D&D General Do you allow "crossplaying" at your table? Has it ever caused problems?

[Inchoroi]

I've never had a problem with it*. I've "crossplayed" (I am cis male, and was playing an asexual female assassin); several of my players have "crossplayed" before.

Caveat: I had a single issue with it, from a very immature player who did not last long in our group. The guy always played the "buxom, slutty" sort of character.

 

[DnD Warlord]

I wonder if I WAS one of those problem players... I have been “cross playing” for 25 years.

I ask because once way way back when we first started 3.0 I had a friend who had not DMed since 1e in 80s. (I was in college and had a part time job so I was in and out of a ton of games). He insisted that we were too nice to let things slide... one that really stuck in his craw was rolling a professional type craft or profession skill to earn money during down times... he insisted he would make darn sure every skill use ‘made sense’ he then took a month to write up his worlds his gods (very important all home brewed) his kingdoms and even a mythology. It was pretty cool. BUT us DMs all wanted to show him saying no wasn’t so easy, so we each took something weird just to make him be like “wait what?”
When I read his god of love I knew right away what mine would be... a paladin with profession: worlds oldest. She was loosely based off a little known show called fire fly (I’m sure nerds on the internet don’t get it)

so every time we would have down time I would ask if it made sense if my tone buff 16 cha half elf could roll her profession

 

[Ancalagon]

Immaturity explains most of the issues at play here, but not always. My super model lesbian player was in his late thirties and a rather mature person. Sometimes a player needs to get it out of their system, and sometimes it is their system.

As I've grown older, I realized that it can be an avenue for people to "explore" other genders (because perhaps they aren't entirely ok with their own?). Perhaps that is what that was

 

[iserith]

There are no prohibitions with my regulars on this matter, but rarely does anyone actually do it. I play in a female DM's game from time to time and she doesn't particularly care for males playing females because of past experiences. As a result I don't do it to respect her wishes.

 

[uzirath]

In my adult groups, this is not an issue. Players play either sex regularly. Like many on here, I saw occasional foolishness in middle- and high-school when boys would play their fantasies. That wouldn't fly at any table I'm associated with now. (And my middle-schoolers know it!)

 

[Azzy]

I'm in the "Why is that even a question? Play whatever you want!" camp. As a DM, I've been responsible for NPCs of every sex, gender, etc. so someone playing as different from themselves is a nonissue (unless they're being creepy—which I have seen personally). As a player, I've tended to vacilitate between characters of different sexes over the years without issue.

The only problem I'm facing with my current group is I now have a That Guy™ in the group and he makes lewd jokes to the point that it's kinda uncomfortable for the guy that's playing a half-orc woman.

 

[payn]

As I've grown older, I realized that it can be an avenue for people to "explore" other genders (because perhaps they aren't entirely ok with their own?). Perhaps that is what that was

I'd agree if it wasnt the fifth time session zero went like this.

Player: "she is a perfect 10 that wears catsuits and likes chicks..."
GM: "Unlike last time when she was only a 9?"
Player: "No, the last one was a 10 too. She was blond tho."

 

[Charlaquin]

On the subject of “that guy” who always plays sexy women... Sometimes “that guy” is legitimately trying to explore a broader range of gender expression and identity. I mean, if their portrayal of women is making other people uncomfortable, obviously talk to them and try to discourage the problematic aspects, and if they aren’t willing to respect others’ wishes, probably ask them to leave the group. But sometimes they’re just fumbling through an earnest attempt at playing another gender, and don’t mean to come off the way they are.

On the subject of experiences in middle/high school with players portraying other genders, one of my best friends always played women in D&D. Those characters never came off as creepy or disrespectful, but it was a noteworthy pattern. Now, twenty-odd years later, turns out she’s trans. She’s far from the only trans person who used roleplaying games as a safe way to explore their identity before fully coming to terms with it, and I think that’s a big part of why we get so many LGBTQIA folks in the hobby, despite it having a history as a bit of a boy’s club.

So, yeah, I don’t question the genders players choose to roleplay. And if someone’s uncomfortable, we’ll talk about it. But restrictions around who can play what gender don’t fly at my table.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

This was never a question when I ran games in high school - my logic has always been, "if you can play an elf or a lizardman, you can play a woman - why would this matter?"

I didn't even encounter it until the first time I went to a con and found that some tables forbid people from playing characters of a different gender. I found it very strange.

I still do. My current group has male, female and nonbinary players - and they play characters of whichever gender they choose. As the DM, I play characters of all genders and none. It's just another facet of roleplaying to me.

 

[Prebata]

The DM roleplays every gender in the setting. In light of that, players should not constrain themselves, should they want to portray a particular gender. But each to their own, and every table is unique.