Gay PCs or NPCs

Nightfall · Nov 25, 2005

Yeah...but let's face it. While we might not CARE about it, when it affects us, it can be good or bad. In D&D terms, while we don't care about, unless we have something that's "in your face" about sexuality, drugs, rape, sexual abuse, stuff that's kind of "vile darkness", it's not something the PCs are that interested in. At least that's been my experience.

pogre · Nov 25, 2005

I've always assumed the gay players at my table are playing gay PCs and the straight players are playing straight PCs. Sexuality does not come up a lot, but I assume they usually play what they know unless they say otherwise.

Nightfall · Nov 25, 2005

Like anyone REALLY knows how to play a dwarf or an elf...

Owen K.C. Stephens · Nov 25, 2005

While it certainly hasn't been the focus of games I've been in or run, I've had PCs and major NPCs who were hetrosexual, gay, lesbian, and bisexual. I've also had all those orientations as players. I've also had male players running female characters, female players running male characters, and a homosexual player playing a hermaphrodite (though that last one only once).

As long as everyone is adult about it, it's not a prblem.

haakon1 · Nov 25, 2005

Nightfall said:
Yeah...but let's face it. While we might not CARE about it, when it affects us, it can be good or bad. In D&D terms, while we don't care about, unless we have something that's "in your face" about sexuality, drugs, rape, sexual abuse, stuff that's kind of "vile darkness", it's not something the PCs are that interested in. At least that's been my experience.

There's a different from bothering PC's with stuff and having it exist in the game world. For instance, there was a fairly important blind NPC in my campaign, but I'd never actually have a PC get blinded by the bad guys . . . that's just too freaky for a game.

In the same way, I assume there are gay NPCs in my campaign, and 99% of the time, it's irrelevant and no one knows (not even me). But if it comes up as a fact of character background on an NPC, it hasn't freaked out my players (ages 28-45 or so) and I figure it adds a little depth of verisimilitude -- similarity to real life makes supension of disbelief work better, IMHO.

So, IMC, magic powered street lights and other magic for the sake of it = out. "Politically correct" NPCs including disabled, gay, anything I can think of that's "real" and isn't disrespectful of anybody = in. Peasants with manure on them who work hard for nothing = in. Wolves chasing down hungry PC's in the forest = in. Gay incubus or orc who wants to mess with PCs = very very out on taste reasons.

Li Shenron · Nov 25, 2005

Interesting how many point out that there's no place for sexuality in their game, but what about romance?

In our groups there have been pretty little romance (and zero sex), except on a couple of occasions when it was player's initiative and the whole thing wasn't related to the main story plot. So it's pretty much left unspecified what the characters may prefer.

Dannyalcatraz · Nov 25, 2005

I have...

I had one player who insisted on playing his Avoreal (Winged Elf) as a gay PC...as in stereotypical flamer type gay...in order to disrupt the game.

On the other hand, I've played 2 lesbians and 2 female bisexual, as serious PCs. (No problems)

And several gays and a couple of swingers have gamed at my table. (Also, no problems.)

Like was said before- if everyone's an adult, things go smoothly.

Bront · Nov 25, 2005

I've had it enter a few games, though realy nothing of any note or importance, but there are cultural reasons for many of these issues. It's handled maturely, and we move on.

Now, it's something that's come more into play in PbP games than in my FtF games. But honestly I think some of that is just removing awkwardness.

Samnell · Nov 25, 2005

STARP_JVP said:
I'm just curious here; this was sparked by a conversation I had just recently. Without editorialising homosexuality itself, has anybody here had a gay or bisexual PC in their game, or a gay or bi NPC? I'm just curious to see how common it is. It's never actually happened in my game - not for any particular reason, I'd like to stress; it just hasn't.

I'm gay. My PCs, unless I have some particular reason otherwise, are gay too. I presently have a necromancer who's asexual for story purposes. Unless I think of a concept that particularly demands it, I generally play gay PCs for the same reason (aside from the possibility of certian hostile groups and/or DMs) I think straight people generally play straight PCs: there's not much motivation to do any differently. The sexual inclinations of PCs are rarely at issue.

EDIT: I did play one PC that was a halfling bard and almost stereotypically flaming (though not to the degree of throwing himself) but he was essentially acting out to keep from falling apart due to a huge helping of survivor's guilt. Poor guy lost his whole family.

In the games I've run, I've had a few gay NPCs. Rufus and Burne in my Hommlet are in a long-term, openly-acknowledged, but fairly quiet relationship. They retired as a couple. This only came up a few times when the party was bringing news of dire doings to them and Rufus laid a comforting hand on Burne's thigh. The sexuality of NPCs is generally of about as much import at that of the PCs: not much.

I do see more sexual situations where orientation and other issues are relevant in PC backstories players hand me. This ranges from a PC who amounted to a temple prostitute to the raped or nearly-raped PC who went on the run. In one of my rarer non-fantasy games, I've played a teenaged PC who was gay, but didn't quite get it yet for various reasons. Never a major character arc, but it was an interesting subtheme in a PC who focused on issues of alienation.

Percivellian · Nov 25, 2005

In our longest and (arguably) most memorable campaign, set in Westgate, FR, we ran into a lot of adult themes that were alluded to very well by our DM. It was just enough to make you acknowledge the reality of what was going on in this city, but not done overtly so that it crossed any lines.

One particular NPC, an tavern owner, was a recurring element - everything from giving our party a hideout, to providing us with missions. It was made clear that this guy was tough as nails, although he didn't really look the part. Every time we'd meet with him he'd have a new bandage, or liberally bleeding wound that didn't seem to bother him as much as you'd think it would. We later found out he was a key agent for the Nightmasks thieves' guild, and when our party rogue had originally met him in session one, though he was masked, it was this very same tavern owner who cut off his finger nail as a warning to keep out of his way while he walked in the street.

About 3/4 way through the campaign, some city wide tragedy had affected a lot of people, quite a few deaths in gang feuds and the like, and we were in said tavern owner's establishment when a random spot check revealed him being comforted in a very significant other type of way by the tavern's cook, also a man. We all just sort of went: "Huh. Well, that's new." and carried on with the campaign. It was pretty inconsequential, but integrated quite realistically and well.