Feminist adventures?

[jonesy]

This can work with politics, race, religion and many other things we're not allowed to discuss here.

We can totally discuss them. As long as Real World stays in the corner.

 

[S'mon]

Just to point: Sharia and/or Islam are not related to genital mutilation.

Yes, discussing that and convincing the tribal elders was what all those tea-drinking sessions were about. But like I said, it's not an issue that translates well to superhero play. Like domestic abuse - having the superheroine beat up the abusive husband or the tribal elders is probably really not going to help at all.

 

[S'mon]

If you are not stuck too solidly to the modern day, you can place your game in a different time, either past or future, in which women are in a much different situation: a variant on the now classic Marvel "Days of Future Past"

I agree, I think this theme would work much better set in the '50s or early '60s. Especially if she's a Mad Men fan.

 

[Umbran]

I agree, I think this theme would work much better set in the '50s or early '60s. Especially if she's a Mad Men fan.

Or, conversely, in a dystopian future (or alternate present) akin to The Handmaid's Tale.

Mind you, either of those change the entire game for the entire party, rather than just creating a theme for one character.

Anyone read The Ultimates? The Hulk, as depicted in that series, is a feminist's nightmare - the only mitigating factor being that he's usually too busy destroying the city to actually do anything to women, in particular. But that may give an avenue to explore - villains who either embody or take advantage of women's issues.

For example, a villain with some form of emotion control power, who instills men with strong misogyny, or women with self-destructive self-esteem issues. Villains who embody body image problems, or eating disorders, a corporate villain who's major vehicle is women's magazines. A drug ring pushing a new drug that works all-too-well for date rape? A deranged villain with mental powers who commits psychic abuse.

Or, again, returning to the Ultimates - Henry Pym there is not so much a women-victimizing villain as he is a hero who beats his wife.

Any and all of these can be very, very touchy subjects. Make sure the entire party is okay approaching these issues before you bring them up in game.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Pretty much any RW issue you put into a game can be touchy depending on who is in your group.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Then throw in a few superhero tropes and question them. Body image issues caused by superhumans routinely being ... of superhuman proportions. And then there are all those superheroines who fly in short skirts.

 

[Umbran]

Pretty much any RW issue you put into a game can be touchy depending on who is in your group.

Yes, but some are more dangerous than others.

For example, brutal totalitarianism is a real-world problem. But if you use the Red Skull and Nazis in your superhero game, you're unlikely to have too many problems with your players. Nazis are a safe villain, so to speak, and the issue is to most Americans a high-level, abstract one, not a personal one.

Some of the things we are talking about (rape, body image issues, emotional abuse) are things some of your players may have experienced personally*. If you put a psychic rapist in the game, you may hit a landmine when you freak out the person in your group you didn't know was a rape survivor...



* Or, I hope not but it is possible - one of your players may have committed.

 

[pawsplay]

My suggestion? A supervillain named Manturion or something who has decided to protest the appointment of, say, the first woman head of the Department of Defense by using an orbital mind control laser to subjugate women. If you really want to mock his lack of self-examination, perhaps he has a small army of mind-controlled supers, but since he views male subordination as unmanly, they're powerful women supers. So once they are free from the mind control they can help battle his misguided cadre of retro-male-chauvinists with many schticks like Mister Football and The Slick. Stick the Manturion in Greek-inspired armor with big shoulder pads and some kind of Kirby hat. Give him chained female slaves in gold bikinis, who turn out to be Secret Service radio operators that know ninjitsu he caputured during his Day of the Man assault. Make lots of jokes about the Manturion eating literally buckets of hot wings from Hooters.

Once he's defeated, he can later appear as the leader of a rogue micro-nation populated by his New Spartan Army and 2000 clones of Pamela Anderson with bionic enhancements.

 

[Tonguez]

You could have a villain like Granny Goodness and her Female Furies (minus Darkseid) ie a villain training young girls as perfect female warriors destined to one day rule the world.

Then there is Halle Berry's Cat Woman and its evil beauty cream villainy.

You've also got Wonder Woman, the White Queen (despite her lingerie fetish), Ms Marvel and a slew of other strong fminist characters.

Its also amusing that some highlight african and middle eastern practices when western marriage and rape laws are both based on the protection and transfer of property rights rather than the inherent rights of woman

- so there ya go a Superhero who fights against the patriarchal institution of marriage! LOL

 

[denzoner]

You should probably ask your player! Have them outline three or four plots, about a sentence or so each, and go from there. I'm assuming you're a guy, so you don't want to be offensive or sexist.