jmucchiello
Hero
I have a serious question for those in the "don't like it" camp: What is the difference in difficulty between playing against gender compared to playing against race? IOW, why do you feel a male cannot portray a "realistic" female character but you probably have no problem with 21st century humans portraying pseudo-mideval 1,000 year living elves who are considered whelps in their 100th year of existence, just now striving out on their own? Shouldn't you run into just as many instances of "that's not how a real elf/dwarf/gnome would act?"
How does it feel to be treated as a child when you've existed for over a century? All elves go through it. How does it feel to spend time in sunlight, when you lived among dwarves in darkness for the first 40 years of your life? Carved stone walls are your grand vistas.
Personally, I find it much easier to relate to difference in gender than difference it total world outlook. Do you also have this problem and the gender problem is but a subset of it or do you have no problem imagining that the 40 year old balding overweight guy you are interacting with is a slight, sprightly elf of 300 years with a full mane of hair?
Aside: For those who remember What's New? With Phil and Dixie in Dragon Mag: "John, How?!?" "Special Shoes."
How does it feel to be treated as a child when you've existed for over a century? All elves go through it. How does it feel to spend time in sunlight, when you lived among dwarves in darkness for the first 40 years of your life? Carved stone walls are your grand vistas.
Personally, I find it much easier to relate to difference in gender than difference it total world outlook. Do you also have this problem and the gender problem is but a subset of it or do you have no problem imagining that the 40 year old balding overweight guy you are interacting with is a slight, sprightly elf of 300 years with a full mane of hair?
Aside: For those who remember What's New? With Phil and Dixie in Dragon Mag: "John, How?!?" "Special Shoes."