Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
We'll see. It's juts a classic train wreck thread, that's all. Someone inevitably comes along and says something sutipd.
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Playing characters of the opposite gender
- Thread starter Blizzardb
- Start date
We'll see. It's juts a classic train wreck thread, that's all. Someone inevitably comes along and says something sutipd.
I'd say I play about 50% male, 50% female characters. Most players I know tend more toward playing their own gender, but not exclusively. As a DM, I have no problem with it. It's just one of those things, you know?
I picked the "none of the above" option because I don't really have strong feelings on the subject. Female, male, they're all player characters to me.
I picked the "none of the above" option because I don't really have strong feelings on the subject. Female, male, they're all player characters to me.
I think it would be fun to go all Shakespeare. Y'know, play a female who's playing a male playing a female.I've always kind of wanted to play a character who cross dresses (not that I'm interested in doing that in real life, by the way), but I don't think my friends would be able to take the character seriously. And, really, I'm not sure I could play such a character well--I'm worried they would just come off as gimmicky.
Wait, that's too confusing. Just a female PC pretending ot be a male PC would do it.
Halivar
First Post
Why? I'm not trying to open a can of worms, but there is more to the aesthetics of human (or, in this case, humanoid) anatomy in art than sexuality. Historically speaking, women are more popular than men as art subjects, in part because of traditional views of idealized gender roles ("soft" subjects are aesthetically pleasing, while "hard" subjects are not). According to enculturated-lens theory, the "idealized" male form (and the one used in most MMO's for male characters) is one of action and a sort of brutishness, and almost grotesque musculature. And yet, these are the sorts of characteristics that are not considered aesthetically pleasing to the vast majority of either men or women.
It has almost nothing to do with "getting one's jollies."
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All other things being equal, the only difference between a male and female are (by definition) things like gender identity, gender role, and sexuality.
Some people are just either uncomfortable being around people acting out other things (maybe they don't want to "act out" having two men talk to each other in a flirty way, etc) or some people just aren't mature enough to act out other things in a tasteful way. Or other reasons.
I'm not bothered by playing another gender or by others playing another gender -- it is when someone isn't mature enough to do it tastefully. The gender aspect of the roleplaying shouldn't be so overbearing and extreme that a stereotypical gender attitude is the only defining characteristic of that PC; PCs (just like people) should have multilple character traits that define them as a whole, not one aspect taken to the extreme.
Also, the other part of it is voices. If a player likes to do voices when speaking in character, if their "girl voice" (or man voice) isn't particularly pleasant on the ears for the other players, that can get old fast....
So if someone has been burned before on the issue or doesn't know what to expect from players (like a new group or someone new) than I can understand just avoiding the issue altogether and saying no to it from the get go so as not to have to address it down the road.
Some people are just either uncomfortable being around people acting out other things (maybe they don't want to "act out" having two men talk to each other in a flirty way, etc) or some people just aren't mature enough to act out other things in a tasteful way. Or other reasons.
I'm not bothered by playing another gender or by others playing another gender -- it is when someone isn't mature enough to do it tastefully. The gender aspect of the roleplaying shouldn't be so overbearing and extreme that a stereotypical gender attitude is the only defining characteristic of that PC; PCs (just like people) should have multilple character traits that define them as a whole, not one aspect taken to the extreme.
Also, the other part of it is voices. If a player likes to do voices when speaking in character, if their "girl voice" (or man voice) isn't particularly pleasant on the ears for the other players, that can get old fast....
So if someone has been burned before on the issue or doesn't know what to expect from players (like a new group or someone new) than I can understand just avoiding the issue altogether and saying no to it from the get go so as not to have to address it down the road.
Agreed there; for instance, the Night Elf and Drae males are ugly as sin because they are hyper-masculine.
Teflon Billy
Explorer
I disallow it in my game.
I've seen it go wrong more times than right, and I like to minimize stuff that goes wrong in my games.
If someone came to me with a concept that would add to the game and absolutely had to be female (as opposed to the concepts "Lesbian Badass" or "Flirty Slut"...which are both the more common proposals in my 20-odd years experience) I might give it a look.
But given that the culture has been reasonably successful in it's attempts to downplay the differences between male and female ability, I have yet to really see a useful concept that needs a certain gender.
That too.
To quote a good friend of mine (who also GM's)...
"If someone goes home from my weekly game and uses it as material to pleasure themselves...than the train has left the tracks.
I've seen it go wrong more times than right, and I like to minimize stuff that goes wrong in my games.
If someone came to me with a concept that would add to the game and absolutely had to be female (as opposed to the concepts "Lesbian Badass" or "Flirty Slut"...which are both the more common proposals in my 20-odd years experience) I might give it a look.
But given that the culture has been reasonably successful in it's attempts to downplay the differences between male and female ability, I have yet to really see a useful concept that needs a certain gender.
That too.
To quote a good friend of mine (who also GM's)...
"If someone goes home from my weekly game and uses it as material to pleasure themselves...than the train has left the tracks.
I allow it in my games, and I play opposite gender PCs when its appropriate...and allowed.
Hella_Tellah
Explorer
As someone who almost exclusively GMs, I find that a disproportionate number of my NPCs (15% or so?) are old women with one of the following voices:
*"We are not amused!"
*The wealthy dowager voice from Marx Brothers movies
*A creaking old peasant lady voice. "'ello deary!"
I don't think I've ever made an out-and-out sexy female NPC.
I'm a little annoyed by guys playing women who are supposed to be sexy, I guess, but just because I think it's a boring character trait. The women I game with usually play hideous or at best average-looking female characters. Come to think of it, that's always been my experience, especially when I introduce roleplaying games to a woman who has never played one before. It must be kind of liberating to play in a world where being pretty doesn't matter, or to play a character that doesn't bother with all the hassle of meeting up to other peoples' standards of beauty.
Which is to say that I have no idea how to vote in your poll.
Maybe if I had had a player who tried to do something creepy with cross-gender roleplaying, I'd feel differently.
*"We are not amused!"
*The wealthy dowager voice from Marx Brothers movies
*A creaking old peasant lady voice. "'ello deary!"
I don't think I've ever made an out-and-out sexy female NPC.
I'm a little annoyed by guys playing women who are supposed to be sexy, I guess, but just because I think it's a boring character trait. The women I game with usually play hideous or at best average-looking female characters. Come to think of it, that's always been my experience, especially when I introduce roleplaying games to a woman who has never played one before. It must be kind of liberating to play in a world where being pretty doesn't matter, or to play a character that doesn't bother with all the hassle of meeting up to other peoples' standards of beauty.
Which is to say that I have no idea how to vote in your poll.
Maybe if I had had a player who tried to do something creepy with cross-gender roleplaying, I'd feel differently.Our group doesn't care one way or the other. The only onus on us (whoa... alteration) is to make interesting characters that don't mortally offend the other people playing.
(we succeed at the 1st part slightly more than the 2nd)
That remind me, I haven't played a female character in a long time. The last was in an an old M&M1e campaign, when I ran Penny Dreadful, the Mistress of Pulp Fiction(s).
(we succeed at the 1st part slightly more than the 2nd)
That remind me, I haven't played a female character in a long time. The last was in an an old M&M1e campaign, when I ran Penny Dreadful, the Mistress of Pulp Fiction(s).
