RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Not the same, but this reminds me of something that happened when I was playing WOW. I had a female night elf character and fell in with another player doing some quests one night. After awhile he made some comment about my character being "hot" and I said that's why I like to play female night elves. Then it went like this:
Him: You're not really a girl?
Me: Nope.
Him: Oh, I thought you were.
Me: Brace yourself... I'm not really an elf, either.
Tangent!
I was playing in the old usenet newsgroups and one of the other players had outed himself on his web page.
Me: Kind of glad to know, Kyle. I'd wondered but never figured out how to ask.
Him: Matt, I've been playing a gay character for the past two years. You never associated it?
Me: I've been playing a 5'2" blond Russian girl for 5 years. I take nothing for granted based on a character.
I did have her back off a romance with another player's character, because the player was wigged out I was a guy.
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-I'd just like to throw in, I have no interest in my character's sex life at all. It's an adventuring game. I find sex rather mundane, it's like making the bed, or washing the dishes, an everyday event. I can't kill dragons or prevent ancient evil rising from the tomb of a dark god, but I sure can get laid.
As can I. (Shifty-eyes.)
Nah, in reality, I do okay. I'm not Casanova, but I do okay. Our campaigns tend to be very role-play heavy, and I personally prefer to leave the act of sexual intercourse out entirely or downplay it. But orientation and gender identity play a big part in how characters interact with one another. Even if it never comes up in the bedroom sense, it shapes a part of the character's identity and how they will react to the world. The fact it is generally assumed, unless stated otherwise, that every character is heterosexual should indicate this somewhat. (If it was never mentioned, for instance, and at the end you commented in passing that your rogue was gay, I think it would probably surprise a couple of other people at the table. Can we call that Dumbledore Syndrome? Is that a thing? No? I'm making it one. You'd be Dumbledored so freaking hard, man . . . ) And in relation to this as well as:
-In my limited experience with players who played female characters, but were male, it was usually due to some bizarre fetish, a desire to play lesbains with whips, or whores. But as mentioned, I haven't gamed with the best roleplayers.
I have to agree it's less than thrilling for me when people use it as an excuse to air their sexual fantasies. But that's me. (Like I said, I don't mind the romantic or social side, but I do prefer to play down to the actual intercourse.) Some tables are fine with that, and good for them. It's true you can technically have sex in real life, as opposed to killing ancient red dragons, but for some people it gives them a safe outlet to vent or explore what the repercussions of those actions would actually be. In a way it's not that different from playing an evil character, something else that's not entirely without controversy. Like anything, I think there's a mature and an immature way to handle it, and it could feasibly be well done.
Intercourse was decided (humorously) through opposed Perform (Sexual Techniques) vs a Fort Save, and this was only if both players were okay with it. There was only one instance where someone took it too far. This player wanted to run a scene during down time with the ST (this was normal for our game). His description of what he did to one of the NPCs was so graphic that the ST forced the retirement of the character immediately. The ST actually ripped up the guys character sheet in front of him.
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I don't try to do a feminine voice; I just act out the character's dialogue with a softer tone of voice, gestures and posture. Camp is right out; it completely destroys the illusion in the players' minds.
This. I saw an excellent all-male version of Twelfth Night that did what you describe, just using speech mannerisms and details of movement, voices not modulated at all, and after a few minutes it was very easy to forget that the actors playing female roles weren't women.
We weren't like describing the details of things with each other and stuff, it was pure dice rolls, to determine how long the two were going at it. It only came up twice, and that was because the DM wanted to see if there was enough time for an enemy to launch a surprise attack and catch someone without his armor on.
The scenes run outside of game were not all sex scenes. In fact, none of them were other than the one the guy got reprimanded for. Those scenes were simply to say "hey, what is your character up to this week? Will it affect next week's plot?"
I didn't mean to make it sound gross. I apologize.
I've been playing rpg's almost since D&D started, and have seen cross-gender role playing done well most of the time. It's more a matter of the maturity of the group than whether the player with the character can do "voices". I've played female characters many times, though 90% of my characters have been male, but I never try to speak with a female voice. At most I will talk quieter or do a few feminine hand gestures.
Usually I mix my role playing between speaking first person and stating things like, "Sarina says,'They look like trouble'." I find that stating the character's name often helps remind everyone it's a female character.
In fact right now in one of my Pathfinder games I'm playing Estellyn, a female elf rogue, very young (about 15 in human development) an orphan and street urchin who's a kleptomaniac and pathological liar. She's fun to play and drives the party paladin crazy and forces him to role play even more.
The paladin lectures her, or says, "We're not here to steal their silverware, Estellyn!"
And I say, "Estellyn rolls her eyes, and says, 'Of course not. Why do you always expect the worst of me? Is that a paladin thing? Shouldn't you have faith in a person's better nature?"
Then I ask the GM, out of character, "What does the silverware look like it's worth?"
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We weren't like describing the details of things with each other and stuff, it was pure dice rolls, to determine how long the two were going at it. It only came up twice, and that was because the DM wanted to see if there was enough time for an enemy to launch a surprise attack and catch someone without his armor on.
The scenes run outside of game were not all sex scenes. In fact, none of them were other than the one the guy got reprimanded for. Those scenes were simply to say "hey, what is your character up to this week? Will it affect next week's plot?"
I didn't mean to make it sound gross. I apologize.
Different people and groups have different levels of comfort with that. I have been in groups where it was, "I flirt with the stable boy, GM says he flirts back and then you head up stairs ... fade to black" and other groups where it was played out till both was naked and kissing/basic forplay was happening and then fade to black. This at the table.
Though like many one on one scenes, those tend to work better if they are played out between game sessions if extra details are wanted or needed. Usually done by emails or online IM's.
Intercourse was decided (humorously) through opposed Perform (Sexual Techniques) vs a Fort Save, and this was only if both players were okay with it.Just out of curiosity, why was the Perform check opposed?
I may be having a bad memory on the mechanics of it, but it had something to do with chemical reactions.
**EDIT**
I just remembered, it was opposed as in for each 10 minutes each person made a Fort Save against the other person's Perform. Checks were made until the male failed his Fort Save.
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Intercourse was decided (humorously) through opposed Perform (Sexual Techniques) vs a Fort Save, and this was only if both players were okay with it.Just out of curiosity, why was the Perform check opposed?
I took it to mean opposed perform vs fort saves to see who "won" aka lasted the longest and made the other one last the shortest. Though girls should get a big bonus for lasting longer over guys then. :D
We weren't like describing the details of things with each other and stuff, it was pure dice rolls, to determine how long the two were going at it. It only came up twice, and that was because the DM wanted to see if there was enough time for an enemy to launch a surprise attack and catch someone without his armor on.
The scenes run outside of game were not all sex scenes. In fact, none of them were other than the one the guy got reprimanded for. Those scenes were simply to say "hey, what is your character up to this week? Will it affect next week's plot?"
I didn't mean to make it sound gross. I apologize.
Different people and groups have different levels of comfort with that. I have been in groups where it was, "I flirt with the stable boy, GM says he flirts back and then you head up stairs ... fade to black" and other groups where it was played out till both was naked and kissing/basic forplay was happening and then fade to black. This at the table.
Though like many one on one scenes, those tend to work better if they are played out between game sessions if extra details are wanted or needed. Usually done by emails or online IM's.
Yeah, this was only with the first group I gamed with. They were extremely comfortable with each other. Every group since then has been the "fade to black" type, perhaps with the addition of a few crude jokes.
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Yeah, this was only with the first group I gamed with. They were extremely comfortable with each other. Every group since then has been the "fade to black" type, perhaps with the addition of a few crude jokes.Different people and groups have different levels of comfort with that. I have been in groups where it was, "I flirt with the stable boy, GM says he flirts back and then you head up stairs ... fade to black" and other groups where it was played out till both was naked and kissing/basic forplay was happening and then fade to black. This at the table.
Though like many one on one scenes, those tend to work better if they are played out between game sessions if extra details are wanted or needed. Usually done by emails or online IM's.
yeah my current group falls between those two version. Leaning a little towards the second group slightly.
Just to reply to the initial post on some ways to establish your character as Prince Charming .
One possible definition is to play him as one prince adventuring to find his princess so he will be checking if the females he encounter are the one
* First , he is a prince so ask your DM in front of the players if he has to take a level of aristocrat (this is the kind of question that tend to mark our group )
* When he encounter someone female , ask if the character is wearing a wedding ring . If yes , treat her then as either a sister if she display feminine characteristics . If not , ask some more questions of the DM about her poise and comportement. do not hesitate to ask her entourage ( gather info ) about her parents and education .
* In order to establish the character as not a chauvinistic bigot , treat any female combatant as another of the boys .
* If the female is not married , wear robes and is maybe more shy than the usual run of character, be supportive and insist on asking her first for advice and decisions. If you can without putting the group in danger , make it clear that your priority in combat is to put yourself between her and any danger.Hope this help.
We have already established that one plot arc taking place after he's found her is that she is kidnapped by someone and he is questing to find her.
Another idea was that early on he sees her, then her father sends him off with some task. If he completes said quest, he can win her hand. While he was gone, too many years passed and her father marries her off to someone else. The higher levels would entail him finding a way to win her back.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Oooh, a good old courtly romance. Bonus points if you can somehow joust, and if you win, it's because her beauty inspired you, but if you lose, it's because her beauty distracted you.
Maybe the husband is the villain?
I am taking inspiration from a Fabious (Your Highness) with a better Wisdom score, Tristan and Isolde, A Knight's Tale, Sleeping Beauty, The Princess Bride, and the Book of Ruth and Song of Solomon in the Old Testament.
Armand Joubert Leferve, Paladin of Saranae. In this world, Saranae is paired with Pelor, and they are the embodiment of the Ultimate Couple. Men are taught to find their Saranae and women are taught to be like Saranae. I am currently writing up scriptures that detail the courting between the two Gods. I may ask the DM if he will allow there to be two suns burning in the sky, one for Pelor and the other for Saranae.
Right now I'm busy detailing the times that Pelor messed up and did something stupid. It results in the custom of sunflowers being planted in honor of the time the two were apart, and one was bound to Earth. But which one was bound?
a belt of oppisite gender changed that pretty quickly.
I want to use that in a side plot...
My current character is a 37 year old refugee Galtian noble woman. Who fled to Korvosa with her daughter after her husband and sons were exicuted by the Red Revolution.
I have used the Lady de Winter from the 3 Musketeers, Glenn Close's character from Dangerous Liaisons, and the stories of Russian and French nobility that fled post revolutions as inspiration.
The Baroness Liella Delamore had a hollow title that ment nothing in her new home. She had no money to dowry her daughter so it was going to be difficult to marry her daughter into local nobility. She was also being hunted by the Agents of the Red revolution.
So my starting point for my character in Curse of the Crimson Throne. She wanted money, power, and position. All she had at beginning was the courtly skills of a noble woman.. I thought designing courtly clothing and creating perfumes would be a good realistic way to supliment her income. So knowledge design coture and craft alchemy was a good start. I also thought she would be the type to make a deal with mysterious powers to achieve her goals, witch was a good fit for class. Calistra seemed to be the best fit for her favourite god.
As she was Galtian and a widow she had a very liberal attitude to having relationships with a succession of handsome young men. One of the other PCs was a widowed young Paladin (Lamb was responsible for the death of his wife) - Part of the Roleplaying opportunities was the Baroness trying to marry her daughter to the Paladin.
I don't know if I am playing the opposite gender correctly but she has a lot of depth and the evolution of her story has been some of the most fun I have had in years of gaming she is now a 13th level witch and one of my all time favourite characters.
Shouldn't the female's Perform check act as an aid another for the male's Fort Save, instead of an opposed check?
After all, the longer he performs, the better off she is. :)
It was a ruling made on the fly, and it might not have been the best one, but it played out something like this:
PLAYER 1: *rolls Perform (Sexual Techniques)* Guess what, I rock your world. 26.
Player 2: *rolls Fort Save* Well &%$#!, 16. Apparently so good there's a premature detonation. Sorry, Honey. Well let's see if you had a good time *rolls Perform (Sexual Techniques)* 19.
PLAYER 1: *rolls Fort Save* 18.
BOTH: Yay! *like Kermit the Frog*
I find that dressing the part helps. :-)
Seriously, though, I'm all about voices when I play my characters and I find that picking a voice that sounds feminine helps me get in the role. I usually go for a softer, more breathy voice to smooth out some of the gravel in my own voice. I also find raising the octave just a little bit helps.
My favorite female characters I've played have been Marzena, from Age of Worms (my character died and we were playing the module where we were rescuing her, so I thought it was a good way to get back into the game). For her, I settled on a bit of a British accent that really sold it. Another character I liked was when I was the RPGA Mark of Heroes series and I got to play Matron Martra. I loved her character and I enjoyed playing her like Princess Leia from Episode IV.
For a male character, I would try thinking of an actor whose voice you can imagine fits the character you're trying to play and then try to speak like that. Lower your voice a few octaves and add some gravel to it. My wife also suggests adding some swagger to the way you speak. That'll help you pull it off.
As a GM I play every race and gender and I like to think it is believable as I have made a study of women for some now nearly 5 decades to improve my game, and was very popular when dating before I got married and have three female children so I get to see a pretty wide variety of both male and female interaction and have lived in 9 countries so have viewed the cultural differences as well, so I hope I have something to add.
Thing to remember about playing your ranger is that he is self sufficient, and his skills should reflect this so unlike group oriented males, he would be clearly about survivability and what works without frills or frippery. He is unlikely to be long winded and wouldnt use much flowerery language, just yes and no without much expulsion. Probably have his own code of harmony and might be fond of rural expression like; "that aint raight" or "good enough" or "right as rain" and "sure as sun comes up in the east" or "tight as a frogs butt" and such. Rangers are dependable and sure as a mountain and just as deadly when a storm hits. As for male traits, might be hot tempered or layed back, but the thing to remember here is a no waste attitude that you dont find with many cityfolk. This guy like most rural people live with pain most of the time and thrive on a challenge and competition. Men constantly battle with age, getting slower, being in their prime all the time, virility and how they stack up to other Alpha males, being tough enough for challenges and good guy, using that strength to shelter the weak.
Paladins are quite different; they are my nature part of a Holy Order; though they may be quest knights or whatnot; their basic premise is about strength in unity of purpose. A paladin, unlike a ranger, is always concerned with him image, how people see him; how his order sees him, his service to his order and diety. This defines his personality: Duty, Honor, Vigilance. This guy is looking for a fight; a fight with enemies of his order and diety and nobody who is not a peer; and this guy is pure alpha male so has very few peers, is going to convince him to cross a line. It is very important for the GM to really codify what the diety expects of him and his relationship to the diety and his order. A man as a paladin may or may not be wracked by doubt; probably no if he is young; moreso if middle aged, less if both age and wisdom. Lack of Doubt and a clear conscience make for a deadly combination. Good is Good and Evil is Evil and never shall the two be mixed or confused. Nobody else can match this guys standards and paladins tend to have really good stats and be naturally good at everything as if they were....blessed. As a man, this would make it difficult to fit into groups of differing mindsets, cultures or beliefs, but the paladin overall seeks unity of purpose. Think of this guy as the bully slayer; if there was a bully on the playground; this guy would go punch him in the nose and believe it the right thing to do and that no matter the challenge; he is gonna win. Losing will proably be viewed as a personal flaw in himself, after all, if his diety was with him; how could he loose. For playing fun; it is usually a good idea to pick a flaw for this guy; maybe he eats and drinks a lot; if overly humble or some such as most warrior type men are not subtle and tend to over do it; probably a good role play thing would be; anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
anyway; hope this gives you some ideas.
Some movies help; other than the classics like Ivanhoe or Camelot; try something like Hearts and Armor.
One more thing; guys; all guys are pretty much trained from birth to be task oriented problem solvers and not good listeners; listening comes with training. If you tell a guy about a problem; he will try to give you a solution; try it if you like. Girls are very different unless they speak "guy" tell a girl your problems and she comiserates with you and listens and is there for you. Guys dont do that with each other, to a guy; being there for you is handing you a beverage and saying; yeah; that sucks and offering to help probably by offering a solution. You dont want to be the guy labeled a whiner, you know you are if some guy tells you something like "that life; deal with it" or somesuch. Lot of guys are driven by their appeal to the other sex, it gives them their sense of identity with other guys; all part of being viral. Most guys have friends just like them. seriously, same interests, same basic thoughts, same favorite sports and the like; its how they identify. Soldier type talk about weapons, battles, places, stuff like that; it is how they identify each other. Guys seek other guys to identify with; just look at gamers; sports guys, and such. As a warrior; having stood back to back with other warrior or in a fight one group against another build natural commeradie; this is a big deal; guys identify with groups of like minded people; hopefully, your player group with do this; a group name; label; identity; helps; guys seek fraternity and identification.
of course, there are oddballs
Thank you Valegrim. I naturally want to respond emotionally to things, which is a very feminine response. I have made him extremely disciplined and focused, very monk-like. He doesn't drink, believing that alcohol will hinder him in his journey. Most of his energy, he takes out in the fight scenes. There is a certain amount of stoicism to him. Once your word is given on something, he will hold you to it. He knows his purpose: serve my lord, serve Saranae, serve my woman. Only two things will enrage him: evil dragons and disrespect to women. Other than that, he's a pleasant, sociable, hard working young man.
From my experience, men don't keep their emotions as close to the surface as women do. Maybe I'm just seeing the "men don't cry" fringe, though.
From my experience, men don't keep their emotions as close to the surface as women do. Maybe I'm just seeing the "men don't cry" fringe, though.
I think men are just taught to exteriorize their emotions differently, that's all.
Less about crying your eyeballs out, more about chasing the next guy on the freeway at 150 mph because he cut you 50 miles back and you're having a bad night.
This is a stereotypical reaction, but in North America at any case, men are encouraged to channel their emotion in some kind of competition; which often becomes destructive in some ways.
My sisters play both male and female characters, who all have several basic attitudes.
1) polite, but able to fight
2) no prisoners !
3) party treasure will be, yes will be, divided equally.
4) see number 2.
give him a couple character flaws; will make him more interesting and maybe a superstition which would all be in tune with the genre.
Maybe he always has to wear white or never faces East when he eats or something. Could be a vow. Maybe his celibacy is a hard struggle; it is for most of us as women are so beautiful. Alcohol might be a hard struggle also as most people dont trust the water; I usually give anyone in my game a base 30% chance of catching something from drinking normal water.
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And he's right on that part, because I am having so much fun creating my Prince Charming Paladin/Ranger. I can't wait to play him. I just need to know how to properly pull him off as a guy without being a fruitcake.
Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences in this arena?
Your work is already kind of done for you in this regard. Aragorn is a perfect template for a Ranger-prince charming sort who's also dark and capable. You might also look toward the Huntsman from the new Snow White and the Huntsman movie that just came out.
For more examples and concepts to build around, I present to you the ultimate resource: TVTropes.
I'd recommend perusing the Good is Not Nice and Knight Errant for some specific examples. (My favorite was Duncan of The Grey Wardens from Dragon Age. Harsh, never minced words, and would risk lives for the greater good; but also had a strict code of honor and lived by his word.)
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I've played many types of characters, and probably because of experience DMing I'm also comfortable playing female characters. Most of my players stick to same-gender PCs (read: male), so at times I've chosen to roleplay a woman just to set the character apart in another respect.
Most recently my long-running PC was a wizardess. She started out as a young shy farmgirl, playing up the timid and innocent style. I had her question the paladin on one occasion about showing mercy to a captured goblin (she felt the creature should be given the chance for redemption), but she caved to his decision. She would also make girly screams and cry when in danger. This was all pretty stereotypical, in my view, and was intentional.
Over time, the wizardess grew in power and confidence. I felt this made sense as she avoided death so often and helped defeat horrible monsters repeatedly. She essentially became the party leader due to her outspoken style.
To play a believable character of another gender, one thing really helped me. Expand your PC to be more than numbers and stats. I did this by writing occasional journal entries as if they were written by my wizardess. This gave me a grasp of her perspective and motivations and desires (like her secret crush on the nameless elven general in one module).
Now my gaming group includes a 30's guy playing a female elven ranger, a 20's girl playing a male centaur recovering alcoholic, and a 30's girl playing a teenage male native outsider. The 50's guy changed characters recently from the druid twin sister of the female elf to a rather generic male human fighter. The female players are pretty convincing, both having long experience roleplaying tabletop and on messageboards. The older guy though, is far too quiet. I think he's avoiding "competition" with the other players where it frankly doesn't exist.
I did this by writing occasional journal entries as if they were written by my wizardess. This gave me a grasp of her perspective and motivations and desires (like her secret crush on the nameless elven general in one module).
I really love this idea. I'm always looking for more ways to flesh out my character and this fits perfectly with my style. Hope you don't mind if I borrow it.