Where do orcs really come from? In this episode of the Asians Represent! podcast, Daniel and Drew sit down with Dr. Christopher LeCluyse, a professor of literature, media, and writing at Westminster University to discuss his new book, Race & Monstrosity in Dungeons & Dragons.

Chris' work traces how depictions of “monstrous races” in the game are rooted in more than 2,000 years of history and how these influences continue to shape how race functions in the game. From ancient Greek descriptions of headless monsters to J.R.R. Tolkien's hierarchy of fantasy beings, this episode maps a clear picture of how real-world racial stereotypes became embedded in the DNA of fantasy gaming.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions of racism, colonialism, violence, and the portrayal of monstrous races in fantasy media.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Tolkien and Gygax "inherited", rather than invented, racial frameworks

• The parallel between the drow "evil black matriarchy" trope and the concurrent rise of the "welfare queen" stereotypes in American politics

• How race and power are manifested in early AD&D rules

• How 5th edition D&D's revised rules represent real progress, and where that work is still incomplete

• Alternative design approaches that deconstruct essentialism and gives players narrative agency over their ancestry

Check out Race & Monstrosity in Dungeons & Dragons when it comes out next month - https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/race-and-monstrosity-in-dungeons-dragons/. If your local book store doesn't have it, ask them to order it!

//SUPPORT Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for exclusive audio and series! https://www.patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR Adventure Dice is your Canadian source for RPG dice, role-playing game accessories, and other tabletop gaming goodies. Head to adventuredice.ca and use code AZNSREPRESENT for 10% off your entire order! Check out WANDERING BLADES, a wuxia tabletop RPG of hyper-violent melodrama, at wanderingblades.com //FOLLOW Website: *aznsrepresent.carrd.co* Blue Sky: *@aznsrepresent* Discord server: *https://discord.gg/8dVxuT85* Podcast Back Catalog: https://pod.link/1429004408 //CONTACT If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com //MUSIC

Euphoria by PAVALON

Daniel is heading to Europe! In this pre-vacation episode, Daniel and Drew catch up on everything gaming, food, and pop culture before Daniel goes radio silent for a few weeks.

Daniel shared details about his trip, from completing a pilgrimage to Warhammer World to visiting the spectacular Pena Palace in Lisbon!

In this episode:

• Daniel's full Warhammer World trip plan — and why he's sprinting to the door when it opens

• Street Fighter Miniatures Game deep dive

• Video game adaptations - Fallout season 2, Arcane season 2, Devil May Cry, and Splinter Cell on Netflix

• Patron Q&A - including a deep dive into British regional food

This is the last NDMP before Daniel's big trip. Follow along on the Asians Represent Bluesky (@AZNSRepresent) and YouTube channel for trip shorts!

//SPONSOR  Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Bluesky | @aznsrepresent 

YouTube | youtube.com/@aznsrepresent

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Episode 42 of No Dice, No Problem is here! In this episode, Daniel and Drew catch up after a break, talk about burnout and rediscovering the joy of gaming (without making content), and dive into everything from tabletop gaming tournaments to grinding Overwatch.

Daniel shared his new game journaling system, recent experiences at Pokémon and Gundam card game events, and teased his new tabletop skirmish game STRIKE/POSE - a model kit game where posing your models actually matters! Drew pitched a wild game idea for a psychic extraction shooter TTRPG!

//SPONSOR  Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Twitter | @aznsrepresent 

Twitch | @aznsrep 

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this powerful episode of Asians Represent, Daniel sat down with Dr. Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum, to explore the overlooked history of Chinese Canadians during the Second World War and how their service became a turning point in the fight for equal rights in Canada. Recorded during a visit to Vancouver last summer, this conversation dives into the museum’s permanent exhibition, A Soldier for All Seasons, and reflects on the legacy of Chinese Canadian veterans who volunteered to serve a country that denied them the right to vote. Learn about A Soldier for All Seasons: https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/exhibitions/a-soldier-for-all-seasons Watch "Nitro": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE3ISzalVuo *//SUPPORT* Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for exclusive audio and series! https://www.patreon.com/aznsrepresent *//SPONSOR* Adventure Dice is your Canadian source for RPG dice, role-playing game accessories, and other tabletop gaming goodies. Head to adventuredice.ca and use code AZNSREPRESENT for 10% off your entire order! Check out WANDERING BLADES, a wuxia tabletop RPG of hyper-violent melodrama, at wanderingblades.com Check out Ross Rifles: https://www.dundaswestgames.com/ *//FOLLOW* Website: *aznsrepresent.carrd.co* Blue Sky: *@aznsrepresent* Discord server: *https://discord.gg/8dVxuT85* Podcast Back Catalog: https://pod.link/1429004408 *//CONTACT* If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com

In this second part of our exploration of the art, design, and lore behind Grand Cathay - one of the newest factions in Warhammer: The Old World - artist LJ Koh breaks down the visual storytelling, cultural influences, and creative process behind their iconic look. *//SUPPORT* Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for exclusive audio and series! https://www.patreon.com/aznsrepresent *//SPONSOR* The Asians Represent! podcast is brought to you by HERO FORGE! Visit ⁠⁠HeroForge.com ⁠⁠to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week! Adventure Dice is your Canadian source for RPG dice, role-playing game accessories, and other tabletop gaming goodies. Head to adventuredice.ca and use code AZNSREPRESENT for 10% off your entire order! Check out WANDERING BLADES, a wuxia tabletop RPG of hyper-violent melodrama, at wanderingblades.com *//YOUTUBE* https://youtube.com/aznsrepresent?sub_confirmation=1 New Videos Every Other Week! *//FOLLOW* Website: *aznsrepresent.carrd.co* Blue Sky: *@aznsrepresent* Discord server: *https://discord.gg/aznsrepresent* *//CONTACT* If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com

In this new year's episode of the Asians Represent podcast, Daniel and Drew reflect on 2025, answer listener questions, and share their plans for the year ahead! They discussed lessons learned from the past year, behind the scenes production talk, and thoughts on community building and what listeners can expect next from Asians Represent!

*Daniel and Drew are VERY excited about episode 109. *//SUPPORT* Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for exclusive audio and series! https://www.patreon.com/aznsrepresent *//SPONSOR* The Asians Represent! podcast is brought to you by HERO FORGE! Visit ⁠⁠HeroForge.com ⁠⁠to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week! Adventure Dice is your Canadian source for RPG dice, role-playing game accessories, and other tabletop gaming goodies. Head to adventuredice.ca and use code AZNSREPRESENT for 10% off your entire order! Check out WANDERING BLADES, a wuxia tabletop RPG of hyper-violent melodrama, at wanderingblades.com *//YOUTUBE* https://youtube.com/aznsrepresent?sub_confirmation=1 New Videos Every Other Week! *//FOLLOW* Website: *aznsrepresent.carrd.co* Blue Sky: *@aznsrepresent* Discord server: *https://discord.gg/aznsrepresent* *//CONTACT* If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com

Back from a long break, Daniel and Drew catch up on recent experiences with the grimdark skirmish game TRENCH CRUSADE! Daniel also interviewed games illustrator Gio about their experiences at the first EVER Canadian Gundam Card Game regionals!

//SPONSOR 

Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HeroForge.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week.

Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Twitter | @aznsrepresent 

Twitch | @aznsrep 

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The crew reflect on Drew's first month of graduate school, Daniel's first time doing voice over work, and of course...fan questions! All on this episode of No Dice, No Problem!

Scorched Basin Kickstarter campaign (Daniel gets paid for his voice over work based on the number of backers who uses this link): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/homieandthedude/scorched-basin?ref=bvpuq1

Support the launch of Daniel's wuxia TTRPG Wandering Blades here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonyatplusoneexp/wandering-blades⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

//SPONSOR 

Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HeroForge.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week.

Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Twitter | @aznsrepresent 

Twitch | @aznsrep 

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Summer's (nearly) over! Drew discussed going back to grad school while Daniel shared his experiences playing at a Pokémon World Championship store tournament as a new player. Plus, they answered questions from awesome Patreon supporters of the Asians Represent podcast!

-

Support the launch of Daniel's wuxia TTRPG Wandering Blades here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonyatplusoneexp/wandering-blades⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

//SPONSOR 

Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HeroForge.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week.

Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Twitter | @aznsrepresent 

Twitch | @aznsrep 

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fresh from a trip to Vancouver, Daniel shared his experiences visiting the Chinese Canadian Museum, cancelling a group jubensha experience, the Burnaby Crystal Mall food court, and more!

-

Support the launch of Daniel's wuxia TTRPG Wandering Blades here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonyatplusoneexp/wandering-blades⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

//SPONSOR 

Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HeroForge.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week.

Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Twitter | @aznsrepresent 

Twitch | @aznsrep 

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠

Daniel and Drew continue their discussion about KPop Demon Hunters, the Gundam Card Game, and the state of TCG prices in local game stores.

-

Support the launch of Daniel's wuxia TTRPG Wandering Blades here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonyatplusoneexp/wandering-blades⁠⁠⁠⁠

//SPONSOR 

Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HeroForge.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week.

Fans of Asians Represent and No Dice, No Problem can head to ⁠⁠adventuredice.ca⁠⁠ for 10% off the entire store with code AZNSREPRESENT!

//FOLLOW 

Website | aznsrepresent.com 

Twitter | @aznsrepresent 

Twitch | @aznsrep 

Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Bluesky

//CONTACT 

If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠



//MUSIC

Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠