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Guys playing girls (chime in, ladies)
- Thread starter IdentityCrisis
- Start date
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
I suppose that you could read one of the popular books like "men are from mars, women are from venus" to get an idea of some personality differences, but since you're playing dungeons and dragons rather than papers and paychecks there probably won't be much you can directly port across 
In our games we don't have any women players, and the chaps sometimes play women, sometimes men (one guy deliberately alternates characters between male and female). For our purposes it doesn't really make any bigger impact than fantasy races or even character classes - it is largely window dressing with some additional rp possibilities in social situations.
in a PbP game though - who would know? I don't know the gender of half the posters on Enworld, I'm sure that there are some guys I've assumed are girls and vice versa!
Cheers
In our games we don't have any women players, and the chaps sometimes play women, sometimes men (one guy deliberately alternates characters between male and female). For our purposes it doesn't really make any bigger impact than fantasy races or even character classes - it is largely window dressing with some additional rp possibilities in social situations.
in a PbP game though - who would know? I don't know the gender of half the posters on Enworld, I'm sure that there are some guys I've assumed are girls and vice versa!
Cheers
Played both genders over the years, and had little bad reaction to it with one exception.
In a new group, I played a RIFTS Ley-Line Walker (a particular kind of powerful mage, for those who don't play that game) who was female. The GM was uneasy with it, raising many of the same objections that have been raised on this board.
He asked me point blank if being female was neccessary for the PC concept.
I told him that the PC was based on a real world cult that believed that women had magical powers up until the point that they lost their virginity...and that that loss was dictated by the heirarchy of the religion. All marriages were arranged to ensure future generations of mystically powerful women.
He blinked once. End of discussion.
In a new group, I played a RIFTS Ley-Line Walker (a particular kind of powerful mage, for those who don't play that game) who was female. The GM was uneasy with it, raising many of the same objections that have been raised on this board.
He asked me point blank if being female was neccessary for the PC concept.
I told him that the PC was based on a real world cult that believed that women had magical powers up until the point that they lost their virginity...and that that loss was dictated by the heirarchy of the religion. All marriages were arranged to ensure future generations of mystically powerful women.
He blinked once. End of discussion.
Vorpatril
First Post
Another suggestion on playing a woman
I'm writing in under my husband's account, but I'm a female who exclusively plays female characters, and I've played with men playing women before. My two cents is that if you're playing table-top instead of PbP, it can help to use female mannerism or two to use when you're first playing your character just to help people remember that you are playing a female, since they're looking at and listening to a man. If you play realistic but fairly androgynous, it will be a struggle for them to not forget you're a female since it's at odds with your appearance. It's unlikely to be the central theme of your existence, so it's not something that should be focused on all the time, but I don't think it's needs to be any different than a tall, hulking player exaggerating halfling/short people characteristics a bit early on to cement in the other player's memories that he's playing a nimble halfling.
If you're a good physical actor, you could do things like sitting with your legs closer together and less slouched and standing with your elbows in. We're more likely to clasp our hands together than men. We women sometimes cover our mouth when we laugh or are suprised, but I can't think of any man who does this. Our voices are usually higher, but that's harder to copy for a guy. We tend to have longer hair and may play with that or with earrings when we're thinking (men, conversely, play with their chins more. I, for no apparent reason, tend to stroke the tip of my nose. Don't know when that started). We tend to have more delicate table manners. If you're playing a ladylike woman, you probably want to use these tendencies. If you're playing a woman acting manly, she may aggressively or self-consciously do the opposite in an attempt to be taken seriously as a one of the boys.
Also, your character may have recognizably feminine quirks that you can play out. For example, maybe she's an compulsive matchmaker or likes singing girly songs when she's happy. Maybe she has a small, portable, traditionally female hobby that she indulges in, such as such as knitting or jewelrey-making. Perhaps she is a little concerned with the toll her scars are taking on her looks or maybe she needs to stop more often to pee (in real life, an DEFINITE difference). Maybe she's attractive and has learned to both take advantage of that and be wary of men because of that. Maybe she's unattractive and gets more negative attention than an unattractive man would. (need DM assistance playing this out) Perhaps she has a soft spot for cute animals or babies, or maybe she doesn't let any kids get away with an crap, because she has experience helping raise her brothers and sisters.
Also, it may help to hone in more on what general sort of woman do you want to play. Different types of women have very different feminine characteristics. In addition to looking at real woman (a great idea that people already discussed earlier) Look at female archypes that you can use to help cement your direction if you want to play a "feminine" character as opposed to an andogynous female character. Examples include an ingenue, a mother type, a tom-boy-in-denial, a wisewoman, a shrew, a vamp, a noble lady, and an ice-maiden. They are all very female archypes, but their characteristics are going to be very different
Anyway, that's all I can think of off-hand. Good Luck!
I'm writing in under my husband's account, but I'm a female who exclusively plays female characters, and I've played with men playing women before. My two cents is that if you're playing table-top instead of PbP, it can help to use female mannerism or two to use when you're first playing your character just to help people remember that you are playing a female, since they're looking at and listening to a man. If you play realistic but fairly androgynous, it will be a struggle for them to not forget you're a female since it's at odds with your appearance. It's unlikely to be the central theme of your existence, so it's not something that should be focused on all the time, but I don't think it's needs to be any different than a tall, hulking player exaggerating halfling/short people characteristics a bit early on to cement in the other player's memories that he's playing a nimble halfling.
If you're a good physical actor, you could do things like sitting with your legs closer together and less slouched and standing with your elbows in. We're more likely to clasp our hands together than men. We women sometimes cover our mouth when we laugh or are suprised, but I can't think of any man who does this. Our voices are usually higher, but that's harder to copy for a guy. We tend to have longer hair and may play with that or with earrings when we're thinking (men, conversely, play with their chins more. I, for no apparent reason, tend to stroke the tip of my nose. Don't know when that started). We tend to have more delicate table manners. If you're playing a ladylike woman, you probably want to use these tendencies. If you're playing a woman acting manly, she may aggressively or self-consciously do the opposite in an attempt to be taken seriously as a one of the boys.
Also, your character may have recognizably feminine quirks that you can play out. For example, maybe she's an compulsive matchmaker or likes singing girly songs when she's happy. Maybe she has a small, portable, traditionally female hobby that she indulges in, such as such as knitting or jewelrey-making. Perhaps she is a little concerned with the toll her scars are taking on her looks or maybe she needs to stop more often to pee (in real life, an DEFINITE difference). Maybe she's attractive and has learned to both take advantage of that and be wary of men because of that. Maybe she's unattractive and gets more negative attention than an unattractive man would. (need DM assistance playing this out) Perhaps she has a soft spot for cute animals or babies, or maybe she doesn't let any kids get away with an crap, because she has experience helping raise her brothers and sisters.
Also, it may help to hone in more on what general sort of woman do you want to play. Different types of women have very different feminine characteristics. In addition to looking at real woman (a great idea that people already discussed earlier) Look at female archypes that you can use to help cement your direction if you want to play a "feminine" character as opposed to an andogynous female character. Examples include an ingenue, a mother type, a tom-boy-in-denial, a wisewoman, a shrew, a vamp, a noble lady, and an ice-maiden. They are all very female archypes, but their characteristics are going to be very different
Anyway, that's all I can think of off-hand. Good Luck!
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Torm
Explorer
Vorpatril said:
I promise you, I'm not trying to insult you, but is any member of your family or circle of friends that you've been around for a long time a cocaine addict, or have they ever been?
The reason I ask is because I have a similar gesture - whenever I'm feeling particularly smug or otherwise pleased with myself, I will grab my nose in a "got-yer-nose" fashion and pull toward the tip and off while breathing in. Resulting in a slight "nose-snort" sound.
I KNOW I picked this up from watching some of my uncles play pool when I was little, and I also, unfortunately, know that the reason THEY did it was a result of their coke use. I always get self-conscious right after I do it - a little worried someone will think I'M a coke-head - but I can't quite make myself stop. :\
Rel
Liquid Awesome
I haven't seen this mentioned (though I've skimmed a bit and might have missed it) but feel it is notable that the D&D world as represented by the 3E PHB, DMG and Monster Manual is very different from ours when it comes to gender. There are no statistical modifications to one gender or the other that represent (for example) men being larger of build and stronger or women being physically healthier.
I for one am glad that there are no such modifiers but it seems to me that it would tend to make the world much more egalitarian than our own has been for much of its history (and certainly during the medieval times that are somewhat simulated by much of fantasy gaming). That would probably tend to make men and women have fairly similar mindsets as there is little reason for them to be excluded from traditionaly (in the real world) male dominated roles, such as the military.
So playing a woman in a similar way to how you would play a male character would probably make even more sense in D&D than it would in how a male actor would play a female role in the theatre.
I for one am glad that there are no such modifiers but it seems to me that it would tend to make the world much more egalitarian than our own has been for much of its history (and certainly during the medieval times that are somewhat simulated by much of fantasy gaming). That would probably tend to make men and women have fairly similar mindsets as there is little reason for them to be excluded from traditionaly (in the real world) male dominated roles, such as the military.
So playing a woman in a similar way to how you would play a male character would probably make even more sense in D&D than it would in how a male actor would play a female role in the theatre.
Incenjucar
Legend
Torm said:
It could just as easily be from actual nasal problems, like I have. Between allergies and nose hairs (which come with my mascara-user-wishtheyhad eyelashes), not only do I stroke my nose like a snuff-user, but I even have a crease from rubbing my nose upwards as a kid ala the manner of rabbits when sniffing something.
Corinth
First Post
The current edition of the rules don't make such distinctions because WotC correctly deduced that it would be better for sales, brand reputation and a host of related commercial concerns if the rules themselves made no major distinction between the genders as a default condition. This is wise policy, as it leaves such a distinction available as a form of special-case clause for when there is a playable species that is sufficient distinct between genders to warrant such rules-based modifiers, such as the ever-popular Drow, while avoiding accusations of institutionalized sexism. The same goes for gender and class representation. That doesn't mean that the milieu isn't biased in any way on terms of gender, as that's wholly within the hands of individual Dungeon Masters (even when using published settings), and as such matters are left to said individuals' discretion it isn't WotC's problem.Rel said:
Actually, I fully expect a similiar sex-based bias similiar to our real history and I furthermore expect both genders to endorse and support it because of the matters of economics, culture and other factors which combine to create and define how a people organize themselves. Settings are often dangerous, with death an occupational hazard for those what do the adventuring activities, so I would not at all be surprised to see the society's women insisting upon being as safe as possible while letting the men do the stuff where getting killed (or worse) is part of the deal because if the women got killed at anywhere near the rates that the men do, population will decline past the point of viability in a generation or two and that is the doom of any society. The past was as it was for a reason, not all of which stemmed from some whacked-out dogma of woman-hating, and any setting with similiar physical conditions shall produce a similiar result.
Fieari
Explorer
On the subject of gender traits and whether they exist-- have you seen "The Spark's Gender Test"? It's eerily accurate. http://community.sparknotes.com/gender/
Pity you now have to get yourself a static username, no more anonymous test taking, but ah well. It's not like it costs money.
I think gender really does play a large part in very subtle dynamics. Nothing really huge, but the way you look at the world is just different depending on whether your male or female.
With regards to playing the other gender in an RPG... I find it very acceptable online, but less so face-to-face. And it's simply a matter of what you -see-... online, you can put up a picture and tell people to associate that picture with the character being played. In person though, you're hearing the voice, you're seeing the face of the real person. I've seen the cross gender thing done twice in person... once by a guy playing a girl, and the other being a girl playing a guy. It just felt strange both times.
It didn't help that the girl in question was particularly... I guess feminine would be the right term to use. Squeeling and giggling at cute things, using phrases like "Awwwww....", and all in all, found it difficult to not be a girl. Neither did it help that she was particularly attractive, esspecially in her mannerisms. The rest of the players and I found it way too difficult to suspend belief.
I suppose it -could- be done well enough I suppose, but for me, the audio and visual of the real person incringes too much. Suspension of belief can be hard enough as it is.
Pity you now have to get yourself a static username, no more anonymous test taking, but ah well. It's not like it costs money.
I think gender really does play a large part in very subtle dynamics. Nothing really huge, but the way you look at the world is just different depending on whether your male or female.
With regards to playing the other gender in an RPG... I find it very acceptable online, but less so face-to-face. And it's simply a matter of what you -see-... online, you can put up a picture and tell people to associate that picture with the character being played. In person though, you're hearing the voice, you're seeing the face of the real person. I've seen the cross gender thing done twice in person... once by a guy playing a girl, and the other being a girl playing a guy. It just felt strange both times.
It didn't help that the girl in question was particularly... I guess feminine would be the right term to use. Squeeling and giggling at cute things, using phrases like "Awwwww....", and all in all, found it difficult to not be a girl. Neither did it help that she was particularly attractive, esspecially in her mannerisms. The rest of the players and I found it way too difficult to suspend belief.
I suppose it -could- be done well enough I suppose, but for me, the audio and visual of the real person incringes too much. Suspension of belief can be hard enough as it is.
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