So I'm a straight cis male, and about half my characters are female. I play in person with a pretty roleplay-heavy group, so it's not as easy as just making a female avatar, but I grew up a theater kid, so getting into other people's heads, physicality, and speech patterns is pretty natural for me. That said, there's not that much difference for me between playing a guy, girl, or whatever. It's hard to explain what motivates me to play female characters because I don't really feel like there is a special motivation: they're just characters who happen to be female when I imagine them. You could swap them out for a guy and they wouldn't change much. That said, I do love strong female characters, especially those that can display traditionally female traits (like motherliness) without being any less strong, so I like to play those characters in games. The one thing I avoid is defining a female character by her sexuality (or usually defining it at all)...that's a shortcut to objectification, which is absolutely never a goal.
That said, when I DM (which is most of what I do these days), I make sure my NPCs are about 50/50 by gender. It's a representation thing: my group has only one female player, and fantasy is traditionally male-heavy, but I try not to reflect that in my game, so everyone has a place in my world.
Yeah. To fit the character concept. I've played characters that on their sheet said male, female, or fluid because it matched the story of the character I was creating. I think you could just as easily ask why does anyone play a race other than Human? I think the answer is the same. It's a fantasy game where character development is encouraged and often essential to the success of your character and the game as a whole so the more fully you develop it the better the experience for everyone in the game.
I am male as well, and I only play with other guys (mainly because I don't have any female friends). I am currently playing a female character, and at first, my group was a bit weirded out, but they aren't anymore.
It's about building character concepts and ideas. I don't see gender roles; just characters.
One of my faves; which I've never been fortunate enough to play, is my Gnome Wizard by the name of Lovie.
I got an idea of a nobelwoman/arms dealer's (warmongerer is what she is) daughter (the story for the mom is more interesting than my PC IMO) who rebeled against hers mother's upbringing.
Threw in a little Zsa Zsa Gabor and boom; Lovie! A few "Darling"s later and I fell in love with the character.
it suits the character, and/or I want to play something that I very much am not.
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Formerly Devan Avalon.
Trying to get your physical content on Beyond is like going to Microsoft and saying "I have a physical Playstation disk, give me a digital Xbox version!"
Because most DM's and module designers are sexist. The far majority of characters in power are male and the DM's are male. They tend to let high Charisma female characters get away with using Persuasion more than they let male ones.
Not to mention the stereotypical female mind controllers (Anyone ever go up against a male Siren?)
I see no reason why my own gender should have any relationship to the characters I play. I’m not a wizard, or a paladin, or a rogue either. But I still play them. One of the most fun characters I’ve played was based on Julius Caesar, who, in case it need be said, I most certainly am not. Out of all the possible ways Julius Caesar diverges from my own experiences, why would gender even be in the top ten?
People’s fixation on gender is very bizarre to me.
My logic is this when I a male play videogame-like Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, or Resident Evil 3, I play as a female because it works well for the story being told when I play a D&D character and I make their back story If it makes sense for the Nobel Drow Elf whose kingdom was usurped becomes a Female who thinks the rest of the world works as her castle did, Or the sole survivor of a ship that got attacked by a dragon turtle is a male Aararakocraa that lost one of his wings and now can't fly and has a deep fear of the sea, that seems like a fun story to explore.
For me, it's all about the story and what story can be more fun the gender's almost don't matter as you get lost in the story
For me, there are two distinct reasons. The first, is building around a concept, and somehow it 'feels' right for a background story, that I want to develop with others. Which leads to the second, and that is exploring perspectives. The story in my tag line below was really first time I tried to explore a female perspective to a number of things, namely adventuring, religion and guilt. It was a rewarding perspective to think about and play.
Oddly enough, that for me, alternate perspectives isn't just about gender, but about race as well. I spent a year playing a lizardfolk with my son in a different campaign, and we didn't want to be 'Humans in funny suits." so taking on an alien like perspective was interesting in that respect.
Since then I have been about 50/50 if for no other reason that some stories are more interesting that way.
Hellbringer, perhaps I am unlucky and played with a few bad DM's. But I have had DM's do things like play female nature spirits and all the males have to make a save or fall in love with her. Or rooms with 10 succubus and 1 incubus with the incubus acting different than the succubus. (Ignoring the fact that they are both shapechangers with identical stats/descriptions and should be considered one creature that changes gender at will).
I'm trans. I played as a girl in videogames and roleplaying because I thought that was the closest I would get to feeling normal. Then I found out if you want to be a girl...you can just be a girl and I transitioned. Super dope. 10/10 would recommend.
I agree. My friends were a bit weirded out when I (a male) decided to play a female character.
I don't see an issue One of my players a Stright female played a male in our last game and romanced my wife PC a female. It's not real and should be fun as long as everyone is in agreement if your friends have any issue with that then they are the ones with the problem
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I want to know why people play a character of the opposite gender, for no reason other than that I want to know.
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
Because it fits the character concept? Same reason to play characters of any gender, agender characters, enby characters, or trans characters.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
To put myself in the shoes of someone else.
So I'm a straight cis male, and about half my characters are female. I play in person with a pretty roleplay-heavy group, so it's not as easy as just making a female avatar, but I grew up a theater kid, so getting into other people's heads, physicality, and speech patterns is pretty natural for me. That said, there's not that much difference for me between playing a guy, girl, or whatever. It's hard to explain what motivates me to play female characters because I don't really feel like there is a special motivation: they're just characters who happen to be female when I imagine them. You could swap them out for a guy and they wouldn't change much. That said, I do love strong female characters, especially those that can display traditionally female traits (like motherliness) without being any less strong, so I like to play those characters in games. The one thing I avoid is defining a female character by her sexuality (or usually defining it at all)...that's a shortcut to objectification, which is absolutely never a goal.
That said, when I DM (which is most of what I do these days), I make sure my NPCs are about 50/50 by gender. It's a representation thing: my group has only one female player, and fantasy is traditionally male-heavy, but I try not to reflect that in my game, so everyone has a place in my world.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Yeah. To fit the character concept. I've played characters that on their sheet said male, female, or fluid because it matched the story of the character I was creating. I think you could just as easily ask why does anyone play a race other than Human? I think the answer is the same. It's a fantasy game where character development is encouraged and often essential to the success of your character and the game as a whole so the more fully you develop it the better the experience for everyone in the game.
That's what happens when you wear a helmet your whole life!
My house rules
I am male as well, and I only play with other guys (mainly because I don't have any female friends). I am currently playing a female character, and at first, my group was a bit weirded out, but they aren't anymore.
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
It's about building character concepts and ideas. I don't see gender roles; just characters.
One of my faves; which I've never been fortunate enough to play, is my Gnome Wizard by the name of Lovie.
I got an idea of a nobelwoman/arms dealer's (warmongerer is what she is) daughter (the story for the mom is more interesting than my PC IMO) who rebeled against hers mother's upbringing.
Threw in a little Zsa Zsa Gabor and boom; Lovie! A few "Darling"s later and I fell in love with the character.
The last couple of GB characters I've played, it was because I found a cool mini and built a character to match.
it suits the character, and/or I want to play something that I very much am not.
Formerly Devan Avalon.
Trying to get your physical content on Beyond is like going to Microsoft and saying "I have a physical Playstation disk, give me a digital Xbox version!"
Because most DM's and module designers are sexist. The far majority of characters in power are male and the DM's are male. They tend to let high Charisma female characters get away with using Persuasion more than they let male ones.
Not to mention the stereotypical female mind controllers (Anyone ever go up against a male Siren?)
I see no reason why my own gender should have any relationship to the characters I play. I’m not a wizard, or a paladin, or a rogue either. But I still play them. One of the most fun characters I’ve played was based on Julius Caesar, who, in case it need be said, I most certainly am not. Out of all the possible ways Julius Caesar diverges from my own experiences, why would gender even be in the top ten?
People’s fixation on gender is very bizarre to me.
May I ask why you believe that they are all sexist?
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
My logic is this when I a male play videogame-like Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, or Resident Evil 3, I play as a female because it works well for the story being told when I play a D&D character and I make their back story If it makes sense for the Nobel Drow Elf whose kingdom was usurped becomes a Female who thinks the rest of the world works as her castle did, Or the sole survivor of a ship that got attacked by a dragon turtle is a male Aararakocraa that lost one of his wings and now can't fly and has a deep fear of the sea, that seems like a fun story to explore.
For me, it's all about the story and what story can be more fun the gender's almost don't matter as you get lost in the story
I agree. My friends were a bit weirded out when I (a male) decided to play a female character.
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
For me, there are two distinct reasons. The first, is building around a concept, and somehow it 'feels' right for a background story, that I want to develop with others. Which leads to the second, and that is exploring perspectives. The story in my tag line below was really first time I tried to explore a female perspective to a number of things, namely adventuring, religion and guilt. It was a rewarding perspective to think about and play.
Oddly enough, that for me, alternate perspectives isn't just about gender, but about race as well. I spent a year playing a lizardfolk with my son in a different campaign, and we didn't want to be 'Humans in funny suits." so taking on an alien like perspective was interesting in that respect.
Since then I have been about 50/50 if for no other reason that some stories are more interesting that way.
Hellbringer, perhaps I am unlucky and played with a few bad DM's. But I have had DM's do things like play female nature spirits and all the males have to make a save or fall in love with her. Or rooms with 10 succubus and 1 incubus with the incubus acting different than the succubus. (Ignoring the fact that they are both shapechangers with identical stats/descriptions and should be considered one creature that changes gender at will).
Too many ways on end.
I'm trans. I played as a girl in videogames and roleplaying because I thought that was the closest I would get to feeling normal. Then I found out if you want to be a girl...you can just be a girl and I transitioned. Super dope. 10/10 would recommend.
I am playing with my first DM, and we've only got to level 4 so far. He is a good guy, so I don't think that he will be that bad.
Hello! I am just a relatively new D&D player, who also likes SimplePlanes and War Thunder.
My characters are:
Why do you play a character of a completely different species from you? This is what you are doing when you play an elf, a dwarf, a halfling.
Why play an adventurer when you aren't one in real life?
Why have your character fight dragons when in real life you would wet yourself and run away?
We play D&D for fantasy. I see no reason to restrict myself to the character's gender any more than I do species, class, or personality.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I don't see an issue One of my players a Stright female played a male in our last game and romanced my wife PC a female. It's not real and should be fun as long as everyone is in agreement if your friends have any issue with that then they are the ones with the problem