Our group has just made the change from 3.5 to Pathfinder and we're about to start one of the adventure paths, Rise of the Runelords. We're all really happy with the new system and are very keen to start playing.
We recently got a player, who was long term but went overseas for a year, to come back to the group. He is a decent player but is insisting on playing a female character. This does not sit well with the rest of our group who are all male.
My problem is I took a lot of time to convince him to join our group and now the rest of the group are grumbling about him. So, I have to come up with a way to get every one focused on the game rather than his character.
Has anyone dealt with a situation like this before? Has anyone had experiences with males who primarily play females? Do males playing females always mean trouble? Anyone ever encountered a good example of this?
Sorry for all the questions, but I am trying to find a solution to this problem.
|
In my experience, this has never really caused an issue. I play female characters from time to time, and am male, and I have someone who was in my regular group at one point who always played a female character no matter what. Here's the thing, though. Are they playing them as an actual character, or as more of a charicature of a female of whatever species there are? I think that's where the distinction is. Regardless, I don't see it as any different than playing an elf or a dwarf or whatever. Why is playing a different gender any different than playing a different species?
All I can tell you is that in our home group of eight we have the following.
Male 1. Plays male and female characters about equally and is engaged to ...
Female 1. Who plays exclusively female characters so far.
Male 2. Who plays male characters and is engaged to ...
Female 2. Who plays male and female characters.
Male 3. Who plays male characters live, but runs a female pbp character and is married to me.
Female 3. Who plays both about equally.
Male 4 is our son, who's 14 and plays male characters pretty much exclusively.
Female 4 who plays female characters pretty much exclusively.
Female 2 plays an extremely tough dwarf fighter, Male 1 plays a female elf, I play a male drow rogue and am about to launch a male warlord when my female shifter cleric retires. To be honest, I don't think any of us have considered that playing an opposite sex character would even be an issue.
It does depend on your game. As noted, we play with my son and our role play does not tend towards the romantic or sexual. He, mind you, is the one whose character developed a mad crush on Nualia in Rise of the Runelords. It didn't stop him turning her to chowder after she tried to dominate him and chop his head off.
Can I ask what difference it makes whether he plays a male, female, or outer Calathumpian? I am just trying to get my head around what the group would be objecting to...
|
I don't think there's anything inherently disastrous about a man playing a female character. It largely depends on the person. As said above, it annoys me when men want to play a charicature of woman and turn the whole character into a big joke. On the other hand, it annoys me when people want to play elves, dwarves, half-orcs, etc. as joke characters. It has a lot more to do with the person's role-playing style. I've known men who've played female characters very successfully. And others, not so successfully.
If I may ask you a response question, why does your group have a problem with this? Would they grumble about playing with a woman who wanted to play a female character? Do they know something about this player? Maybe they know he will not take it seriously? Or maybe they're worried he's taking it too seriously? Maybe they just don't want women involved? Does his character concept not fit in with the others?
How you solve this problem will depend on what their problem is.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
|
I play a lot of female characters and aside from a little ribbing from the other guys in my group (who pretty much all play males except for one or two occasionally dipping into females - our group is up to 10 people) noone has a problem with it.
If you have a look at my profile, you can see that out of 31 Characters (all of them are either PbP characters or characters for other games) for D&D (Pathfinder), d20 Modern and Star Wars Saga, 20 of them are Female, with the remaining 11 Male. I'd say that I probably play about 70/30 (%) Female/Male Characters.
To me it depends on the Character itself. I am a very Character driven player; I build a Character, not a set of Stats and to me the Race/Sex of the Character is an important aspect of character creation.
That said, I do see playing a female as a bit of a challenge and that is one of the reasons I tend to favour them.
|
There may be bigger issues than cross-playing at hand. Are there any other issues the players have with each other? ... In any case, cross-playing is a normal part of the game. I have a female player who loves playing males. I'll occasionally play a female character just for variety, but I've always played in mixed groups. Ask your players what makes cross-playing such an uncomfortable proposition for them? What's the difference between a racial and gender choice? Would they be uncomfortable if someone played a gay character? Issues of sexuality can sometimes get in the way at the table. If you make it clear you have no intention of making gender and sexuality an issue in your game, then they shouldn't either. A players should respect other's character choice, since everyone is there to pretend to be someone they're not.
The real problem is that it is upsetting the rest of the playing group.
I do not know why that would be upsetting.
Each of these are valid reasons for them to be concerned, and are things that it would be good to discuss before character creation.
As so many have stated before, you need to tell us why the other players have a problem with it. Otherwise, I see no problem. I'm playing a female character in a PBP on these boards, and another player and I have even hinted at a possible romantic subplot in the future which might prove to be fun and interesting. What's the objection?
I have a player who declared in our first session:
"My character is a beautiful blonde with huge t~%#. She's a lesbian."
My dreams of running an immersive roleplay-heavy game shrivelled on the spot.
Pity I live in a country with very few players.
"My character is a beautiful blonde with huge t!%~. She's a lesbian."
Yes, now Judge_Jack, if your player said something like THAT, THEN we would understand your problem. That's the sort of thing you need to tell us.
I thought that anyone who'd played for more than a couple of years would at some point play a character of the opposite sex...
I've done it and so have most players I've met.
it's never been an issue.
why would the rest of group complain?
GRU (puzzled)
|
I have not directly encountered this problem, however I have some players who are discreetly bothered/confused by other males in our group who play female characters although they would never mention the topic openly. I believe they are bothered by the breaking of strong societal gender roles and personally, I think this hints at some mild sexism and/or homophobia.
Some players narrowly define a character solely as an extension of their own personality and inner desire to be something they cannot be in real life. For them, it's very personal and this is expressed by playing the big, brute soldier crushing all opposition or the handsome rogue who flirts with and is popular with the ladies. Other players define role-playing broadly, seeing it as a chance to explore different perspectives, whether that's another race, culture, time period, or in this case, gender. For these players, playing a female just makes for a better story because it's more "real" or interesting. However, when the first group encounters someone from the second, they assume the player has the same motivations they do, i.e., to express an inner desire. They are uncomfortable with the idea that a male would identify with a female in the same, very personal way they identify with their male characters. They don't see their PC as a character but rather as part of them.
If you explain that role-playing can be seen in a broader light that might help them understand a bit more. It's no different than a male author who writes female characters in novel, or playing a female character in a video game. The reason many authors achieve success is because they can write interesting, believable characters of different genders NOT because they stick to an all-male cast. J.K. Rowling, a female, writes for a leading character that is a boy, George R. R. Martin has several strong female characters in his Song of Ice & Fire series, Red Sonja was created by two males... the list goes on and on.
The bigger question is why does gender provoke such a strong reaction? How does a change in gender really affect the game, the story, or their PC? Do they lose XP, gold, combat effectiveness, NPC effectiveness, or any thing else because of it? If a player is secure in his own identity why would it matter if someone played another gender, race, age, nationality, culture, etc?
I'm curious to know if your group would have a similar problem if this was a female player playing a male character.
Does it make a difference if a male plays a female or female plays a male...Its fantasy after all. Besides it makes for interesting role play. In an all male group which mine is there will always be some good natured joking around if one of us plays a female, especially if you have some alien race like Githyanki, but thats part of the fun. I find it interesting how a person can develop a character that is opposite of gender. How would a woman play a half-orc male, and how would a male play a female drow.
You are missing a point though.
The fact is that it is bothering them, wheither it should or not isn't the issue.
What needs to happen is figuring out why it bothers them.
I DM my own campaign and play in another.
In both campaigns there are 3 male players and 1 female, and in both campaigns there are 2 male characters and 2 female characters. It's not the same players in both games and not the same people choosing characters of a different gender either.
I've only ever played male characters, but don't have a problem with people playing a character of a different gender. Why would I? Why would anyone? The idea of a roleplaying game is that you play a role of a character, why limit your character choices?
With the greatest respect to your players I think that this comes down to misunderstanding at best, or lack of maturity at worst. Like most of the other posters I'd be keen to know exactly what the objection(s) would be.
Without knowing the source of discomfort it really is hard to answer, but like most people who have replied, I'm confused. I've been playing RPGs for 25+ years and normally play male characters. Sometimes, a character concept simply demands to be female, and I have played a handful of those over the years as have most of those I have gamed with. Never had it cause a stir amongst the other players.
My first Generic Suggestion™ is that the other players get over it and just play the game. If that is for some reason simply impossible, the second Generic Suggestion™ is that the player just play a male character and get over it.
Lotsa help, aren't I? ;-)
I have been playing for a few years and I have had guys play female charecters alot.
What was ammusing is that the big burly marine was playing a small asian girl that ran around in a catholic school girls outfit( anime junkie)This guy was a total hetro,skirt chaseing guy but loved playing female charecters because of all the cool concepts he saw in anime.
Another instance was where a guy used a female charecter as a spymaster to get over on the module and the DM because he was able to make the roles and seduce the info we needed early.
The funny part is I play male charecters exclusivly because I have no understanding if the female mindset.
The hetro guys in the group can role play women because they deal with them all the time.
In charecter we actually got into an argument over whether this guys female paladin was ready and he kept saying almost then went on about the dress,make-up choices(granted it was a formal event that was make or break for the story line)etc and finally in charecter I said"hurry up you slow ass B.." He went all pouty lipped and started saying that a lady would never,ever go out without her hair and make-up being perfect. Then the rest of the group just died laughing because the straight, 2 tour in Iraq, one in afganistan marine was telling the gay guy that he couldn't go out with out his hair and make-up being perfect. Then we busted out laughing too.
I would ask the other members of your group why it bothers them so much. I have only played male charecters but some of those have been madmen, homosexually inclined rapists and anyother evil type that fit the campaign but none of it was anything I would do it's simply roleplaying something very far removed from yourself.
The currnt charecter is a real challenge for me and my DM actually complimented me on my Neu-Good cleric of pelor being all nice and kind. He really didnt think I could do it. He even had a back-up plan in place for when I violated my alignment,ethos,etc and went evil.
Fantasy roleplaying is about being something removed from yourself and haveing fun.
Then we get to kick in the door,kill the monsters and loot the room.
Put me in the "I don't understand why this is a big deal" camp.
Does your gaming group also always play humans because in real life they're not a dwarf, elf, or gnome?
For the record, I have a male player who plays a female, usually does play female characters. He plays them very well and he has fun. We play our characters (I usually play women--my gender--but sometimes I play men) and we have fun.
As long as someone isn't portraying a gender or ethnicity demeaningly--regardless of the identity of the player--then let the roleplay begin and have some fun. That's what it's all about.
If you're really uncomfortable about it, then it says more about you than the other player. Look at your own comfort zones and prejudices and try to figure out where this is coming from. I don't mean to say this accusatorily--this kind of thing is VERY hard to word--so if I offend, I sincerely apologize. Different people are in different places about their own personal gender and sexual identities, so maybe seeing someone who is more comfortable with who they are is than maybe some others in their group is making the others feel threatened. And they shouldn't be--understand that he's in a different place than the others are and try to move on. I'd challenge your group to keep going and see if your discomfort allays itself as the rest of the group settles into the idea.
Now, if the person playing the woman is playing the woman as a caricature, as others said, that's entirely a different issue and you need to talk to him about it. The point in either case is to be as respectful as possible.
|
I'm with the others on two points. One is it's not a big deal to me. My group has a few players that actually roll dice to determine the gender of their characters. Second, I would like to know more about why this bothers the rest of your group so I can give you good advice rather than quaint generalities.
|
|
"My character is a beautiful blonde with huge t!%~. She's a lesbian."Yes, now Judge_Jack, if your player said something like THAT, THEN we would understand your problem. That's the sort of thing you need to tell us.
Or if they showed up with a picture cut out of a p)rn magazine and says "this is my character," like I had a player do with every character he ever made.
|
As a dungeonmaster I play both male and female characters. Why shouldn't players be able to do the same? lol Players are entitled, and should if they have not done so, to play either. It doesn't, and shouldn't, matter.
However, issues WILL arise if any of the following occur:
>IF the player is disrespecting women
>IF the players are disrespecting the female character just because the PC is female
>IF the player has issues with women
>IF the players have issues with either women, or their own masculinity
>IF the dungeonmaster portreys the role of the female character in a way that promotes any of the previous
>IF any player is too immature to handle a male player playing a female role
There may be other issues....
>I agree with the above post that suggested you discover the underlying issue... good luck.
EDIT: one more: IF you live in a country that subjugates women, or where men do not allow women to participate in most societal functions.
I a player has an issue with playing a female character, or with another player playing a female character, then maybe there is something about roleplaying games that he didn't understand.
|
|
I've never understood the problem people have with this. We're all trying to role-play, and trying to effectively play a female elf is just as challenging and no weirder than pretending to be a male dwarf. Personally unless the male/female player is being offensive, I really think trying to get the others to understand this is not unusual or somehow an affront to their masculinity is your best bet.
In full disclosure, I have a female cleric/bard I've been playing for over 10 years in our main D&D campaign. I also DM a lot and constantly have to play female characters, to which nobody complains.
Sometimes it goes a little awry though. Last night one of my two male players who is playing a female character announced, "well I guess I'm a lesbian." He had just rolled a percentile less than 10% to check. I guess it's better than bringing a picture from a porno mag and stating the same thing.
My all male group tends to run male characters but we mix in a few females as well. Not much of an issue for us, but we don't seem to succeed in the role playing vs. roll-playing arena anyways. Is it the role playing aspect that has your group uncomfortable? Or simple bias?
I'm with everyone else on this. Why do they have a problem with a male playing a female?
Unless it's because the player is playing the character with a negative stereotype (which, by your post, is impossible, since it seems you guys haven't started yet), then it sounds like plain sexism to me. (In my opinion, being uncomfortable with your own or someone else's sexuality, or perceived sexuality, is pretty much a symptom of sexism. If they weren't sexist and saw females as equals, then they wouldn't have a problem with a male exhibiting female traits.)
Having played male and female characters, as DM and player, I really don't see why this is an issue.
But I will say that you can occasionally learn interesting things about people. I had a woman playing in my Cyberpunk game back in college. She decided to play a gay male helicopter pilot. Had fun with it too. The following year, she came out of the closet much to our surprise considering her apparent enthusiasm about previous hetero relationships. I have kind of wondered since then if her Cyperpunk character was an outward manifestation that she was thinking about her sexual identity a lot more than anybody knew.
I have one question in common with a lot of other people and some that I didn't see asked. However, I did not read every post...
1. Why does it bother the other players?
2. Why does the character in question "insist" (the OP's word) on playing a female?
3. The OP both stated that this player was returning to the group and asked if people had the experience of dealing with male players who primarily played female characters. This makes me curious as to whether or not this same individual player did so in the past with this particular group of player.
4. Since these players have played before and (I would assume that they)know this returning player, did they have any group annoyances in the past? Related to the returning player?
5. Will the one post poster who created this thread actually return to answer our questions?
Now to specifically answer some questions.
Has anyone dealt with a situation like this before?
Nope. Not with people being bothered by someone playing a female character but this particular situation sounds like something more is going on to me.
Has anyone had experiences with males who primarily play females? Do males playing females always mean trouble?
I have played them in the past and played with many guys who at one time or another have played a female but I do not think that I have played with any guys who PRIMARILY play females. I have never seen any trouble from the occasional gender switch.
Anyone ever encountered a good example of this?
A good example of what? A good example of male players not wanting another male player to play a female character or do you mean a good example of a male character playing a female character?
|
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
|
Or if they showed up with a picture cut out of a p)rn magazine and says "this is my character," like I had a player do with every character he ever made.
Funny off topic story.
Anyway, a couple years later, I got curious about the woman who's picture I sniped. Did some digging and found out she was not only a former playmate, but she was a Morris. I was amused.
That said, we don't have an issue at the table, when I had a table.
So, the problem is the fact that this player wrote the word "female" in the gender line of his character sheet?
I'd say that shows a problem with the other players, not the one playing a female character. To have aproblem with that, to me, is simply asinine..
|
|
To Judge_Jack,
Have you asked your players why they have a problem with this? It seems most of the people who have posted agree that knowing why they're upset is paramount to figuring out what to do about it. Without any other information to go on, I say let the guy play his girl. It shouldn't take long to figure out if the player is the problem or the rest of your group are just a bunch of homophobic misogynists. Hail chaos.
I tend to play arcane casters and rogues as female and pretty much everything else as male in fantasy games..in other games I have female scientists and doctors and play male for everything else..I have no problem with people playing against gender at all.
|
|
He is a decent player but is insisting on playing a female character. This does not sit well with the rest of our group who are all male.
My gaming group consists of male, hetero, mostly married, men, so we've all played other genders from time to time (or aliens / constructs / etc. who have no gender, or multiple genders, or stranger stuff). Since we all *like* girls (and live with them, via wives, daughters, etc.), none of us are terribly put off by the prospect of slipping into a female role.
It's much, much easier to roleplay a woman than it is to roleplay an elf, dwarf, gnome, etc. since we are surrounded on a daily basis with about three *billion* examples of how to 'play a girl' while there seem to be less examples of how to play an elf or dwarf running around in the real world. In my experience, once your gaming group has had teh sex and lived with a woman for any length of time, any sense of 'weirdness' about gender roles should fade.
In junior high, I wouldn't have been comfortable with my friends trying that sort of thing (since half of us were immature enough that we would have gone with the big-titted lesbian nymphomaniac, or affected an outrageous squeaky voice or something equally revelatory of our basic ignorance of the fairer sex), but after a few decades of living with women, I'm pretty sure that most men have figured out they aren't actually aliens sent to earth to vex us.
Some character concepts just 'feel' like females to me. Others feel like males. I don't get in the way of the process and go where the muse leads. Since I write fiction, I'd be pretty darn useless if I couldn't write from a female character's perspective, or in her 'voice,' since that would mean that I'd be stuck writing Mack Bolan or Slocum gun-porn novels for the rest of my life...
As a guy, I play female characters quite a bit. I started doing so a long time ago because I wanted the party to actually reflect real life a bit and actually have female characters in it. Nowadays I do it to a) playfully annoy my best friend and b) when a concept I come up with requires it. To be honest I also try to understand the minds of women (I know, I can't win) and find playing as one a challenge. Are they attractive? Usually. Are they there as sex objects? No. Last person to try in-game anything like that got kicked off a bar (female centaur), person before that got energy-drained (alu-fiend). It can also just be fun to be something completely different.
I am usually the GM, which puts me in an odd position. I mean, my job is to play both male and female characters. Without boasting, I try to do so with some sensitivity and without objectifying women.
I also involve some romantic elements in the game, because players like that frankly. Part of doing that well means building a little trust between players and GMs. When I play a female NPC I don't play her for laughs. I never use a player’s desire for a romantic subplot to make fun of the player or their NPC (though if they're crass or crude in character, the NPC reacts accordingly). I also sense when the player might start to feel uncomfortable and then we fade to black. No one has to feel icky or embarrassed. It’s worked really well, and all my straight male players like it.
And it doesn't matter, but I'm a straight married male too. I only offer that for context.
However, as a GM, playing a female character is part of my job.
Now, let me tie that into the actual topic of discussion.
Recently I joined a game as a player with a female PC. People I don't know really well. They were a little uncomfortable with it, and I was getting a lot of lewd jokes. I told them if they were uncomfortable with it, which made them want to make T&A jokes in order to cope with that discomfort, I'd was willing to re-roll another character for their benefit. I was quite pleasant, but I was also honest; I wouldn't be doing it for my benefit- it would be for them. After a few seconds consideration, they said they were cool with it, and the topic has never come up again.
My point is, to the OP, is that the rest of the group should be asked, without humor or sarcasm, to just explain what the problem is. If you want to avoid a confrontation, ask them without the other player present, but don't let them slough it off, or make a joke of it. Just straight up, "Why don't you like it?" And if they can't explain why, then ask how you can be expected to ask the other player not to play their character.
Why should it be the GM's problem? If the other players are uncomfortable they have a responsibility to speak up and take ownership of their feelings. I mean they're all adults right?
The only pitfall to this is that they might actually express their feelings, and then you're stuck with it. Heh. Then you could end up having some decisions to make. On the other hand, you haven't really created a problem, because you already had one. All you've done is gotten your other players to admit to it.
In any case, don't feel you have to be the spokesperson for your players just because you're the GM. If they don't want the other guy to play a female, then don't let them hide behind you.
I wish I could offer an easy solution.
One solution might be some trust building. If the other players can explain that why they're uncomfortable with it, maybe their fears can be relieved. Like, "No one is going to hit on you or infect you with cooties. It's cool."
Finally, like many others have said, "I don't know why this is a problem for them." However, I'm also experienced enough to know that sometimes it is a problem, even when we don't know why.
Hope this helped.
For all those guys who play female characters (and I must admit I do have several female characters in this very messageboard), just be glad we aren't playing 1E, where the max str was 18/01-50 for a female human, and it got worse for other races, he he.
Thankfully that was junked in 2E and now in PF, it is egalitarian in nature, no differences in playing a male or female at all. So it comes down to RP and being able to handle the more *ahem* mature aspects of it.
The funny part is I play male charecters exclusivly because I have no understanding if the female mindset.
The hetro guys in the group can role play women because they deal with them all the time.
Personally, I can't understand ANYONE else, of either gender. The neat thing about creating your own character is that since it's your character, you don't NEED to understand anyone else.
In charecter we actually got into an argument over whether this guys female paladin was ready and he kept saying almost then went on about the dress,make-up choices(granted it was a formal event that was make or break for the story line)etc and finally in charecter I said"hurry up you slow ass B.." He went all pouty lipped and started saying that a lady would never,ever go out without her hair and make-up being perfect. Then the rest of the group just died laughing because the straight, 2 tour in Iraq, one in afganistan marine was telling the gay guy that he couldn't go out with out his hair and make-up being perfect. Then we busted out laughing too.
Dang! I wish I could get in character half that well! Even if it drove the other players crazy...
|
|
From my own experience, I usually get a character idea before I even start rolling the stats out. When my friend wanted to run a Forgotten Realms game based on the Baldur's Gate computer game, we went over what we could pull stuff from. He approved the Samurai class from Complete Warrior and I started thinking about playing a samurai on a quest from Kara-Tur to the Western Heartlands. When working on background, I started building the character as a young warrior who was born poor but 'adopted' by a samurai clan after showing prodigious ability. Somehow, her being female 'fit' her story a lot better.
Later, when playing an Eberron campaign, I went with a Changling. In that case, I was saw the picture for Changlings in the Eberron Campaign setting (this one) and my mind immediately created a fully fleshed out back story for her.
The third female character I've played is the daughter of my first (and still going) character, the male ranger of Mielikki from the longest campaign I'd been a part of. She followed her father's footsteps and originally was created as an NPC for a campaign I was running.
Of course, one of my favorite characters was female. Or male. It was an R2 Astromech droid hacker for a Star Wars game. And he wasn't at all like RD-D2. ;)
|
|
In charecter we actually got into an argument over whether this guys female paladin was ready and he kept saying almost then went on about the dress,make-up choices(granted it was a formal event that was make or break for the story line)etc and finally in charecter I said"hurry up you slow ass B.." He went all pouty lipped and started saying that a lady would never,ever go out without her hair and make-up being perfect. Then the rest of the group just died laughing because the straight, 2 tour in Iraq, one in afganistan marine was telling the gay guy that he couldn't go out with out his hair and make-up being perfect. Then we busted out laughing too.
God I love this game.
Hey, what about male players playing female characters who are trying to pass themselves off as male, and vice-versa?
[sarcasm]Methinks you ought to throw a Helm of Opposite Gender the opposing players' way.[/sarcasm]
But seriously, I agree with pretty much all previous posters.
I am the GM in our group so I'll have to play female characters from time to time. I've only introduced one female npc so far though. In the group we have a female who plays a male gnome. The rest is male/male players.
In my previous group there were one player who constantly played female characters with the exception of 1½ times (the ½ being a character who had no definite form and could morph at will). And there were two players who had a couple of female characters.
I, as a player, have only 'played' a female character once, and I say 'played' because of two things. 1, the character was completely destroyed by the random creation tables in that system, which are optional but the GM didn't read that part of the rules. 2, The GM was a douche and only wanted us to play in his game so he could show of his main characters from previous adventures. We, the players, didn't realy get to play much.
That completely obliterated my desire to try roleplaying a female again for a while after that. But I've been pretty content playing males since then anyway and will probably not try a female character again for a while.
But if someone wants to play a female? Sure. I rarely reject character ideas unless they are deliberately broken, or does not adhere to the guidelines I might set up before starting a campaign. I'm even sort of fine with people playing stereotypical characters as well, no one really has yet though (not counting joke-one-shot-adventures, where booze is often involved).
Creative Director
|
I play female PCs almost exclusively. If I were faced with joining a game where the rest of the players were against that, I'd take that as a red flag that I should find a different group.
It's always been weird to me that folks are cool with GMs playing opposite-gender characters but not players. Or to a lesser degree, the tiny little guy playing a huge hulking PC, or a big giant player who wants to play a gnome or a halfling. Or even more extreme, play a monster as a PC.
Being able to step out of your skin and play a truly different persona is what the game is all about to me. And playing an opposite gender PC is really very fun. Unless you're with a group who isn't mature enough to handle something like that. I'm not saying the OP's group is immature, of course... but I think that if a player really wants to play an opposite gender character and the rest of the group freaks out, that player should probably seek out another game. If the player's someone you and the rest of the group want to game with, you need to look at your own reasons for being weirded out by a transvirtual and put them aside.
Of course, if the player's wanting to play an opposite gender character for creepy or immature reasons, that's an entirely different problem.
|
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
|
It's always been weird to me that folks are cool with GMs playing opposite-gender characters but not players. Or even more extreme, play a monster as a PC.
What about playing a Female Monster PC? ;)
|
|
I'm a little confused as to why it bothers the fellows as well.
That being said though I know personally I have NEVER played a female character. Never wanted to, never going to. I kind of like the fact actually since I'm part of some sort of social minority ... which is kind of weird given the topic ...
Anyway we end up being pretty heavy RPers and in order for me to CARE about whether my character lievs or dies, there's a piece of me that goes into every character I've ever cared about. I guess no where in there is a girl. I never really considered myself not being in touch with a feminine side per say but its never manifested into an female character.
However I also am subject to a bit of abuse myself as someone who refuses to ever play a female character. All of a sudden the people that DO play them seem to have a sudden need to defend themselves. Oh fun times ...
Oh and just for the record, been playing since I was 8 years old and I'm 26 now. 18 years of gaming and still victorious!!
(As a note I do DM and have to play a girl there. And yes ... I do find it different)
The main thing with a character's gender is that you have to sell it. I've played many different kind of women as a GM, from a kind and experienced old woman, to snotty valley girls, to a female thief who stole kisses. Some character concepts require some tweaking to pull off with a woman. The manly warrior becomes the kind of manly woman warrior, the amazon. The commander in chief becomes the ice queen in chief. People don't usually "buy" a more caring military character. Playing to people's expectations can be good, but I've also done a lot of counter-intuitive roles, like a female knight disguising herself as a man not for revenge or the chance to compete, but to escape persecution as a witch. The most caricatured female character I've ever run was a pirate, but she was based on a Capcom character, so caricature guaranteed.
I think we have run out of new points until the OP comes back and lets us know the core problem :(
Roll up! Roll up!
These magical belts grant you a random gender daily; roll a d8:
1-3: Male
4-6: Female
7: both
8: neither
They're on sale now for a mere 10 GP each! Guaranteed to sort out all the gender politics within your gaming party, or your original gender back!
But wait - there's more!
Buy now and you'll also receive this exclusive free gift: The Wig of the Wedding Night!
|
|
SONG: Miss Chin? Why, in the Peking Opera, are women's roles played by men?
CHIN: I don't know. Maybe a reactionary remnant of male -
SONG: No. (beat) Because only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act.
-Act Two, Scene Seven, M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang.
I was actually inspired to read this play by one of the other threads on the Off Topic messageboard; I saw the movie a long time ago, and the only line I remembered from it was that line. It gives me chills thinking of how B. D. Wong performed it.