Wyrmwood’s reaction to claims of sexual abuse provokes condemnation

Trigger Warning: This post and video deal with sexual assault. The video is not easy to watch.

Update: 24 Feb 2023 – Wyrmwood has pulled their ‘reaction’ video and published an apology update.

Update: 24 Feb 2023 – The update ends, and the original post follows.

Woodcrafting tabletop company Wyrmwood has released a YouTube video to respond to sexual abuse allegations. It’s been criticised for being insensitive and turning a horrible subject into a media content production, while others have appreciated the transparency.

Wyrmwood’s video shows the team around the table, voices raised, recapping the allegations and how well (or not) the team dealt with the situation. Towards the end, there’s a discussion about getting the police involved.

Wyrmwood frequently makes high-impact videos, generally to sell stuff and promote Kickstarters. It’s the style and approach when applied to something as terrible as sexual assault, that’s upset many.

Lysa Penrose, a familiar face in the tabletop RPG scene, shared on Twitter how the video talked them from having some sympathy for Wyrmwood, to being horrified by their approach.

Wyrmwood has been reacting to the community feedback and updating its response. A 4-page PDF dated the 22nd is available from Google Drive.

Drew Grant, who writes for sites like Fangoria, and with over 10,000 Twitter followers was crystal clear. Wyrmwood has lost a customer.

Last week, Geek Native tracked the hottest Kickstarter season since records began and Wyrmwood Modular Gaming Table is the engine behind those stats.

The company is asking for $1m to fund the clever table, has over 6,000 backers and over $1.7m in pledges.

Kicktraq does not yet show backers cancelling their pledges, although some surely have. The data shows funding for the project drawing to a halt, but that’s common for a campaign like this, with the next burst likely in the final hours.

Importantly, while this controversy sparks reactions from a community, and a crisis impacting a company, the allegations make public the horrible and life alternating experiences people suffer. I concede to claims of hypocrisy by writing about such a terrible situation while looking at how people are discussing the very same situation in public.