Pronouns in D&D - How should gender be handled?

Umbran · Nov 21, 2013

mythago said:
Actually, the easiest way out of this is better writing: "The DM first describes the room, then indicates what monsters are present." Or "The DM describes the room, and then describes the monsters in that room." No need for the pronoun at all, and I suppose you could throw 'to the players' in there somewhere, but isn't it assumed by the reader, in the context of (say) a module, that the DM is addressing the players?

That works well for a single, isolated sentence, but in the context of a paragraph or chapter, it leads to highly repetitive structure that becomes less easy to read. "The DM does X. The DM does Y. In Z, the DM then...." The whole point of pronouns is to avoid the repetitive use of the specific reference.

Umbran · Nov 21, 2013

mythago said:
Actually, the easiest way out of this is better writing: "The DM first describes the room, then indicates what monsters are present." Or "The DM describes the room, and then describes the monsters in that room." No need for the pronoun at all, and I suppose you could throw 'to the players' in there somewhere, but isn't it assumed by the reader, in the context of (say) a module, that the DM is addressing the players?

That works well for a single, isolated sentence, but in the context of a paragraph or chapter, it leads to highly repetitive structure that becomes less easy to read. "The DM does X. The DM does Y. In Z, the DM then...." The whole point of pronouns is to avoid the repetitive use of the specific reference.

ClarenceInWonderland · Nov 21, 2013

Dausuul said:
(I'll have to ask her if she thinks of the United Kingdom as "she.")

Well, the UK is an agglomeration of kingdoms/nations. In Celtic languages (and Latin) which have grammatical gender, the country name is invariably feminine

Britannia : feminine, Hibernia : feminine
Éire : feminine
Cymru : feminine
Alba : feminine
Kernow : feminine
Mannin : feminine

In Old English, I think England was neuter gender, though I’d have to check up on that.

jasper · Nov 21, 2013

Instead he, she, or they just use Bob.

Neonchameleon · Nov 21, 2013

shadow said:
1. The generic masculine. All generic pronouns are masculine with the assumption that female characters are included. (The traditional rule of English writing.)

This is a relatively modern rule of English writing, dating only back to 1750 and a prescriptivist grammarian.

2. Switching between masculine and feminine pronouns. There should be a balance between masculine and feminine pronouns, so some characters or situations should use a masculine pronoun and some should use a feminine pronoun. (For example, the DM would be described by a feminine pronoun whereas players would be described with masculine pronouns.)

This works for examples where the gender is known - and the traps are avoidable (don't make all the melee characters male and the casters female for example).

3. Using 'they' as a generic. Even when the referent is a singular, 'they' is used as a pronoun.

This is the actual traditional rule of English grammar where the gender of the person being written about is unknown (and was good enough for Shakespeare). For instance the reader of the book or hypothetical non-specific players..

4. Avoiding pronouns altogether. This may get a little tricky because English speakers generally find it unnatural to repeat the subject over and over without resorting to a pronoun.

This is just awkward.

So I'd mix 2 for known examples and 3 for unknown examples.

GX.Sigma · Nov 21, 2013

This conversation is still going on?

Use "you" and plural "they" as much as is sensible, "he," "she," or "it" where appropriate for specific individuals, and "he or she" as a generic singular. Done.

Examples:

"Starting at 2nd level, you are able to cast spells..."

"PCs wishing to approach the king must first explain their business to the guards."

"The DM is the final arbiter of his or her campaign."

"If one of the PCs objects, simply tell him or her..."

"When the Human Fighter is reduced to 0 hit points, he or she can attempt a Constitution saving throw..."

"When the Orc Fighter is reduced to 0 hit points, it can attempt a Constitution saving throw..."

Random Bystander · Nov 21, 2013

GX.Sigma said:
This conversation is still going on?

Use "you" and plural "they" as much as is sensible, "he," "she," or "it" where appropriate for specific individuals, and "he or she" as a generic singular. Done.

Examples:

"Starting at 2nd level, you are able to cast spells..."

"PCs wishing to approach the king must first explain their business to the guards."

"The DM is the final arbiter of his or her campaign."

"If one of the PCs objects, simply tell him or her..."

"When the Human Fighter is reduced to 0 hit points, he or she can attempt a Constitution saving throw..."

"When the Orc Fighter is reduced to 0 hit points, it can attempt a Constitution saving throw..."

"They" is an awkward word, but there is no other useful objection that I am aware of.

Pronouns in D&D - How should gender be handled?

How should pronouns be handled in RPGs?

Use masculine pronouns generically.

Alternate between masculine and feminine pronouns. (Explain how the pronouns should alternate.)

Use 'they' as a generic pronoun.

Try to avoid pronoun usage altogether.

Something else. (Please explain below.)

Umbran

Mod Squad

Umbran

Mod Squad

ClarenceInWonderland

Explorer

jasper

Rotten DM

Neonchameleon

Legend

GX.Sigma

Adventurer

Random Bystander

First Post

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