Playing characters of the opposite gender

Blizzardb

First Post

• Jan 2, 2009

• #1

A friend of mine forbids players to make characters of the opposite gender in his games, saying only that he is very uncomfortable with this. He has no problem with people roleplayng kenkus, minotaurs and half-ogres, but is bothered when a guy makes a female hero or vice versa.

I, on the other side, never forbid my players to create characters of the opposite gender, but for some reason they seem very reluctant to do so...

So, I was wondering - what is your opinion of the subject? Do you forbid or encourage such characters in your games and why? Do you love playing such characters? Hate it? Reluctant to do it?

Do you have any funny stories, related to such heroes?

Vote and discuss!

edit: I didn't post neutral options in the poll on purpose, just vote "neither" if no other answer applies to you.

 

Last edited: Jan 2, 2009

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garyh

First Post

• Jan 2, 2009

• #2

I may have briefly played a female character in a PbP game or two long ago, but I've never spent significant time playing a female character. All my major, long-played PC's have been male. I'm not philosophically opposed to playing a female character, it just doesn't usually occur to me when I'm tossing race/class/background concepts around in my head. I have played non-gendered warforged characters, though. That's part of exploring the whole non-biological nature of that race, though.

When I DM, I don't encourage or forbid opposite-gender PC's. Not a priority to me. I've only had one player play an opposite gender character in a live game, and it was not an issue at all. And when I run PbP, I have no real way of knowing what gender the player at the other keyboard is anyway.

 

R

Rechan

Adventurer

• Jan 2, 2009

• #3

One of my players is annoyed/just doesn't understand why anyone would WANT to. He even goes so far as to question why anyone would do so for a computer game, where you have the option.

I personally don't have anything against it (being online for as long as I have, I'm well used to opposite-gender playing). But I have heard of people doing it just to make crude jokes/be the proverbial slut character. That I would find annoying.

Although I do think that it would be nice, just in general, so that an adventuring party doesn't look like an all boys club. But I don't think that I could play a woman in a serious fashion, in a Tabletop/Voicechat medium. In an online campaign that ran over a year and a half, I had a female DMPC, who was romantically involved with the party cleric.

 

Last edited: Jan 2, 2009

D

Dragonbait

Explorer

• Jan 2, 2009

• #4

I've never played a female character, but I've seen many that do play cross-gender characters and I have no problem with it. I've never thought of banning cross-gender characters.

 

Last edited: Jan 2, 2009

Vyvyan Basterd

Adventurer

• Jan 2, 2009

• #5

I chose 'love to play' as it was the closest option. I don't LOVE to play female characters, but I do quite often enough. Especially as DM. And that's what I don't get each and every time this topic comes up. Why do some people have this problem when a person makes a character of the opposite gender, but the DM, by default, plays numerous opposite gender characters in the form of every opposite-gender NPC? Or do those with such a huge intolerance only roleplay same-gender NPCs? I am curious now, does your female-banning DM forbid female NPCs from participating in the ongoing world?

 

Last edited: Jan 2, 2009

R

Rechan

Adventurer

• Jan 2, 2009

• #6

Vyvyan Basterd said:

but the DM, by default, plays numerous opposite gender characters in the form of every opposite-gender NPC?

Click to expand...

The DM runs them, but the DM is not choosing to make a female NPC as his sole representative in the game - the person he is "being" all the time.

Although, I would say that for people who are uncomfortable with opposite gender NPCs, and who ignore the DM issue, in-game romances must be awkward.

 

Blizzardb

First Post

• Jan 2, 2009

• #7

Vyvyan Basterd said:

And that's what I don't get each and every time this topic comes up. Why do some people have this problem when a person makes a character of the opposite gender

<snip>

Click to expand...

I don't get it either. This is why I posted the thread.

And the DM in question roleplays female NPCs (even if they are somewhat rarer than they should be). Its the trans-gender PCs he has some difficult to explain problem with.

 

Charwoman Gene

Adventurer

• Jan 2, 2009

• #8

Oh, is it THAT time again!

Yay for people showing their intolerance and homophobia!

Only a matter of time.

IBTL

 

Blizzardb

First Post

• Jan 2, 2009

• #9

Charwoman Gene said:

Oh, is it THAT time again!

Yay for people showing their intolerance and homophobia!

Only a matter of time.

IBTL

Click to expand...

I am sorry, did I do something wrong? I am new here and I really don't get your meaning.

 

D

Dragonbait

Explorer

• Jan 2, 2009

• #10

Vyvyan Basterd said:

Why do some people have this problem when a person makes a character of the opposite gender, but the DM, by default, plays numerous opposite gender characters in the form of every opposite-gender NPC? Or do those with such a huge intolerance only roleplay same-gender NPCs? I am curious now, does your female-banning DM forbid female NPCs from participating in the ongoing world?

Click to expand...

This is one of those topics that I never thought was wrong (cross-gender characters) until the internets educated me to think otherwise. Thanks internets!