roleplaying across the gender line

[CmdrSam]

First there are two words that state a psychological difference in the sexes that everyone knows exists, maternal instinct. Are there women without it? Yes, however they are the exception and not the rule and also society has a negative view of them. Are there men with it? Yes, however they are also the exception and not the rule.

Right, and that's why fathers don't care about their children's welfare at all

There are also physical differences that are ignored by the rules of most gaming systems. Psha you say? Well here is a little experiment.

This is true, and also I'd have a harder time breastfeeding a kid than a woman would, but I'm not convinced that this is really relevant to whether a male or female character thinks differently.

--Sam L-L

edited to be a little less rude

 

[Drawmack]

The maternal instinct extends beyond a woman's own children and is much different then what most men feel. But for those intent on arguing with me on the point that women are psycologically different then men here:

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/g2699/0006/2699000616/p1/article.jhtml

http://www.health.ufl.edu/post/post0199/post01_08/1.html

http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/faculty/mmills_fp/Sexdiffs/syllabus.htm

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/reviews/MACTWO_R.html

There are exceptions to every rule but the general rule is that men are psychologically different then women. The current arguments in psychology do not even ask if there is a difference but if the difference is nature or nurture based. In anyone else can provide sources as good as mine that say there is not a psychological difference between men and women then I will gladly discuss the matter with you, if you cannot then by writ of proof it is time to conceed defeat.

 

[Al]

No posts that followed really did anyting to explain to me (outside of a situation like Ancalgon's, where the characters are assigned by the GM) why they need to have a cross gender PC.

Teflon-

Surely no one needs to play an elf, dwarf, gnome or halfling?
Surely no one needs to play a fighter, wizard, barbarian or rogue?

The fact is, people play cross-gender because they want to, not because they need to (in most cases). It's unfortunate your view has been distorted by a slightly lopsided representation of cross-gender characters, but you must admit that your experiences are not typical.

 

[Fenes 2]

There are exceptions to every rule but the general rule is that men are psychologically different then women. The current arguments in psychology do not even ask if there is a difference but if the difference is nature or nurture based. In anyone else can provide sources as good as mine that say there is not a psychological difference between men and women then I will gladly discuss the matter with you, if you cannot then by writ of proof it is time to conceed defeat.

My point is that the differences between adventurers/heroes/spys etc. and normal people are much more significant than those between men and women.

And if there are exceptions, then you can play them and do not have to worry about the rest of the world.

And to Teflon Billy, I have to say: I do not have to have any reason for wanting to play a female PC other than to want it. It is up to the DM to give a reason why it does not work in his campaign. DM fiat is all right and well, but I expect a bit more reason behind such a decision than those given.

IMC, NPCs don't just roll over for sexual favors, and those who do are generally also weak-willed enough to do the same for a bribe (which can, most often, be used to get sexual favors from the local red light district or escort service).

For me, this argument of preventing female PCs from exploiting the male libido of NPCs while not preventing the PCs from exploiting the greed of a NPC - which is about as big a motivation in human history as anything else - is about as logical as banning the rapier for its threat range while retaining the scimitar unchanged.

 

[Drawmack]

The differences between the sexes and the differences between hero/non-hero are incomparable. You have to start with the basis of how the normal person acts/feels/etc. then move from that into the role of the hero. Therefor the differences in the sexes do need to be taken into account. The reason is that a male-adventurer acts like a male-adventurer and a female adventurer acts like a female adventurer. To admit that their are psychological differences then justify not taking those into account with the character is absurd. A female does not become a man just because she is an adventurer and a man does not become a woman just because he is an adventurer. Neither of them becomes asexual, as you suggest. The fact is that you cannot say the differences in the sexes are outweighed by the differences between normies and adventurers so the differences in the sexes are a mute point. Then it also doesn't matter that she's german huh?

The fact is that every piece of information adds something to the psychology of the character and you cannot use one psychological aspect to deem another one mute.

 

[Desdichado]

No posts that followed really did anyting to explain to me (outside of a situation like Ancalgon's, where the characters are assigned by the GM) why they need to have a cross gender PC.

That Gnome one in particular comes to mind

Any thoughts?

Why does anyone need to play any other type of character either? As a DM, I could just as easily say that everyone will be a male human fighter, and have as much reason for doing so as you have posted.

Again, I'm not knocking your policy -- it sounds like maybe for your group, something like that was needed. But I wouldn't ever play in a group that had the same policy. Nor, do I imagine, would most groups need any such policy in place.

 

[Snoweel]

Firstly, TB - interesting rationale. I'd have to say sexual favours are much cheaper than bribes. And let's not forget the ability to make a significant income without wasting skill points on Craft or Profession skills.

Anc - thanks.

Drawmack - I agree with you that there are distinct psychological differences between the average man and the average woman, mostly due to the effects of gender-specific hormones on the development of the brain. However, there are also clear cases of men and women whose brains were wired, for want of a better term, to function like that of the opposite sex.

So while the vast majority of people in a quasi-medieval setting who are encountered outside the home, including adventurers and other violent types, would be males, the assumption for female PC's is that their brains work in traditionally "masculine" ways - they are the exception.

In fact, IMC, I've tweaked mechanics to ensure that women are more likely to be non-Wizard spellcasters (and more powerful too), essentially so that the party encounters female NPC's more frequently than a medieval society would normally allow.

 

[Snoweel]

Why does anyone need to play any other type of character either? As a DM, I could just as easily say that everyone will be a male human fighter, and have as much reason for doing so as you have posted.

It might be heavy-handed, but IMC, I only allow human PC's, and I expect the majority of them to be fighters and/or rogues.

So it's restrictive? I work damn hard on my setting and campaign, and Player Character ignorance of the fantastic enriches the experience. I wouldn't say my game is Cthulu-esque, but there are elements of horror, and my entire storylines are based on mystery.

 

[DM_Matt]

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?

 

[takyris]

I've played cross-gender a few times. It was important to me that the character be female, and while it does bespeak a limitation on my part that the character had to be female for me to feel as though I could do what I wanted to do roleplaying-wise, I think that the end result was cool enough that it was worth it. At least for me.

I was playing a female paladin. She sort of went between being brash and "one of the guys" in terms of fighting and killing and smiting evil and all that, and moments of self-doubt (half-elven, felt she ought to be graceful, but had a Dex of 8). I don't think I could have done the moments of self-doubt as well if the character had been a guy. Not that all women have more self-doubt than men, but for ME as a roleplayer, it was easier to show that self-esteem issue through a female perspective -- I felt that it'd be easier for a female character to communicate her feelings. If I'd done it as a guy, the rest of the party might have just ignored me as "PC with bug up his nether regions on occasion", but with a female PC, they felt more compelled to listen to her.

So it worked for me. Maybe someday I'll try to do something similar with a male character, too.

-tacky