Do you let PC's play opposite gender characters?

[Orius]

Ah, I think understand. So by using that same logic I can safely assume that:

1. You only play humans, since you don't know what it's like to be a dwarf, elf, orc or halfling.

2. You never play spellcasters, since you don't know what it's like to actually cast real magic spells.

3. You only play D20 Modern, since you don't know what it's like to live in a different period of time.

4. All of your characters work as the same profession as you have in real life, since you don't know what it's like to have a profession other than that.

Not quite.

Yes, I do tend toward human characters. However, I'll play dwarves or gnomes as well.

Actually, I have a preference for wizards. That's because wizards are geniuses like me.

Never played d20.

It's a matter of playing the type of character in a fantasy setting that I sort of fantasize myself being. So, it's really more a matter of me not fantasizing about being a woman.

I fantasize about being with women, not being women.

 

[Orius]

A lot of people just aren't comfortable with their own gender/sexual identity, and so can't handle something that might seem to challenge the fragile framework they hold onto. It amazes me how charged up people can get over gender and gender identity...

Now that could be construed as an insulting statement, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt by assuming you're not trolling or flame baiting.

I don't feel that my masculinity is threatened by the types of characters I play in a game. I'm simply a lazy role-player. So I don't bother with constructing personalities that are radically different from mine, so not only are my characters males, they tend to be mouthy jerks, too. However, since I usually use Charisma as a dump stat, that might be considered good RPing. I tend toward hack-and-slash rather than theatrics; I prefer to just kick monster ass, whether with sword or spell. It's not that I don't like any role-playing, I just prefer to get back to the action and earn some more XPs.

However, this thread is really about whether DMs allow cross gender playing, not player gender preference, so I don't see what the problem is. If my players all want to cross gender, fine. I don't make a policy of telling them what characters to play and how to play them.

 

[Nine Hands]

As a DM I generally don't let people play outside their own gender. The few times I have, the characters have been badly played stereotypes of the gender. (Both Men and Women have screwed this up) I was just wondering how others handle this topic??

Thanks
Z

Ah the old "cross dressing" question. It all depends on the player. I will let anyone try anything once, if they do a good job, then they should continue to play characters like that. As a player, I normally do not play women but I decided to give it a try and I'm having the time of my life. My wife tells me I would make a good woman. Now is that a complement or an insult

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

I think roleplaying cross-gendre is fine for PbM. I did it once and I daresay I pulled it off with panache. But at the game table, it's not the same ball game.

At least if the game uses mostly the third person to tell the story there's not too many problems. The player will frequently say "She does this or that" and that reminds you that his PC is female and you're not focusing on the player but on what he's saying. It's like listening to a storyteller. As a DM, that's how I handle my female NPCs for the most part except for the occasional rebutal or comment that simply must be delivered in first person for dramatic effect.
But if using first person as much as possible is the norm in the campaign, then cross-gender roleplaying becomes a problem AFAIC.

When a 6' man with a two day beard tries to portray anything else than a Dwarven woman, It's weird. First scenario : He'll try to emulate a female voice, body language and so on. This is funny for the first five minutes and then it becomes hell. Second scenario : He won't change his voice and body language. This is much better for your sanity but then you keep forgetting the PC is supposed to be a woman and every phrase that brings back the feminity of the character to the forefront become jarring. There's the same problem with a Woman playing a male character. Especially in the "Anger" scenes. I've yet to meet a woman who can roleplay an enraged man in the first person without looking completely ridiculous. It's even worse than a man playing a nymph PC and doing a seduction routine.

 

[Hypersmurf]

When a 6' man with a two day beard tries to portray anything else than a Dwarven woman, It's weird. First scenario : He'll try to emulate a female voice, body language and so on. This is funny for the first five minutes and then it becomes hell.

Is this so different to emulating Captain Jack Sparrow or Montgomery Scott, though?

Is Captain Jack's fluttery, campy body language or Scotty's brogue 'weirder' than whatever woman they might be playing?

-Hyp.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

However, this thread is really about whether DMs allow cross gender playing, not player gender preference, so I don't see what the problem is.

Can't really have one with out the other so I suspect you need to invite everyone to the table...

 

[Mercule]

Had problems with it in high school (how many slutty lesbian drow can I DM for before I hit my misogyny limit?), so I banned it. I've loosened it up a couple of times since (graduated 12+ years ago) and it was a problem. I've had one female player with a male character work out okay, but beyond that, bad things.

I could probably be talking into it again, but there would have to be some justification from the player. It that were to go bad, it'd probably result in a permanent ban.

 

[maddman75]

My rule is simple.

No disruptive characters.

Play cross gender all you want. I think its cool and will give you the opportinuty to explore that. But if you turn into a lesbian that hits on everything that moves, or a mindless slut that talks about nothing but sex - your character is disrupting the game. If you make the other players uncomfortable with your antics, your character is disrupting the game. You have a few choices now. Change how you play your character, make a different character, or find something else to do as we are obviously not looking for the same thing in a game.

I've put up with disruptive players pissing all over my campaign for too many years. I'd rather play with two good roleplayers than with six freaks.

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

Is this so different to emulating Captain Jack Sparrow or Montgomery Scott, though?
-Hyp.

Hell yes.

Johny Depp was doing Jack Sparrow on purpose. Big difference.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hell yes.

Johny Depp was doing Jack Sparrow on purpose. Big difference.

No, I mean a player at your table playing a similar character. Why is it less weird if the player is acting this way playing a man - completely different to how they normally move or speak - than playing a woman?

-Hyp.