D&D’s Spelljammer reboot will require some very specific content warnings

polygon.com:

Dungeons & Dragons’ reboot of the fanciful Spelljammer setting is arguably the most highly anticipated tabletop RPG release of the year (followed closely by Dragonlance). Fans have been waiting for decades to revisit the place between the stars, and the new three-volume set titled Spelljammer: Adventures in Space will be out on Aug. 16. But beware: The module contains a couple of items — including enemies — that Dungeon Masters may want to adjust or avoid entirely when playing with their regular group.

[Content warning: This article images of clowns and spiders.]

In addition to Spelljammer’s hippo-folk (giff) and other astral oddities, the setting is also home to a particularly dangerous band of ultra-violent clowns. If you choose to look closely at the image above, you can see their pale faces leering from the shadows.

“What we’re looking at here is a modified space galleon,” creative director Chris Perkins said during a recent press preview event. “They’ve put a big klaxon horn on the bow and they’ve got a pie-flinging catapult on the aft-castle.”

Perkins said that the addition of maniacal space clowns — a nod to the 1980s cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space — isn’t meant to trigger anyone’s phobias. Far from it; these “whimsical” critters are actually there to provide a bit of comic relief, “a counterpoint for some of the more serious elements in the setting” which includes elements of “cosmic horror.” But if you have someone in your group with a serious clown issue, then you’ll need to steer away from this particular encounter. Of course, a good DM should know their players’ hot-button topics well ahead of time after having established clear boundaries during a pre-game chat, commonly called session zero.

Ano