"All halflings are heterosexual."

[Jürgen Hubert]

I find it very narrow minded that someone would speak in such a way about a race and what they always are or arn't, it removes the freedom of the individual from the world or the game as it were.

Who says that fantasy races have to be free?

And anyway, why must fantasy races be capable of homosexuality? After all, no one gets upset about the fact that humans aren't capable of winged flight, either.

 

[Ace]

This GM would probably hate the Book of Erotic Fantasy then, what with a gay halfling character and all in there.

Not necesarily -- not in my campaign doesn't automatically mean "I hate that"

Sexuality and D&D varies a lot from game to game as we all know IMC for example -- its all PG and happens behind the screen ---

Other games are rather more -- graphic. They make me queasy but to each his own and what adulyts want to do is thier business. Mea Culpa here but when I was very young (pre adult here) I ran Gor themed games with my buddies. We had fun though in retrospect I have to cringe

More recently I tried a PG13 Buffy/Angel game with a very mature group -- very metrosexual actually and it made them uncomfortable so it was back to PG for us


When I play all of my charcters are almost always deliberatly neuter on issues of sex for the most part-- heterosexual (Bi in 1 case, a vampire natch) but neuter. This way I can deal with the parts that interest me without stress -- an occasional bit of roleplaying and the conflict stuff.

I just don't care about my characters romantic life or creepy interparty marriages and the like. They happen in other people games and thats cool with me but not in my campaign -- at least with my expected groups of players

Now as for the sexual preferences of non human races-- shoot I worked them out for my game-- they will probably never come up but they do interest me from a world building POV

Just for kicks -- here they are


Human -- same as real world -- varies by culture

None of the non humans are used IMC but when I did use them here is what they were like

Elves -- Mostly Bi -- with a few single sex prefered types -- usually Hetero with a fair amount of polyamory too. Sex =/= repoduction with these guys

Dwarves -- 60% Neuter (all the unamrried ones) the rest Hetero -- none are Gay as dwarves aren't really into the whole sex drive thing and can off the sex drive

Gnomes -- Same as Dwarves

Half Elves -- same as Humans often with a bit more of a wild streak

Halfling -- always hetero and monogamous like Swans. They bond for life. if a partner dies they rebond (sometimes) but thats it
No that DM he spotted wasn't me but thinking about it I think it makes sense. This also keeps the amount of Sam/Frodo slash or worse Lidda the Slut stuff to a minimum

Half Orcs -- same as Human with a marked tendancy to violence

Half Ogre . Always Male and Always Neuter. These were from parings between a human male and an ogress -- females became Ogres , Males could be (1 time in 10) Half Ogres. Ogre males aren't interested in human females -- except as food. The exception might be a shapechanged Ogre Magi -- Children would be human with a High Strength, a wierd bloodline and levels in the Sorcerer class

Half Troll -- Some trolls IMC are intelligent and intereact with humans quite often. Humans and Trollwives sometimes Uhm interact They are close enough to people that offspring sometimes result. They look and act mostly human though they tend to be tall, have magic and sometimes horns or rough skin.


my Catfolk are Hetero with a tendancy to promiscuity.

As for "racial interactions "

Gnomes and Halfling always pair with their own kind

Dwarves pair only with Dwarves except in my faerie tale world where they sometimes pair with human females

Elves often pair with humans -- at least for a while as they are bascially the same species

Catfolk vary -- in one world the Anime styled ones often play about with humans. I doubt there is any offspring. In other games more animal like ones stick to thier own kind

 

[The Spectrum Rider]

And anyway, why must fantasy races be capable of homosexuality? After all, no one gets upset about the fact that humans aren't capable of winged flight, either.

No one? It drives me up a wall!

No one is saying that all fantasy races be capable of homosexuality (or heterosexuality, or left-handedness, or the ability to cook, or having a gender). But to tell a player that she can't play a gay character (halfling, in this case) - unless there is a *very* compelling in-game reason, or unless the DM has experience with the obnoxious and distracting way in which this particular player role-plays gay (but not non-gay) characters - seems to me to be as pointless as telling her that she can't play a character who cooks.

Sure, if she's played such a character before, and drove everyone crazy by bringing in cookbooks and having her PC talk endlessly about ingredients and generally focusing all her role-playing on her abilities as a chef while everybody else was trying to kill the beholder swarm, then okay, I get it. But otherwise - well, doesn't it strike anybody that, while it is certainly within the DM's rights, it's also kind of petty?

The Spectrum Rider

 

[was]

It's a non-issue for our group, hetero or otherwise inclined. We just don't make a point of roleplaying sexuality. Too much other stuff to do.

 

[shilsen]

Not really. We do it quite well, as I suspect do most Eberron gamers.

What about the Changeling Escort Service? Darn fuddy-duddies

 

[shilsen]

It's a non-issue for our group, hetero or otherwise inclined. We just don't make a point of roleplaying sexuality. Too much other stuff to do.

Not at all? No husky, male fighters pinching the requisite saucy serving wench? No married or involved PCs or NPCs whose relationship involves sexual attraction of any kind? Nobody ever finds anyone else sexy?

 

[Darkness]

... liberal society in which you are expected to respect the rights and beliefs of others as they are expected to respect yours. The US wouldn't be the same place without this philosophical underpinning. ...

Please don't go further in this direction, everbody. We don't want this stray into politics. Thank you.

 

[ecliptic]

As far as I am concerned it is the DMs game and he can do what he wants.

Also do you people really want to start a political arguement? Why is it that the one time I mentioned politics (when I first got here) my post was edited and I was warned. Yet people like those above trying to start something political never get the same treatment?

 

[Henry]

Ecliptic, we're definitely watching the thread, and people are getting warned. If you have a question about moderator practices, feel free to e-mail us, and if you have a question about the forum rules, the Meta Forum is always available, as is the FAQ.

And if people don't heed Darkness' request, he'll move appropriately. We're both aware that this topic can be a sensitive one, but most of the posters here are trying to do their best to be respectful and insightful at the same time, and it's why we're leaving it open. As long as people continue to do so, and keep it on-topic, then we're okay with it.

 

[El Ravager]

From what I've seen or participated in, GM's that make statements such as 'there are no cat people in my world' or 'there are no ninjas in this world' are almost always aiming that statement at a particular player who insists that every single character he plays is a cat person ninja, even when such a thing is grossly inappropriate to the game/world/genre/whatever.

If the GM had said 'There are no gay people in this world whatsoever' (without some kind of explanation) then I could see someone getting up and walking out because of having a conflict with that. That he made it specific to a particular race, to me, says that he's had some kind of problem with that player in the past.

BINGO

I think a lot of responses in this thread are taking the DM's comment too seriously. I have said myself "There are no <whatever>s in my game world". And that whatever was probably a really anoying character concept - be it race, class, or whatever. I seriously doubt this DM comment lends us any insight to his thoughts on sexuality or his concept of halflings and how they can't possibly be gay.

There are no gay halflings in his world because this girl wanted to play a gay halfling and he didn't want to put up with it. In all likelyhood, I don't blame him. If the character being gay was that important to the player, then chances are it was going to play a big part for the character in game. And chances are this would be in a really over the top annoying way.