Gender Issues

[Ipissimus]

Only had an issue once but only playing female characters wasn't the guy's problem and wasn't why we kicked him out.

I've had women playing men before in my games, and as a DM I've roleplayed lots of female characters, but the guys I've gamed with haven't been the types to want to bend their gender roles even a little bit. They're so focussed on killing things and taking their stuff that the issue's never been raised. In fact, once I had a woman decide to play a man because she rolled a 16 for strength and thought that girls shouldn't be that strong. Go figure.

I don't have any problems with it, though. As long as everyone's having fun.

 

[MortalPlague]

I have guys at my table who play female PCs from time to time with no problems whatsoever. I have a girl at my table who sometimes plays a male PC, likewise with no problem. We've got a good thing going.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

In fact, once I had a woman decide to play a man because she rolled a 16 for strength and thought that girls shouldn't be that strong. Go figure.

Guess she never saw a woman with muscles:

 

[Lackhand]

In my groups, we've had genderbending both ways, with more men playing female characters than women playing males.

It generally worked out better for the female players, in that the rest of the group adapted to calling their character a "he" more readily.

That said, it worked out pretty well for the guys, too. It's easiest when they're dwarves, so slips of the tongue can be blamed on the height, beard, and the character's furious inability to admit to any personal gender other than "Angry".

 

[howandwhy99]

Ooooooooooooooohhh

I thought you said Gendarme

Honest mistake.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Well ok, I've seen one thing happen, that could be considered an issue.

I've seen men deliberately interfere with efforts by female players to play. Capable, competent ladies want to play the game, and the men jump in and interfere.
That's an issue. An issue with ... men.

I've never seen any problem with males playing female PCs or vice versa. Common as sand in the games I was in, and nobody thought anything of it.

 

[Dykstrav]

I've played several female characters myself and seen others do the same without any issues.

The only time that I've ever seen it become an issue is when people have other issues already in place before we sit down to play. And even then, it wasn't the idea of players playing opposite of their real-life gender, it was other things that were just tasteless.

For example, I once saw a woman in a Vampire: the Masquerade game play a Malkavian serial rapist (I guess because she thought it was a mature character concept, I don't know, she had issues). She went on at length about how her character was a "typical" male obsessed with sex and violence and taking what he wants from women. We didn't play with her for very long.

It does seem like an inordinate amount of males who play female characters decide somewhere along the line that their female characters are lesbians. Whether this is poor roleplaying or issues with their sexuality or whatever, I can't really say.

 

[Ginnel]

Well ok, I've seen one thing happen, that could be considered an issue.

I've seen men deliberately interfere with efforts by female players to play. Capable, competent ladies want to play the game, and the men jump in and interfere.
That's an issue. An issue with ... men.

I've never seen any problem with males playing female PCs or vice versa. Common as sand in the games I was in, and nobody thought anything of it.

Of course it could also be attributed to being big headed back seat drivers who think they know better than you which can happen no matter what your second chromosome is X or Y.

Yeah, players playing characters of the opposite sex is no biggie in the games I've been involved in (I'd say about 10% or less of characters have been opposite sex), sometimes players slip into refering to them by their actual OOC gender instead but hey, that happens.

I've never played a female character yet, and this thread has got me wanting to, the session starting tomorrow is a pathfinder one which I believe has 3/4 of the pregens being females so I may well get my chance.

It does seem like an inordinate amount of males who play female characters decide somewhere along the line that their female characters are lesbians. Whether this is poor roleplaying or issues with their sexuality or whatever, I can't really say.

Can't say I've ever seen a female character become a lesbian, we had a cool roleplay bit in the planescape game we used to play a Male half-orc fighter (played by a male) and a female halfling cleric (played by a male) got together one night after the halfing cleric got polymorphed into a half orc by the party leader (tiefling sorceror) on request (more came from that but its a wee bit to gruesome for these boards I think), later on the orc stabbed the cleric and killed her after a heated debate in the party.

 

[Ethalias]

I think, as several people have pointed out, that any issues arise out of the personal issues of the players involved, rather than the act itself. Why would it be any more difficult to roleplay someone of an opposite gender than it is, for example, an elf? Which is more far fetched?

I do think it would be interesting, and indeed telling, to see how a player plays a character of an opposite gender. The realism would definitely vary, and would reflect the perceptions of the player involved. There is definitely an increased risk of psychodrama.. but again that depends on the players and the tone of your game.

It seems to me that male stereotypes seem more readily accepted (by both male and female players) than female ones.. Is that because of pre-existing biases in society? Or a certain sensitivity around the issue?

This is of particular interest to me, it ties in (loosely) with my studies in the past.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I've seen a lot of players, male and female, in competitive games such as bridge and chess, and I never saw gender issues there.

However, D&D is more of a social game, perhaps, and there is more of a chance for players to bring their personal IRL issues to the game.
This is unfortunate, IMO.

Male players playing lesbians? Not an issue.
Male players 'trying to play the game for' the female player? That's an issue.

I have no solutions to it, though. D&D is a social game, and there is no absolute rule regarding behavior (I don't see how there could be.)
The players must police themselves in this regard. The point is, after all, for everyone to have fun.