roleplaying across the gender line
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Snoweel
First Post
takyris said:
It's been proven that a drop in self-confidence/self-assurance for men is directly related to a drop in testosterone levels, eg. old men or men who've lost one or both testicles in a freak bullfighting accident.
This is also why teenage boys have such anti-social tendencies.
It stands to reason then, that a lack of testosterone would have a similar effect on women.
I read an article once by a lesbian who was undergoing hormone replacement therapy or somesuch (basically, she was being administered testosterone). I don't remember if she was also newly transsexual, but the point of her article was that the testosterone was making it hard for her to control herself and she "had an overwhelming urge to grab every set of breasts she passed in the street".
It was unusual, but she pretty much excused adolescent males for their disgusting behaviour.
DM_Matt said:
heh, it took me awhile to realize it, but my old gaming group had a rule against playing the opposite sex. Now you would think that a Dm would have to play both genders, but thinking back on it I can't ever remember encounting a female that wasn't a barmaid.
Go figure.
-G.
AngelTears
First Post
Well, this thread has started off on portraying a believable German woman for Spycraft to something completely different.
Oh no another gender discussion! I hear you all groan, well... for me I happent to be an ooman, seconding in womens studies. So for me this is always a fascinating subject.
What I really don't understand is why is it that there is such a big problem with men playing women? I mean I could understand in a setting that is completely male dominated, like an army or the members of a church, but outside of that?
For me gender is like any part of a character background lending itself to wonderful roleplaying opportunities. What about the hero who saves the village and the village elder his daughter's hand in marriage, as is the ancient tradition of that place? Or the Don Juan who sweeps a character off her feet?
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
Oh no another gender discussion! I hear you all groan, well... for me I happent to be an ooman, seconding in womens studies. So for me this is always a fascinating subject.
What I really don't understand is why is it that there is such a big problem with men playing women? I mean I could understand in a setting that is completely male dominated, like an army or the members of a church, but outside of that?
For me gender is like any part of a character background lending itself to wonderful roleplaying opportunities. What about the hero who saves the village and the village elder his daughter's hand in marriage, as is the ancient tradition of that place? Or the Don Juan who sweeps a character off her feet?
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
AngelTears
First Post
Well, this thread has started off on portraying a believable German woman for Spycraft to something completely different.
Oh no another gender discussion! I hear you all groan, well... for me I happent to be an ooman, seconding in womens studies. So for me this is always a fascinating subject.
What I really don't understand is why is it that there is such a big problem with men playing women? I mean I could understand in a setting that is completely male dominated, like an army or the members of a church, but outside of that?
For me gender is like any part of a character background lending itself to wonderful roleplaying opportunities. What about the hero who saves the village and the village elder his daughter's hand in marriage, as is the ancient tradition of that place? Or the Don Juan who sweeps a character off her feet?
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
Oh no another gender discussion! I hear you all groan, well... for me I happent to be an ooman, seconding in womens studies. So for me this is always a fascinating subject.
What I really don't understand is why is it that there is such a big problem with men playing women? I mean I could understand in a setting that is completely male dominated, like an army or the members of a church, but outside of that?
For me gender is like any part of a character background lending itself to wonderful roleplaying opportunities. What about the hero who saves the village and the village elder his daughter's hand in marriage, as is the ancient tradition of that place? Or the Don Juan who sweeps a character off her feet?
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
LostSoul
Adventurer
Ancalagon said:
I think that's a great background. Do you think that she would be in favour of socilaist or strong statist governments? It seems to me that the government saved her when she needed it most, and raised her for a long time, so she'd probably be a good little comerade. Then again, she might dislike authority for the same reason, blaming them in some irrational way for her disfigurement.
Drawmack
First Post
Yes there are, but these are the exception and are generally few and far between. If you want to play a female character that is ''programmed'' (just slightly better then wired IMHO) then that is okay, and you should take that into account and play that character like a female. On the other hand most of the people I've seen play female characters, be they men or women, did it because they wanted to explore how a woman would react in these situations. To me it makes very little sense to play a female character that acts like a male character, aside from some interesting NPC interactions. Since the original poster was asking for help playing a female character I highly doubt that he wanted to play a man in a woman's body.Snoweel said:
Re
Personally, I have had some great times playing some female characters. 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.
And, the big thing with playing any female charater: PICK AN AWSOME PICTURE OF SOME WOMAN YOU THINK IS HOT
Holly is of Turmish descent. She looks like Halle Berry. Everytime I play her I just imagine Halle Berry kicking some ass with a greatsword in a nice set of Tight Studded leather armor.
I find playing a female character so much more enjoyable when I have a hot picture of her.
I generally play multiple characters at the same time, and I have never played a female character in campaigns where I have only one character. That wouldn't be much fun in my opinion.
Pick a cool picture, so you can get a feel for the character. Try to pick a female archetype from popular fiction or reality to develop a personality. Makes things easier.
BTW, did I say pick a hot picture..)
Personally, I have had some great times playing some female characters. 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.
And, the big thing with playing any female charater: PICK AN AWSOME PICTURE OF SOME WOMAN YOU THINK IS HOT
Holly is of Turmish descent. She looks like Halle Berry. Everytime I play her I just imagine Halle Berry kicking some ass with a greatsword in a nice set of Tight Studded leather armor.
I find playing a female character so much more enjoyable when I have a hot picture of her.
I generally play multiple characters at the same time, and I have never played a female character in campaigns where I have only one character. That wouldn't be much fun in my opinion.
Pick a cool picture, so you can get a feel for the character. Try to pick a female archetype from popular fiction or reality to develop a personality. Makes things easier.
BTW, did I say pick a hot picture..)
Re
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.
This is about as true as it gets. If you were playing a male character and starting proclaiming your self-doubt, most likely I would just tell you to forget about it. If you kept up, you would be proclaimed a sissy or a whiner.
Even in real life, males who show weakness make me sick. Males should not cry or show emotion in public unless the situation is extreme. Males should be strong, aggressive, and self-reliant.
To be honesty, I do not hold females to the same standards as it is the duty of every male to make sure the women and children are safe and well-cared for. I have to admit that it's not as much of an issue as it has been in the past, but I like traditional morals.
Remember, pick a hot picture. Although, I guess any picture will do since you have only an 8 Charisma. It is much harder to play a woman without a picture because visualizing the character is more difficult without an aid due to the gender difference. Woman generally dress, act, speak, eat and do just about everything differently than a man.
Heck, I even noticed they sit differently. I was watching women sit in different positions at work, and I could not in a million years dream of sitting in such a positions even if I wanted to.
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.
This is about as true as it gets. If you were playing a male character and starting proclaiming your self-doubt, most likely I would just tell you to forget about it. If you kept up, you would be proclaimed a sissy or a whiner.
Even in real life, males who show weakness make me sick. Males should not cry or show emotion in public unless the situation is extreme. Males should be strong, aggressive, and self-reliant.
To be honesty, I do not hold females to the same standards as it is the duty of every male to make sure the women and children are safe and well-cared for. I have to admit that it's not as much of an issue as it has been in the past, but I like traditional morals.
Remember, pick a hot picture. Although, I guess any picture will do since you have only an 8 Charisma. It is much harder to play a woman without a picture because visualizing the character is more difficult without an aid due to the gender difference. Woman generally dress, act, speak, eat and do just about everything differently than a man.
Heck, I even noticed they sit differently. I was watching women sit in different positions at work, and I could not in a million years dream of sitting in such a positions even if I wanted to.
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