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Character Points I - Physical Description

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. I want to thank you for being willing to put your work out there where it can be a target of abuse. Lord knows you get enough of that when something on the tech side of the boards goes wrong. One of the things I find really lacking these days is good content.
*Snippity snip*
I just hope some of the negative feedback in this thread doesn't run off other potential authors. I'm glad you shared a little of your history to let us know why your opinions are valuable as opposed to many of the naysayers who's only claim to authority is 'because they say so'. I eagerly await your next installment.

I don't think the vast majority of criticism can be labeled as "abuse" and "negative" mostly they are just feedback, if someone asks for that feedback they generally don't want just the positive, they want it all to advance their writing skills through the use of other's ideas and perspectives.

Reading through the comments I can see one post that looks like it might be scoring points against Michael Morris, the rest look like they're giving honest non sugar-coated opinions.

Michael Morris said:
Cross-gender play is a topic I'll probably revisit - it can definately fill an article by itself. I mention it in passing here to note that it is a potential trouble spot. That doesn't mean it will be a trouble spot. I have myself played female characters and my two novels have female protagonists.
The way you have worded it doesn't come across this way in my interpretation at least, if you mean potential trouble say so, don't put in that at best it can be comical at worst insulting, that is the trouble I am having with it.

On a more positive note, which I forgot first time round, I like the detail you encourage on the physical descriptions and the list of descriptors for hair is great.

One thing I like to do myself is about once a fortnight or so, when getting players to do a recap of the previous session is to get the players to "Recap" what their players look like, including current dress.
 

One thing I like to do myself is about once a fortnight or so, when getting players to do a recap of the previous session is to get the players to "Recap" what their players look like, including current dress.

Cool idea. All too often characters, my own included, continue to look exactly the same despite the situations they encounter which would destroy their clothes or hairstyles and the changing of the seasons.
 

Overall the article was fine. It was basic and that's fine, too. There was one sentence that really seemed to rub me the wrong way, though:

"Note also that playing out of gender requires the consent of the rest of the players and the DM."

First, your character as a whole always comes down to the approval of your GM. However, if everything else was fine, if my GM, or any of my companion players, told me that I could not play a character of the opposite sex, I would promptly tell them where they should go and what they should do when they get there.
I am (in real life) a male and have played D&D for about twenty years, and in that time I have had half a dozen great female characters because I enjoy challenges and role-playing. I am not twelve and would not make stupid female models based after ridiculous stereotypes.
So, "requires consent"? Please....
 

Into the Woods

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