Dr Midnight
Explorer
I really just wanted to go somewhere and talk about this, because it was fun. I almost posted it in story hour... but that's not quite right.
On Monday I got together with Gospog, his wife Fluffaderm, and a bunch of people who aren't on the ENboards and those don't have names. We played the BUFFY RPG from Eden games. We're playing the characters from the show, not new archetype characters.
Well, the girl slated to be the Slayer had to cancel, leaving four guys (Fluffaderm was GM'ing) and a plot that needed the slayer.
The group (as some groups) is a little odd about having cross-gender roleplaying. They're not wholly against it, but I mean, you get a guy behind a set of imaginary non-guy attributes that dangle up front, and things can get ugly in-game. At the very least, people tend to get uncomfortable if you manage to get into character and alter your voice and speech patterns.
Anyway, I agreed to be an alternate-universe Buffy: Biff. He'd had the same life, barring gender-based switchies. Angel was now Angela. Riley was now just a friend, and the whole Spike thing hadn't come into play yet, so it seemed okay.
Let me tell you about Biff. I wanted very much to play him as the male Buffy... but playing the male Buffy makes for a good number of odd things. Tight burgundy leather pants? Check. Fabulous fashion sense? Check. "I wanted to be Dorothy Hamil when I grew up"? Also check, in a joking capacity. Biff walks around with a blonde Slim Shady 'do, small, form-fitting tank tops, and the aforementioned leather pants.
So. Biff was the butt of many jokes. It probably didn't help that I did a quick sketch of Biff parodying one of the many effeminate poses you'll find in your average crop of Buffy advertising images.
Not having many things to say (how do you drop a curt jab about a vamp's shoes without sounding remarkably stupid as a guy named "Biff"?), I found myself keeping quiet most of the time. The things I did say came out all wrong and awkward... I had fun though.
I had the option of just playing Buffy as-is, and if I did it again, I'd definitely not choose Biff. I had to hold myself back too much. Still, I'd be very wiggy about putting my head in that place... I'd be acting female. I'd be immersed- making big eyes, pouting, doing the voice thing. I don't have a problem with roleplaying women, because it's not really a deal, but I'm VERY conscious of playing it up if I know the people around me are watching, maybe feeling I'm a little too into it.
Which I'm not.
I mean...
Shut up. I'm not.
I said shut up.
Some off-topic game highlights, if you care:
Chasing Ethan Rayne. He's invisible in the demolished high school's cafeteria, and hiding from me somewhere. I'm incredibly pissed off at him, because he's nearly gotten away with murder again. I say "Ethan. I know you're in here. Probably hiding behind a piece of rubble, waiting to jump out and brain me with a pipe or something." (pause for tablewide giggles) "I can't see you. I can't find you. But I bet the ceiling can." And I lean against the one remaining support pole and PUSH. I make a 36 on my roll, using a drama point, which apparently is "godlike". The ceiling caves in all around me, pummeling the evil-doer and leaving him coughing in the rubble for me to find.
After I grab Mr. Rayne, I decide I'm so pissed that I'm going to collect on my back-payback. I pin him to a table and announce I'm going to tattoo him (which he did to me in the "Halloween" episode, season 2). "How?" the GM asks nervously. I say I grab a fork and carve "I did this to you" into his forehead, written backwards so he can see it with a mirror for the rest of his life. I then plan to break the pen and smear the ink in, prison-style. The other players are staring at me, aghast. Was I being perhaps a bit harsh? Buffy threatens horrible things all the time, and I believe she might do them, if not on-screen. I was told I would definitely get a "dark side point" for that. POO.
On Monday I got together with Gospog, his wife Fluffaderm, and a bunch of people who aren't on the ENboards and those don't have names. We played the BUFFY RPG from Eden games. We're playing the characters from the show, not new archetype characters.
Well, the girl slated to be the Slayer had to cancel, leaving four guys (Fluffaderm was GM'ing) and a plot that needed the slayer.
The group (as some groups) is a little odd about having cross-gender roleplaying. They're not wholly against it, but I mean, you get a guy behind a set of imaginary non-guy attributes that dangle up front, and things can get ugly in-game. At the very least, people tend to get uncomfortable if you manage to get into character and alter your voice and speech patterns.
Anyway, I agreed to be an alternate-universe Buffy: Biff. He'd had the same life, barring gender-based switchies. Angel was now Angela. Riley was now just a friend, and the whole Spike thing hadn't come into play yet, so it seemed okay.
Let me tell you about Biff. I wanted very much to play him as the male Buffy... but playing the male Buffy makes for a good number of odd things. Tight burgundy leather pants? Check. Fabulous fashion sense? Check. "I wanted to be Dorothy Hamil when I grew up"? Also check, in a joking capacity. Biff walks around with a blonde Slim Shady 'do, small, form-fitting tank tops, and the aforementioned leather pants.
So. Biff was the butt of many jokes. It probably didn't help that I did a quick sketch of Biff parodying one of the many effeminate poses you'll find in your average crop of Buffy advertising images.
Not having many things to say (how do you drop a curt jab about a vamp's shoes without sounding remarkably stupid as a guy named "Biff"?), I found myself keeping quiet most of the time. The things I did say came out all wrong and awkward... I had fun though.
I had the option of just playing Buffy as-is, and if I did it again, I'd definitely not choose Biff. I had to hold myself back too much. Still, I'd be very wiggy about putting my head in that place... I'd be acting female. I'd be immersed- making big eyes, pouting, doing the voice thing. I don't have a problem with roleplaying women, because it's not really a deal, but I'm VERY conscious of playing it up if I know the people around me are watching, maybe feeling I'm a little too into it.
Which I'm not.
I mean...
Shut up. I'm not.
I said shut up.
Some off-topic game highlights, if you care:
Chasing Ethan Rayne. He's invisible in the demolished high school's cafeteria, and hiding from me somewhere. I'm incredibly pissed off at him, because he's nearly gotten away with murder again. I say "Ethan. I know you're in here. Probably hiding behind a piece of rubble, waiting to jump out and brain me with a pipe or something." (pause for tablewide giggles) "I can't see you. I can't find you. But I bet the ceiling can." And I lean against the one remaining support pole and PUSH. I make a 36 on my roll, using a drama point, which apparently is "godlike". The ceiling caves in all around me, pummeling the evil-doer and leaving him coughing in the rubble for me to find.
After I grab Mr. Rayne, I decide I'm so pissed that I'm going to collect on my back-payback. I pin him to a table and announce I'm going to tattoo him (which he did to me in the "Halloween" episode, season 2). "How?" the GM asks nervously. I say I grab a fork and carve "I did this to you" into his forehead, written backwards so he can see it with a mirror for the rest of his life. I then plan to break the pen and smear the ink in, prison-style. The other players are staring at me, aghast. Was I being perhaps a bit harsh? Buffy threatens horrible things all the time, and I believe she might do them, if not on-screen. I was told I would definitely get a "dark side point" for that. POO.
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