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Ask Me Anything with Karyn Logan (Kiraya TiDrekan)
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<blockquote data-quote="KirayaTiDrekan" data-source="post: 6601003" data-attributes="member: 6755061"><p>There are a few ways, most of which are subtle. The best way, in my opinion, is to not make an NPC's gender or sexuality the focal point of the character. If the character's only reason for being there is for them to be the LGBTQ character, then they really shouldn't be in the adventure or supplement or whatever.</p><p></p><p>NPCs work best when created as fully fleshed out characters, with their own motivations, goals, and ambitions, even if the players never see most of those details. Think about the diverse range of people in the real world and ask yourself if the character's gender or sexuality matters to the role they play in the story or world. If it doesn't (and it usually won't) then play around with the details until you have a character that makes sense for the world and the story. Does it matter if the villain's lover is the same or opposite gender from the villain? If not, consider making them same gender if it makes sense for both characters. Does it matter if the Duchess is cisgender or transgender? If not, consider making her transgender if it makes sense for the role she plays in the setting. </p><p></p><p>An example that comes to mind - in the original Alien movie, the script was written specifically so that every role was gender neutral - any one of those characters could have been male or female. Only when it was time to cast the roles did they decide, based on the auditions, which characters were male and female. (Ripley, for example, didn't get a first name, Ellen, until the second movie).</p><p></p><p>Another example specific to D&D - its been long speculated that Burne and Rufus, the semi-retired adventurers building a castle in Hommlet in T1: The Village of Hommlet might be more than friends and former adventuring companions. The details are left vague enough that, even if that wasn't the original intention, individual DMs can build that relationship however they like specifically because the nature of their relationship is left vague in the official material.</p><p></p><p>With tabletop RPGs, the key component to consider is always the DM/GM - give them the tools to make the world or adventure their own. That includes tweaking details like gender and sexuality to suit their preferences. That said, including non-token NPCs here and there helps LGBTQ players and fans feel included and represented, which is important in and of itself. </p><p></p><p>I'm not sure if I managed to answer your question very well. I'm coming at it more from a fan perspective than a game designer perspective.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="KirayaTiDrekan, post: 6601003, member: 6755061"] There are a few ways, most of which are subtle. The best way, in my opinion, is to not make an NPC's gender or sexuality the focal point of the character. If the character's only reason for being there is for them to be the LGBTQ character, then they really shouldn't be in the adventure or supplement or whatever. NPCs work best when created as fully fleshed out characters, with their own motivations, goals, and ambitions, even if the players never see most of those details. Think about the diverse range of people in the real world and ask yourself if the character's gender or sexuality matters to the role they play in the story or world. If it doesn't (and it usually won't) then play around with the details until you have a character that makes sense for the world and the story. Does it matter if the villain's lover is the same or opposite gender from the villain? If not, consider making them same gender if it makes sense for both characters. Does it matter if the Duchess is cisgender or transgender? If not, consider making her transgender if it makes sense for the role she plays in the setting. An example that comes to mind - in the original Alien movie, the script was written specifically so that every role was gender neutral - any one of those characters could have been male or female. Only when it was time to cast the roles did they decide, based on the auditions, which characters were male and female. (Ripley, for example, didn't get a first name, Ellen, until the second movie). Another example specific to D&D - its been long speculated that Burne and Rufus, the semi-retired adventurers building a castle in Hommlet in T1: The Village of Hommlet might be more than friends and former adventuring companions. The details are left vague enough that, even if that wasn't the original intention, individual DMs can build that relationship however they like specifically because the nature of their relationship is left vague in the official material. With tabletop RPGs, the key component to consider is always the DM/GM - give them the tools to make the world or adventure their own. That includes tweaking details like gender and sexuality to suit their preferences. That said, including non-token NPCs here and there helps LGBTQ players and fans feel included and represented, which is important in and of itself. I'm not sure if I managed to answer your question very well. I'm coming at it more from a fan perspective than a game designer perspective. [/QUOTE]
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