Haiku Elvis
Knuckle-dusters, glass jaws and wooden hearts.
Players are all equal but why on earth do player characters have to be equal? I’ve played landed nobles, I’ve played itinerant rogues. The fun is playing up your choices and creating a believable character
WFRP delves deep into the idea that not everyone is equal, and they do a very good job of it too. Status is a real thing in our world and has been throughout history. I don’t see why it’s wrong to have it in our RPGs.
Incidentally we see prejudice and animosity from all peoples to all peoples. It isn’t restricted to racism. Prejudices and then confounding and turning prejudices on there heads makes for very interesting roleplaying.
Gimli and Legolas’s friendship was all the more powerful because it overcome the prejudices of their respective people.
The same can apply to a noble and a farmer; a bounty hunter and a thief; a wizard and a witch hunter; a laborer and a scholar.
I think I didn't explain the equal rights bit properly. I was more thinking about the right not to be made to feel lesser as an individual sort of thing which still doesn't really nail it as that could still be said to exclude social hierarchy etc. Which isn't what I meant.
As Ixal pointed out the example I gave was about social hierachy.
Its kind of, if a player wanted to play a female samurai I'd say sure instead of "it never happened in history so no" but I'd check with them that they were OK with the fact they would be unusual and the rest of the patriarchal society would be suprised and sceptical that they could do it. If they were happy with that and that's how they wanted to play the character, proving themselves in a man's world great.
But that wouldn't excuse someone calling the character a whore or b*tch for the sake of "authenticity".
If that makes sense. That's the kind of distinction I was trying to make.
PS if they said they get enough of that in their daily life and it would put them off playing a woman, it would be - hey guys there were female samurai in Edo Japan and it was normal! Anyone want to change up their character feel free.