In the US, I hear plenty of people refer to America as "she" but have never heard anyone use "he" in reference to the country. I would say I tend to think of the country as a she as well. I think this is probably what the poster had in mind.
In what country? Perhaps this is a common usage in Britain or Australia--I wouldn't know--but certainly not in the United States. Americans hardly ever refer to countries using gendered pronouns. And it's worth noting that of the two personifications of our country, the male one has virtually eclipsed the female. Everybody knows Uncle Sam. How many people have even heard of Columbia without the words "District of" attached?
In writing at least, the subject “they” is still odd: “The DM first gives the players a description of the room. Then they indicate what monsters are present” (where “they” refers to the DM). Here there is real ambiguity as “they” could easily refer to the players.
I must admit, I was surprised by your answer because my experience with Americans is that American history is something of a religion so the concept of Columbia is quite well known.
I'm Australian, and an Australian anglophile at that.
I must admit, I was surprised by your answer because my experience with Americans is that American history is something of a religion so the concept of Columbia is quite well known.
Or as I experienced a few weeks ago when discussing American politics with an Australian friend on Facebook, his wife butted in to explain that it wasn't OK for us to be doing so because we weren't Americans and therefore it would be like telling "Yo Momma" jokes about her mother. (We made the mistake of discussing systems in a logical fashion rather than insulting people: the latter would have been perfectly acceptable.)
(snip) Not all of us have that attitude. My dance partner is British and we're forever comparing our respective cultures, institutions, and slang. (I'll have to ask her if she thinks of the United Kingdom as "she.")
Actually, the easiest way out of this is better writing: "The DM first describes the room, then indicates what monsters are present." Or "The DM describes the room, and then describes the monsters in that room."
... Try best to avoid needing a pronoun: “The DM first gives the players a description of the room, then indicates what monsters are present.” But there are still going to be places where a pronoun in necessary ...