There’s an Elder Scrolls tabletop RPG scenario that’s called Elsweyr and after some pretty harsh accusations of plagiarism, it has been removed.
This was reportedly planned as a promotion for an upcoming expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online and it seems that it shared a lot of similarities with a 2016 Dungeons & Dragons adventure: The Black Road, written by Paige Leitman and Ben Heisler, as GameSpot reported.
The online publication brings up Ars Technica which reported that Bethesda posted the adventure citing work from Bethesda Netherlands.
This was slammed by the community and it even gained the attention of Leitman, notes GameSpot.
She posted a now-deleted Facebook thread which was highlighting the similarities between the texts.
Bethesda pulled the scenario after all these accusations.
“We have pulled a previously shared ESO tabletop RPG adventure while we investigate the source,” a Bethesda rep told GameSpot.
“Thank you to those who reached out with concerns.”
Also, the studio tweeted a response to the allegations, and you can check out their tweet below.
Thanks again to everyone who highlighted the issue of alleged plagiarism in relation to the ESO Elsweyr tabletop RPG promotion. Our intention had been to create and give away a unique Elsweyr inspired scenario that could be played within any popular tabletop RPG rule set. (1/3)
— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) May 9, 2019
A short comparison between the two scenarios
GameSpot offers a clear example of the alleged plagiarism.
The two scenarios, The Black Road and Elsweyr, are almost identical. Here’s a passage from The Black Road:
“There’s nothing like the desert to make people feel small and insignificant. In every direction, huge dunes roll across the landscape, and an even bigger sky looms above. The oasis of Vuerthyl is a motley collection of sun-bleached tents in the vast Anauroch desert.”
Now, check out the paragraph from Elseweyr:
“Nothing beats the desert to make people feel small and unimportant. In every direction, enormous dunes roll across the landscape, and an even larger empty air skies above it. The oasis on the border between Cyrodiil and Elsweyr is a colorful collection of sun-drenched tents in the vast desert of Elsweyr.”
After finishing Theatrical Journalism at the Faculty of Theatre and Television in Cluj-Napoca, Rada reviewed movies, books, theatre pieces and she also wrote articles from the IT niche as a content editor for software producers. At the moment, she is working with various online advertising firms.
