Campaign Setting Idea (MY PLAYERS STAY OUT)

[Trainz]

All those girls/guys - sexism/tolerence threads gave me an idea...

I often create new homebrew settings when starting a new campaign. I may have created about 6 or 8 of them. What can I say, I like to draw/build.

Here's an idea: Next time I start a new 1st level campaign, I'll propose to my players that if their gender is female, I'll give them the following character generating benefits:

- Ability Generation: 5d6, reroll 1's (instead of the 28 point-buy method);
- Start with a +1 adamantine weapon or +1 mithral armor;
- Start with a +2 enhancement stat bonus item appropriate to class.

And then shove them in a setting that is hard on women (don't know how hard yet).

Ideas anyone ?

 

[shilsen]

Simple question - would it be fun for you and your group to run an entire campaign in a setting where gender-discrimination is an important part of the game? If the answer is "yes", then go ahead. The answer is "no" for me, so I wouldn't use this when DMing, and would very likely not play in such a campaign (though it might be a little tempting as a roleplaying challenge).

 

[Trainz]

Simple question - would it be fun for you and your group to run an entire campaign in a setting where gender-discrimination is an important part of the game? If the answer is "yes", then go ahead. The answer is "no" for me, so I wouldn't use this when DMing, and would very likely not play in such a campaign (though it might be a little tempting as a roleplaying challenge).

That's the whole point. The role-playing challenge. The woman thing is only accessory. For all intent and purposes, it could be men in a setting ruled by women where women are viewed inferior, or even a different race, humans in a setting of elven supremacy.

I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT I GET A KICK OUT OF PORTRAYING WOMEN AS INFERIORS, ALL THE CONTRARY ! ! ! By having the PC's playing women, obviously women will then be the HEROES of the story.

I am only trying to find a different role-playing challenge for my players. I just thought it might be an interesting experience for them to be in the shoes of women who must fight the system as well as fight the challenges of adventuring life.

Hell, some women might find it interesting that a group of male players experience male prejudice. Surely the possibilities are interesting for a mature group of players.

 

[Piratecat]

I'd be a lot more comfortable using these rules to play an orc in an anti-orcish campaign than I would be a woman in a misogynistic campaign. I guess I prefer more escapism, and that prejudice is a lot more palatable to me when disguised by fantasy races.

 

[Trainz]

I'd be a lot more comfortable using these rules to play an orc in an anti-orcish campaign than I would be a woman in a misogynistic campaign. I guess I prefer more escapism, and that prejudice is a lot more palatable to me when disguised by fantasy races.

I understand.

A priori I didn't think sexism in role-playing experienced by a mature group would be more prejudice inducing than, say, exposure to necromancy magic and real-world religions.

I guess I might change it to an all-orc party then. But it's been done, and I wanted to explore something new and challenging.

I'll go with orcs. Prejudice is prejudice anyways, heh ?

 

[Trainz]

Piratecat (or any other moderator), do you think this thread might offend someone ?

If so, please delete it right away. I certainly do not want to be the cause of any sour feelings.

 

[Phineas Crow]

If you want a world vs the PCs type game, you could always run a Midnight game.

 

[Ice man]

As a campaign thought, how do you feel about a cult type of church which is very humanocentric and very biased against all races other than humans? this would create some interesting scenarios if the players were in a predominantly human kingdom. For example, the cult is rising in prominence and begining to gain a great deal of influence politically and preaching a crusade against a nearby elven forest...if hard pressed would demi human PCs be willing to ally with an orc tribe?? Just a thought...

 

[Trainz]

If you want a world vs the PCs type game, you could always run a Midnight game.

Not my thing, but thanks for the recommendation.

The thing is, I want to catch my players off-guard. It's easy to hate the elves, they're so haughty and all that. In an orc vs human dominance thing, again the players can relate to that, because in most campaigns, orcs ARE the bad guys, and the orc players, while being hated by humans, can relate to the situation.

Would it feel better if I wanted to create a matriarchal setting, where PC's are men and where men are seen as little more than inferior mates ? If you search within yourself, without lying, and find that the answer is Yes, then that raises interesting issues, doesn't it...

My point is that I think I trust my players to be mature enough to play such a game without being offended by it. It's just a role-playing challenge really.

I created this thread in the hopes that ENworlders might be able to provide ideas on what to do to make this setting. If it is too sensitive, I want to delete this thread at once.

 

[Trainz]

As a campaign thought, how do you feel about a cult type of church which is very humanocentric and very biased against all races other than humans? this would create some interesting scenarios if the players were in a predominantly human kingdom. For example, the cult is rising in prominence and begining to gain a great deal of influence politically and preaching a crusade against a nearby elven forest...if hard pressed would demi human PCs be willing to ally with an orc tribe?? Just a thought...

That is interesting. It's not what I intended, but it is something original and new.

All humans hate anything non-human, and the PC's are human. And eventually, they find that the non-humans are not all the evil critters that humanity make them to be. Or, the PC's are half-elves or somesuch, and thus are outcasts, or viewed with great suspicion.

Hell, that would be the first time that I see 3rd edition half-elves played in a campaign !