Playing cross-gender PCs

[Psychic Warrior]

I do find it odd DM's that don't allow cross-gender roleplaying. For a start are all the NPC's they play the same sex as them? Its a bit arrogant for them to think they can play cross-gender characters but their players arn't capable.

I don't know about you put I grew up with my mother, and a sister, and have had considerably more contact with women than I've ever had with elves, dwarves, half-orcs or gnomes. The DM's that won't let me play female characters, are fine with me playing completely alien creatures, which surely I'll have less chance of roleplaying convincingly.

I would say about 30% of the characters I play table-top are female, and about 90% in computer games (I'ld rather watch some female characters butt running across the 3D fantasy realm than some butch fellas).

Yup in computer games I tend to choose female about 50% of the time. In 'real life' RPGs i have only played a female PC once (I DM mostly nowadays though so I get to play female characters all the time).

 

[Gez]

Ah, LARP. See, this is where I draw the line, too.

I don't allow LARP at all.

(Seriously, don't like LARP. Tried once, hated it. I would have hated it even if one of my friend there didn't fell from a cliff. 8.5 meter drop, fortunately, her fall was slowed by tree branches and it wasn't too severe.)

 

[Psychic Warrior]

Ah, LARP. See, this is where I draw the line, too.

I don't allow LARP at all.

(Seriously, don't like LARP. Tried once, hated it. I would have hated it even if one of my friend there didn't fell from a cliff. 8.5 meter drop, fortunately, her fall was slowed by tree branches and it wasn't too severe.)

Oops. I wasn't talking about LARPs. I was comparing Computer RPGs to tabletop RPGs. Sorry!

 

[Kalendraf]

I think you're trying too hard Buttercup. We men are not that complex.

All you need to do when you encounter anything is ask the following series of questions (in any order):

1) Can I kill it?
2) Can I eat it?
3) Can I sleep with it?

Then move on and repeat.

And when not in an encounter situation, merely add the following...

4) Can I do something to improve my odds of success for any of the above?

 

[Harmon]

I don't get it? I mean this game is based on imagination and fantasy.

It seems to me that these people that say "no cross gender characters" are just lacking imagination- something that is a must in RPG.

Not sure I get it- I am male, hetrosexual (never had a "relationship" with another male (never wanted one), sexually interested only in females, and I play quite a few females (not quite 40% but I haven't taken a count either). I guess I could be called prejudice, I mean I am mutt white and I have never played a African American, played a few Oriental and one hispanic character- but that isn't by conscious design.

Emm- if someone capable of a none flaming conversation could explain it, I would like to understand.

Thanks

 

[Lasher Dragon]

I don't get it? I mean this game is based on imagination and fantasy.

It seems to me that these people that say "no cross gender characters" are just lacking imagination- something that is a must in RPG.

Amen

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I'm female and have played male characters. The longest was a male half-elf ranger that I played for about 2.5 years until his third death. Now I play female characters, much to the relief of the rest of the group..... I had one guy who got so bad with the gender mixups that I threatened to have my character kick his character's ass on several occasions.

 

[Harmon]

Been giving this a little thought. One of the things that I concluded was that our Players and GM might have to much third person speak about our characters, meaning that when I say- "Terra will move to here," I am actually talking about the character I am playing, the character is not saying- "I move over to there," its the Player and thus it helps the other players remember- "he's playing a chick."

Hay, Darth- did your character kick his ars?

 

[atom crash]

In more than 20 years of gaming, I can remember only having ever played two female characters. I can't recall why I chose to play the first one, but it was short lived because she got possessed by a succubus. The second time, I decided to play a character that was the complete opposite of who I am -- I rolled up an evil female cleric. The DM had every male NPC hit on her and make sexist degrading remarks to the point that it made me rather uncomfortable to play -- buy, hey, that was the DM's goal. He didn't think I should play a female character so he did his best to make me regret the decision.

Now, in the game I run, of the 4 players, two guys play male characters, one guy plays a female character, and one girl plays a female character. The female character played by the male has a female cohort, so more than half the party is female. I, as DM, am required to play female NPCs all the time. I am male. Does gender ever really matter in the context of the game? No. Does it change any of the character's class abilities? No. Is it a big deal? No. It's generally just another detail on a character sheet, like hair color, eye color, height, weight and age.

BTW the guy playing a female character chose the gender based on character concept -- a renegade drow cleric who has been exiled from the Underdark and the worship of Lolth. Wouldn't really work with a male drow.

 

[The_Universe]

I play only male characters when I'm playing, but there's no avoiding it when I am GMing, which is most of the time.

I prefer that people play to their own gender, but it doesn't really matter - just a preference.