Can sexism be good for plot?

[Barastrondo]

The "how" of "how do I address the topic?" is pretty much along with the majority: there are some gender roles that are a bit more common by region, but they're not frequently the sort of thing that would inspire great prejudice for breaking them. It all really depends on what I think is cool. A duke who rides wyverns and goes hunting is cool; but so is a duchess with the same interests. In some regions, the archetypal male barkeep is comforting and familiar; in others, brewing and tavernkeeping is a woman's job (as in old Sumeria). Sometimes my players are interested in playing up a particular archetype that's gender related (like a fey enchantress); sometimes they like to break gender roles. Whatever they think is cool.

The "why" is pretty much based on religion. In general, the gods and goddesses are equal in number, and each is generally an equal in power, so it follows from there that the world will mirror that. This applies to balance between the sexes as well as to balance between those cosmic forces like good and evil. Now, different cultures have different interpretations of the gods, so one culture might see a particular deities as Patriarch (or Matriarch) over all the others, and so some sexism or other cultural bias (such as a war-god promoting a warlike society) is possible. It just depends how I feel like tweaking the local flavor of an area to derive stories out of it.

To answer the subject question, yes, sexism can be good for plot. But I think it's better for the plot of a single story here and there than the overarching theme of an entire campaign, much less multiple campaigns set in the same world.

 

[Kastil]

I have a little of everything in my world of that nature (and I'm female in real life). I have towns where women are not allowed to show any body part if they're unmarried and other places where the women are a equal part of the social structure, hunting alongside the men.


I made it very clear to my group that my world would reflect like a real society stucture would. I haven't done a female barkeep yet but they've been waited on both sexes. I just don't think there's any flavor if you make the world act like you have a bunch of Ken and Barbie dolls, if ye get my meaning. Then again, I'm a heavy Role over Roll player/DM too.

 

[kengar]

How do you treat the issue of gender in your worlds?

Do you include elements of gender roles, sexism, etc.?
Do you opt for largely ignoring sexism for the sake of your female players?
Do you not worry about the issue, but still have a world that conforms to traditional gender roles (barmaids are chicks, barkeeps are men; noble lords fight and hunt, ladies do needlework; kings are always male, that type of thing)?

In my online Basic/Expert D&D game, the female PC (a homebrew bard played by a female player) periodically has to put up with some mild sexism. The character is a young woman (19 yrs old) with a 17 CHA. IMC, high CHA doesn't necessarily mean looks as opposed to persuasiveness, etc.; but the player and I discussed this at the start of the campaign and decided that at least part of her CHA was looks. She also periodically plays for her supper in the taproom of the local inn. All of this means she is occasionally subjected to leers and a few comments. Nothing "R" rated, but it does mean she has to deal with sexism in character from time to time.

Recently, an NPC was being a bit condescending to her and basically hitting on her. Again, nothing lewd or graphic, but something that might make some players uncomfortable. The player in question handled it quite well and the exchange will play nicely into later events where this NPC may be causing the party grief.

I guess the short answer to the quetion is Yes, I use sexism, but not all the time and only to the extent it helps the story or RP along.

 

[Elf Witch]

What is wrong with being sexy?.... Uh, that's "sexist". Oh sorry. -Spinal Tap

I lke having wierd cultural differences, and prejudices. They are fun to roleplay although most PCs have trouble adapting to them. That is one reason I am running Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed Diamond Throne (there is Giantism).
However, I think reinforcine the bad parts of our own society is pretty pointless. Why bother, when it is a fantasy world. I have gay kings, female demons, female arch mages. clerics, paladins etc.. They form about 50% of the major NPCs.

I have another question though. Do you as DMs do anything about the sexism "at the Table" that is, among the players. I try to build groups of people I like, and I don't like racists or sexists. But I notice that in a predominantly male pasttime like D&D when it is mostly guys around the table, talk can get borderline sexist, female players can be marginalized, and similar problems seem to arise.

I nearly joined a guy's game (we were talking about co-dming) until he told me he refused to game with women, because it ruined the experience for him. He felt he couldn't relax with a woman there. Anyone else run into this sort of situation?

As a player I have been stung by sexism at the table. I was turned down from a PBEM when I admited I was a female. I was so tempted to use another e-mail account and play saying I was a male just to annoy them. But being a grown up won out in the end. :\

I have even faced it at the table that I have been playing at for years. Some of the guys tend to sometimes be a little condescending to the female players. There are two of us. Sometimes I think this happens sometimes because of the difference between male and female communication. It was funny we got a new player last year and he did notice that the gals were treated a little different than the guys.

These guys are great and it is not something that would make me quit playing with them.

Now in a game setting I don't see a problem with sexism or racism in the plot if everyone is fine with it and it is not being done to drive a player away.

 

[CaptainCalico]

In my current campaign the different kingdoms have different takes on gender relations – ranging from two totally egalitarian, one oppressively patriarchal, one oppressively matriarchal (no surprise that they are at war with each other), and two patrilinear (family descent through male line) but mostly egalitarian in other areas. Interstingly my one female player chose to have her female PC come from the oppressively patriarchal kingdom so she could play the rebel.

I use those differences when deciding the genders of NPCs, for example in the oppressively matriarchal kingdom men cannot own land, so all the ruling nobles and business proprietors the PCs meet are female. In the oppressively patriarchal kingdom service to The Church is the only viable alternative to marriage for women, so the PC’s will not meet many female Bards, but they will meet many female Paladins and Clerics.

Actually the biggest “-isim” in my campaign is psionism – most of them are “in the crystal closet”.