouldn't be their job to do alone.
