D&D 5E Aspurgers/autism effects?

I've played with a variety of people over the years, including playing with someone with apergers. I really don't see a big difference than what I do with anyone else. I try to accommodate them the best I can and play to their strengths. Everyone plays for a different reasons.

But playing a PC with aspergers? I'd do it as part of their background and focus on traits, ideals, bonds and flaws. Probably wouldn't take proficiency in insight, but other than that nothing.

I would also be very careful playing to any specific caricature that people might find offensive. I remember (long ago in a different century) going to a "Nerds" themed party. I thought it was kind of a fun way of celebrating the fact that I am a total nerd. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and I left after half an hour because of the way people portrayed people with developmental disorders.
 

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It sounds like you probably have more experience and awareness of the situation than most of us. I would do it strictly via roleplaying, not mechanics.

In fact, we had an autistic character (not player) in my game some years back. The player had a few tics for him, things that would set the character off emotionally, and definitely adopted some speech mannerisms that seemed to reflect his autistic nature. But mostly, he was just another character in the group. Generally, every pc has a quirk or two. This just felt like that taken one delicate step further.

I'll also say that the player in question did a great job making the character feel autistic while maintaining a respectful tone toward autism in general. I don't know that I would count on that happening with every player or group.
 

By the way, for the folks saying they probably wouldn’t and/or they wouldn’t allow a player in their game to: this is anecdotal, but the autistic people I know generally love seeing autistic characters, so long as they are portrayed well. No representation is better than bad representation, but good representation is generally well appreciated.
 

People with Asperger syndrome aren't stupid, only without the necessary astuteness or intution to notice some things. Do you remember when you are playing cards with your friends and anybody has got his pocker-face? An Aspie can't discover those little details, for example when somebody is lying.

Anytimes they can't find the right words. For example.

- Why not to eat more fruit, it is good for health!

- Do you mean I am too fat?

- Oh no! (Ups!).

Or in a debate an aspie isn't enough fast to improvise an ingenious response but maybe the next time it has a ready answer you could be surprise with a really good words from his memory.

And sometimes the mind is too frozen, without enough mental flexibility to adapt to new changes.

And in the past when this was not enough known, people with Asperger were tagged as... no-bright.

* My advice is the construct races (for example androids, warforgeds or sharminds) are the softest way to play a character with autism.
 

Noooooooooooooo, do not portray constructed or alien characters as autistic! Autistic people being alien or robotic are negative stereotypes and having those stereotypes taken to a literal level is very disrespectful. Also don’t call them “aspies”. Autistic person is usually the preferred term, though obviously if someone tells you they would prefer to be referred to differently it is polite to respect their wishes in the matter.
 

If it helps my main other problem is unrelate to my aspurgers syndrome: I’ve got almost no sense of smell/taste from sinus infections when I was a child.
 
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I would suggest you talk, out of character, to the other players. Let them know that you have Aspergers and you want to play a character that also has such. Let them know what that means to you, how they can interact with your character without offending you.

For instance, I think of Carlos Mencia and his incorporation of atypical folks in his comedy routines. Many folks don't/didn't realize that he did so with their permission and enthusiasm.

I would also make sure to employ some sort of X Card system. Not only for you, but for everyone else too because the chances are very high that someone, at some point is going to be uncomfortable, even if only because they don't know how they are allowed to act/react.
 

People with Asperger syndrome aren't stupid, only without the necessary astuteness or intution to notice some things. Do you remember when you are playing cards with your friends and anybody has got his pocker-face? An Aspie can't discover those little details, for example when somebody is lying.

Anytimes they can't find the right words. For example.

- Why not to eat more fruit, it is good for health!

- Do you mean I am too fat?

- Oh no! (Ups!).

Or in a debate an aspie isn't enough fast to improvise an ingenious response but maybe the next time it has a ready answer you could be surprise with a really good words from his memory.

And sometimes the mind is too frozen, without enough mental flexibility to adapt to new changes.

And in the past when this was not enough known, people with Asperger were tagged as... no-bright.
I don't think the guy with Asperger syndrome was asking for you to mansplain Asperger syndrome to him.
 


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