Beginner's Guide to Cross-gender PCs

[roguerouge]

What tips do EnWorlders have for players looking to cross gender lines at the playing table?

I've never played a woman PC at the table, although I've DMed a wide variety of female NPCs. Still, the immersion of being a PC makes it seem different to me. Let's say that I decide to play a female PC the next time I get the chance. (And in my campaign, I'm playing a front line fighter, so I clearly will get the chance!) What advice would you give?

• What are your general "Dos" and "Don'ts"?
• Do you have particular advice for men playing women?
• Do you have particular advice for women playing men?
• What are table-level warning signs that I should not attempt this?
• What are table-level warning signs that this isn't working?
• What are the rewards to taking this risk? Why do it?

Forked from: Cross-gender PCs

 

[am181d]

In my group, I have a guy playing a girl, a girl playing a guy, a guy playing a guy, and a girl playing a girl. My advice? It's not a big deal, unless you make it a big deal.

Despite what they say on television, men and women *aren't* that different, and the differences that exist at the macro level ("most men are..." etc.) don't cover the full spectrum of personalities. There are plenty of tough women out there. Plenty of sensitive men. Etc. There's no way to roleplay a character "wrong" unless you're roleplaying him/her in such a way that he/she annoys the heck out of all the other players.

Behavior that grates when a male is playing a male will grate when a male is playing a female. (And the same the other way around.) Just try to play characters that are interesting without being annoying.

If you focus on what makes your character unique, rather than what makes your character genetic (race, gender, etc.), you'll be off to a good start.

 

[Dausuul]

Avoid offensive stereotypes. Don't do stuff that makes your fellow players uncomfortable (for instance, many players will be uncomfortable if you have your PC come on to theirs in-game; however, this is totally dependent on your gaming group, and some people are fine with that kind of thing).

That's pretty much it.

 

[Cadfan]

Figure out why you're doing a cross-gender PC. Everything else stems from there.

If your reason is "I have a cool mental image of this character, so what the heck," then maybe nothing much stems from the gender of your character. And that's fine. As a DM who regularly uses female NPCs simply because "what the heck, lets make this one a woman," I could hardly object. But if your reason is more complex, think on it a bit, and make sure its going to be compatible with your group.

 

[Scribble]

Don't be creepy.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Don't Mix Up Gender and Sex

While the sex of the character may be male or female, the manner in which they are brought up, culture, personal history, etc. determines their Gender (and the Gender Roles would be determinant based off the culture their in).

In General the Differences are Minor

While there are differences mainly brought about by the above suggestion. In general if a party of mixed-sex is going on these adventures and doing all these dangerous activities together. There is more likely many bonding attributes that are similar, so don't play up the Sex to create some manner of divide.

Take the View/Perspective That Feels Most Comfortable

This could relate to the group in the whole and how they feel or just you personally. If you feel more comfortable engaging in 1st Person while playing the opposite sex then more power to you, and if the group is comfortable with that then great.

However is there is some level of discomfort for whatever reason, perhaps play it from a 3rd Person Perspective to give a sense of distance between yourself and the group and the character. This can also work for not just opposite sex characters but racist ones, sexist ones, evil ones, etc.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Don't be creepy.

Exactly.

And no lesbians (played by men), because that will end in tears soon (in many cases, at least).

Cheers, LT.

 

[fba827]

Just remember that as a PC (of any gender) you are meant to not be a one-adjective cartoon. That is to say, an NPC is best served as "the rugged drawf" "the sultry barmaid" etc. But as a PC you shouldn't be one extreme. Don't always be the female PC that decides to be a whore at every opportunity. Don't always be the male PC that decides to be stoic and cold at every opportunity. Playing any extreme gets old fast for the rest of the people at the table - have a personality that works with the rest of the group.

But having said that, it really shouldn't be a big deal unless you make it a big deal.

 

[Cadfan]

My wife has two characters. One's male, one's female. The female is a psychotic adrenaline junky melee ranger who takes trophies from her kills. The male is a tiefling raised by humans who wears glasses and really hasn't got the whole "dark and sinister" thing down yet, but wants to. Other tieflings laugh at him, putting them at risk of serious bodily harm from the ranger.

I don't think this is an intentional effort at going against gender stereotype. Its just the character personalities as they've developed.

New gamers are the most fun.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Don't be creepy.

That just about sums it up for me.

Or at least don't be unintentionally creepy if, say, you're playing a horror game.