roleplaying across the gender line

[Teflon Billy]

I'm surprised that no one here has yet pointed out that DMs have tp play cross-gender characters all the time. No one seems to have a problem with that. Many players also DM. Thus, why the double standard?

Um, because I don't have a problem with myself I suppose.

No one pointed it out because the answer is obvious.

 

[Teflon Billy]

...Another matter that has been drawn up is the use of female sexuality, or to bribe people with sexual favors...

First off, yes it can work, I can smile at a guy and see the blood drain from his face, and lead him around for hous, but that is after practicing. As for expecting to hear him talk about the intimate details of his work, that depends on the personality and the mood he is in.


But then there are other problems, ostracization if rumors start circulating. The bribed may want another go, or after figuring out why he was picked, he may even start to blackmail the character for sexual favors.

The character might even receive crude sexual suggestions from other co-workers, and if the character continues on trying to whore her way through, then of course problems such as birth control and STDs may arise.

What I am trying to point out is that there is an unusual mental stress that starts developing, especially if the character has any morals whatsoever. Especially when it starts controlling the characters everyday life.

-Angel Tears

None of which necessarily means a single thing to someone who chooses to ignore it in RP. The classic "I don't care what others think; I'm my own person" shtick comes up soon enough.

Like I say, average people should abhor killing things and looting the corpses. In D&D people don't.

Average people should bristle at the idea that animating corpses to fight for you is an easy source of soldiery. Most D&D cleric's I've seen have little trouble doing it.

Average people should be worried if the locals think of them as the "town slut"...

 

[Teflon Billy]

Re: Re

]...I don't normally do it, but sometimes, I have a concept that just needs to be female.

Currently, I am playing a single female character. Her name is Holly Windstrider. She is a ranger/fighter/cleric/windwalker of Shaundakul. She is a little Chaotic Good badass who sticks by her man and lays the smack down on anyone who tries to do evil in the world while she is around. She is a friendly, good-natured, tomboyish woman with an adventurious streak...

Ok, explain to me (like I'm retarded maybe) why this concept "needs to be female", cause I'm just not getting it.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the word "needs"

 

[Snoweel]

Re: Re: Re

Ok, explain to me (like I'm retarded maybe) why this concept "needs to be female", cause I'm just not getting it.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the word "needs"

Come on TB.

How ridiculous would a male character be if his name was Holly?!?!

And as for sticking by his man...

That sort of stuff's best left for Angelsboi's homebrew.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Re: Re: Re: Re

Come on TB.

How ridiculous would a male character be if his name was Holly?!?!

And as for sticking by his man...

That sort of stuff's best left for Angelsboi's homebrew.

Ok, you got me

On a related note, have you ever read the writeup for Angelsboi's homebrew? It's awseome.

Though it must have about million core classes from the brief synopsis of it I read. Lot's of depth to the setting though.

And it was his first attempt ever. I was impressed.

 

[Snoweel]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re

On a related note, have you ever read the writeup for Angelsboi's homebrew? It's awseome.

Though it must have about million core classes from the brief synopsis of it I read. Lot's of depth to the setting though.

And it was his first attempt ever. I was impressed.

Yeah. I only implicated AB's homebrew because it can stand up for itself.

Brilliant attention to detail.

BTW - did you ever see Brannisch's photoshop for the cover of AB's setting?

Nearly WET myself...

 

[Desdichado]

Well, I'll post this answer again: because playing a race or a class provides different mechanical (rules-based) advantages. D&D specifically says there are no mechanical advantages/penalties to playing either gender.

And mechanical advantages/penalties are the only consideration that matters? I'm starting to feel better and better about claiming I'd walk away from this group...

well, again, I don't claim to speak for the whole world (or even "most groups") unlike some folks here.

If you came to my group and wanted to walk because you could play your female elf (instead of playing and having fun with a a bunch of good players and a--if I may say so myself--excellent DM) then I wouldn't bother to stop you.

People who wouldn't give a game a chance becasue they couldn't play as women have a little more wrapped up in their gender concepts than the players at my table.

If that rule is important to you and your group, then chances are that's a group that I don't want to play with. You've already admitted the reason for the rule in the first place was because of the incredibly immature and silly portrayals of women in the game. As I implied earlier in the thread, the rule treats a symptom, not a root cause. If that's the case, no, I don't want to play. And if that's the best solution you can come up with as a DM -- I'm not terribly impressed by that either. It's not that I so terribly want to play a woman character, it's just that a group that can't handle cross-gender play has deeper issues, IMO. No, I probably wouldn't want to play in a group that can't even handle something as simple as a cross-gender character without handling it immaturely and badly.

But, I've already stated this several times. It works for you. Fine. It wouldn't for me. Fine. No skin off my back how you want to play any more than it is (I presume) to you how I play.

 

[Snoweel]

I think, JD, the point is why on Earth a male player would want to run a female character.

Because it's fun? What can a female character do that a male character can't do? Besides use her gender to manipulate NPC's?

Edit: glaring punctuation gaffe.

 

[Desdichado]

React to situations in a way that a players aren't comfortable doing with a male character. Let's face it; we're not method actors here, we're roleplayers. Changing something as basic as the PC gender is a great shortcut (and perhaps crutch) for those of us who aren't quite Oscar calibre with our portrayals of our characters.

Not only that, in some situations, with some characters, I can empathize much more with a female than I could with a male. Although in theory I could do the same thing with a male PC, in actuality, I couldn't do the same thing. I have to admit, the failing would be mine again, for not being the Academy award winning "play any PC you could imagine and give a virtuoso performance" type of roleplayer, but I imagine few of us are.

 

[Snoweel]

What?

Are you saying you could play a female more realistically than you could play a male?!?!?

If you're a female, Joshua, then your argument isn't relevant here. This thread is about cross-gender roleplaying.