Have You Played A Character Of The Opposite Sex?

jasonga · April 21, 2009, 12:05:37 AM

I've played a female character once (a reporter in a Babylon 5 game) as I had a clear character idea, but I found in play that I suck at running a female character. So I haven't run a female PC since.

My players have run quite a few PCs of the opposite sex, but since my players are all female I don't have to worry about fat sweaty men pretending to be hot teen models

Drohem · April 21, 2009, 12:43:30 AM

Quote from: flyingmice;297765It's not you, Drohem.

-clash

Oh... never mind then.

Drohem · April 21, 2009, 12:50:17 AM

Quote from: Captain Rufus;297775We have, and I think its just you don't like the answers you are getting.

No, actually I've enjoyed everyone's responses on their experiences, and I appreciate their candor. What bothered me was the all the "I don't get the big deal" type comments. After seeing Clash's post, I realize it wasn't directed at me or the OP necessarily. I tried to be as explicit as possible in the OP- I am curious and I not making any judgments on anyone, but I felt, momentarily, like I was being judged just because I asked the freaking question.

Koltar · April 21, 2009, 12:56:15 AM

As a GM I've played MANY female NPCs. In the last long-running campaign that I ran , two of those NPCs became recurring characters and part of the ship's crew. I played them in character so much that I might as well have been playing them like a player character. (that was my GURPS: TRAVELLER campaign that ran for 4 years.)

A woman player in the group said I played a young woman better than some women she knows.

As just a player - I tend to play male characters. Usually adventuring scholar types, Rogues, or bards. Hell, my Dragonborn Paladin in the D&D game is starting to turn into a bit of a scholar or scribe type.

- Ed C.

David R · April 21, 2009, 12:59:29 AM

I once played woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman...

Regards,
David R

Drohem · April 21, 2009, 01:00:33 AM

Quote from: David R;297801I once played woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman...

Regards,
David R

Was the name Victor or Victoria?

David R · April 21, 2009, 01:02:22 AM

Why yes. How many games reference Blake Edwards......

Regards,
David R

Koltar · April 21, 2009, 01:07:47 AM

Quote from: David R;297801I once played woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman...

Regards,
David R

...and she liked her Jazz hot - didn't she?

- Ed C.

jswa · April 21, 2009, 02:12:33 AM

When GMing, yes. When playing, no. I just don't see the point.

Kyle Aaron · April 21, 2009, 04:01:08 AM

Quote from: jswa;297808When GMing, yes. When playing, no. I just don't see the point.

The same as the point of playing a dwarf or a Moslem or an elven wizard or a ninja or anything else you're not.

Do you always play yourself as a character? Again, I'm happy to, but it seems most gamers are not comfortable with that.

The Yann Waters · April 21, 2009, 07:45:01 AM

Quote from: Casey777;297783Yes, several times, though more online than face to face.

Well, during face-to-face sessions I've GMed almost exclusively from the start, so it only makes sense that I've ended up playing more PCs online, regardless of sex or gender. (I also agree with the "don't struggle to play a woman, play a person" advice.)

flyingmice · April 21, 2009, 08:55:10 AM

Quote from: Casey777;297789I've read of people who roll a dice to determine their pc's sex during chargen, 50% each. Personally face to face most people almost exclusively play their own sex and tend to view "going across the aisle" as weird if not wrong. There's from what I've seen a correlation between this and groups that are exclusively male and play RPGs as a boy's night activity, which are the standard in my experience.

Hi Casey!

I roll a die if I don't have a strong character concept one way or the other. About 20-25% of the time, I know the character has to be male - or has to be female - to work right, but otherwise I let the dice determine it.

Since I have never played in an exclusively male group - my player groups have been usually equally make and female until a few years ago - I couldn't confirm or deny that, but we've been playing this way since the beginning, over thirty years now.

-clash

flyingmice · April 21, 2009, 08:55:50 AM

Quote from: Drohem;297796 Oh... never mind then.

Exactly!

-clash

jswa · April 21, 2009, 02:07:20 PM

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;297811The same as the point of playing a dwarf or a Moslem or an elven wizard or a ninja or anything else you're not.

Do you always play yourself as a character? Again, I'm happy to, but it seems most gamers are not comfortable with that.

Not really. Gender is a pretty powerful concept. It's easier for me to pretend to be a dwarf or Moslem or elf or whatever than it is to be a woman version of those things.

I can swing it well enough for NPCs when I'm running, but when it's my PC, I just feel like I can "pull off" playing a man better than I would a woman.

jswa · April 21, 2009, 02:10:29 PM

QuoteThere's from what I've seen a correlation between this and groups that are exclusively male and play RPGs as a boy's night activity, which are the standard in my experience.

Not sure about that. One of my longest running groups was 75% women and they never felt the urge to play male characters.