When Bob wants to play a female PC

[Kaodi]

...

Why does Larry Elmore draw so many cross-gender illustrations?

Eep.

 

[Falkus]

IMO males cannot maintain a female persona consistently, and the same hold true for females playing men.

Given that I have seen a number of males play female characters just fine for long periods of time, I can therefore conclude that the conjecture that all males cannot roleplay female characters consistently to be false.

Since then the rest have us have had a blast. More so than before and I think every player will attest to that. We all like this game and we don't want anything screwing it up. So yes, in essence we have had a bad experience with this issue and as far as this campaign goes, we would not liek to go down this road again. Maybe in future campaigns, but I doubt it. That's just the way we are. Feel free to flame us all. It's easy to do on the internet.

Care to back up the claim that it was cross-gender roleplaying that was responsible for the earlier problems?

What I find funny is that some of us are quick to say how wrong it is to not allow cross gender playing

Why should I be forbidden from playing a character who's background and personality first perfectly into a campaign setting just because said character has a few biological differences from me, as a player? I am not my character, my character is not me. What difference does it friggin' make?

but then go and post how munchkin the hulking hurler or a PC with 15 prestige classes is and no DM in their right mind should let it in their game.

Are you seriously suggesting that trying to maintain a balanced party so that no-one character completely and totally overshadows the others in combat is the same thing as roleplaying? Are you seriously suggesting that?

It's your game and if you are having fun, you are doing something right no matter what someone on the internet tries to tell you

I don't see how you could possibly be having fun if you're not adhering to my standards of what constistutes fun and what doesn't.

 

[Dragonblade]

I don't allow cross-gender role-playing of any sort in my games. Male players play male characters and female players play female characters.

Its simply a matter of GM preference. There is no right or wrong to the issue. I don't really feel any need to apologize for, or justify my rule. My game, my rules. You run your game, you can set your own rules. Its as simple as that.

If it bothers a player so much that they feel the need to leave the game, well, thats their decision to make.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Falkus,
The Female Wild Elf Barbarian comes to mind of not a meshing character.
Especially when played seducingly.
*shudders*

 

[tarchon]

Secondly, I tallied up all the characters I'd ever played once upon a time. Fully 50% of them were female. Yes, HALF.

Yeah, but which halves?

 

[Storyteller01]

First off you are not the only one. In my expereince males who play females either end up:

1) Playing the character no different from any other so asside from the female gender on the character sheet one would never know
2) Go overboard with female only problems/or what to be a rape survivor or something like that that it just takes the game completely out of whack
3) Play a comic steroetype that is just insulting
4) Do an okay job with it

And it is less then 25% that actually do a good job with it, though most play it like number one and you'd have no idea what the gender is. So, I'll discourage it just like I discourage from women playing males unless they have a really good compelling reason to do so. But frankly, I haven't ran into this problem in many years.

You forgot the fifth alternative: lesbian porn star with a sword and no armor.

Could just chalk that up to #4 though.

 

[Terwox]

Neat thread, sans the arguments.

The thread may be quick to analyze -- but the question was also raised, "Am I weird?"

I guess the thread was asking for an analysis, is all.

I don't think there's anything wrong with you if you don't allow cross-gender roleplay. I think that if you want to cross-gender roleplay, it DOES hint that something MAY be a little off about you.

That being said, I'm a guy, and I prefer playing female characters.

That ALSO being said, I don't like playing them at the gaming table. I'm male. I sound male. I don't go for high appearance female characters, but still, it's just tough to play, and I think sometimes it takes away from the experience more than it helps.

I've mainly found that there's INCREDIBLE resistence when you try to get someone to play a female character who REALLY doesn't want to play one. And why shouldn't there be? If you're not going to have fun playing a character, don't do it.

Anyway, I don't know if you're "weird" for not allowing this, Destan. You might be. But who cares? You shouldn't feel bad about it, your player obviously doesn't feel bad about it, and that's just how it is for you. No biggie.

I can't say there are any fundamental differences in "guys who wanna play girls" as compared to other gamers -- but to me, and the ones I know, including myself... you can just tell, you know? It IS a little strange to cross-gender roleplay. It's even a little more strange than roleplaying in the first place.

 

[Storyteller01]

If you want some good reading material on the subject, look up white wolf's 'Player's Guide for the Shadow' (it's out of print, but you might still find it out there). Has a nice dissertation from a female player about what she went through, both as playing a female and while witnessing males play females.

 

[Falkus]

Part of my anger on this issue, I suppose, comes from my latest groups reaction to my character in their campaign. Dyria Delmar, an escaped Calimshan slave, and a big abolitionist. Fighter/Rogue, going into the lasher prestige class. She uses a whip-dagger because she likes the irony. Killing slavers and freeing slaves using the weapon that slavers use to keep control of slaves.

She wear's leather armor and uses a whip. You can guess what my fellow gamers had to say about that. And I keep giving them the same response, so much I'm starting to get tired of it:

It's not meant to be sexy. It's a fifteen foot piece of barbed wire with a sharp bit on the end meant to tear out throats, not play in bondage games. And the only friggin' reason she wears leather armor is because I haven't been able to buy a mithril shirt yet.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

I have to wonder if the original post was inspired by this

http://www.kenzerco.com/periodicals/kodt/kodtonline050314.php

recently posted KODT comic. If so, he didn't even bother to change the player's name.