Do you let PC's play opposite gender characters?

[Shemeska]

Well I'll allow it in a game, and frankly it helps them expand their RP ability. However some of my players have their limits and have botched this in the past with some really offensive stereotypes. However others of the same group routinely play characters opposite their own gender and have made some memorable PC's out of them.

I honestly try to alternate between male and female PC's when I get to play, and as DM I have to play both equally and realistically to make the game realistic and enjoyable. I like to hope I succeed and create some deep NPC's that don't fall into the rut of gender stereotypes at all.

There's always the curiousity factor of having bisexual male players play female characters (and botch it by playing a nympho bi female), or the straight female player routinely playing bisexual male characters (and doing rather well at it, though there are her moments of boy/boy fan service to herself...) *chuckle*

Generally it goes well and doesn't come up in game play except for those rare occasions when it goes poorly or spectacularly.

 

[Nifft]

I play with grown-ups who are cool and whom I like. There's only one whom I don't totally trust, and the area of mis-trust is entirely power-game related -- and it's not a huge trust gap there, either. I'd trust anyone who wanted to play a female to go ahead, especially if it's part of their character concept.

I also DM, so I'm forced to play a lot of females, from perky inexperienced paladins to wise, matronly high priestesses, from star-struck teenage professor's daughters to aloof sorceresses, from playful pixies to cruel, calculating night hags.

-- N

 

[ForceUser]

I'd allow it, but none of my friends have ever wanted to play a character of the opposite sex.

 

[Kichwas]

I can't understand why anybody would not allow someone to play 'the other gender' unless they themselves (the person disallowing or objecting) had some sort of unresolved 'psychological issue'.


It's perfectly acceptable and I've seen people do it for years quite successfully. Just thinking back on a feel I've gotten better results in the characters from those who play across gender than from those who don't. Usually with characters who are less stereotyped as well.

In 22 years of gaming, most of it as the GM, I've never had trouble with this.

 

[Haradim]

I have no problem with it.

However, players that decide to go the tavern slut/BDSM lesbian route will quickly find themselves making a new character. They just get too irritating.

However, I might make an exception if one approaches such things in a reasonably tasteful fashion (and the game is oriented around more adult themes, of course).

 

[Mystery Man]

I can't understand why anybody would not allow someone to play 'the other gender' unless they themselves (the person disallowing or objecting) had some sort of unresolved 'psychological issue'.

Hmm. Thats just really offensive. If your trying to be funny find a comedy club that has an open mic night and polish up your delivery a smidge. M-kay?

The reason I dont allow it is a question of trust, some of my players are very new and I don't think they have the gaming experience to pull it off. So far they really have not proven otherwise. Sometime in the future if they can justify and at the same make me feel comfortable in not abusing it I will allow it.

psychological issue....

 

[Brother MacLaren]

Played a female character once - a story popped into my head and the most interesting character to play in that story was the young and slightly paranoid female halfling thief. I didn't create a female character, I discovered one. That's how most of my good characters come about.
As Wombat says, a DM plays opposite-gender NPCs; likewise, a writer writes some opposite-gender characters.
There were pronoun mixups, and there was one player who had a problem with it - but in my mind, the character was defined by her storyline motivations more than her gender or her non-human species.
I suppose one other point to make is that some DMs prefer to make the non-human races quite different, not just humans in funny makeup. In this context, gender issues aren't the same anymore. You can create gender differences that don't exist in our species and run with them - maybe rock gnomes are simply the females of their species and forest gnomes are the males. Or male dwarves use bardic magic and female dwarves use psionics. Gender doesn't have to mean the same thing when you're playing an alien race.

 

[shadow]

I guess it depends on who I'm gaming with. I remember some time ago back in high school (*shuders*) I played a female, half-elf, fighter/mage. I never heard the end of it from everyone. I had another player hit on my character and want to "do" her. As a result I'm reluctant to do the gender-bender thing. But, then again, I suppose now that I'm older, I might eventually try it again if I'm in the right gaming group.

 

[Desdichado]

Absolutely I do. However, my current crop of players seems to have little to no interest in doing so.

 

[talinthas]

shrug. i wouldnt, myself, because i just dont have any interest in it. as far as my games go, if you can successfully suspend my disbelief, then go for it. otherwise, i find it disruptive as a DM, and generally don't allow it. For the most part though, gender issues have never come up in my campaign, so i dont think the sex of a PC makes much difference.