Woman's Work (Part 2)

Woman's Work (Part 2)

Since OOC #3 (which dealt with making female characters), I've had a number of people email me to take me up on my offer to review female RPG characters. As I worked with those readers to improve their characters, I noticed a somewhat glaring oversight on my part that had made its way into the first column. I had spent a long time talking about how to make a female character, but I had never really addressed the issue of how to PLAY one. Oops. So that is the purpose of Part 2: to give you ideas on how to roleplay a realistic and convincing female character once the creation process is done.

An extensive and well-realized background will do wonders for your female character. This is true for PCs of any gender, and it's some of the best advice I can give you. When you know where your character came from and what kinds of circumstances she had to deal with, you're more than halfway to understanding her motivations and thereby having an insight in how to roleplay her. Go beyond the standard "born, grew up, became an adventurer" spiel and really dig into what makes your character tick. Take the time to think about her experiences prior to the adventure and write out a nice, long, detailed background. Here are some background questions you may want to ask yourself, and suggestions for how the answers you find might affect your roleplaying:

· Where did your character grow up? Was it a city, a small town, or something else? What were the people who lived around her like, and how did that affect her behavior later in life? Was she an outcast in her hometown? (If so, she may still harbor bitterness, a desire for revenge, or other nasty emotions that can be a lot of fun to roleplay!) Or did she have mainly good experiences and a lot of friends? More often than not this is the case (especially in fantasy or medieval settings, where traditional gender roles predominate more than in sci-fi or modern settings), since women do tend to form friendships and connections quicker and eaiser than men. She may have concerns from home weighing on her mind during her other adventures; how does that affect her relationship with the other adventurers?

· What was her family like? Ask yourself all the normal background questions here--parents, siblings, extended family, how she got along with them, who she was close to, you know the drill. Especially, concentrate on a female character's relationship with her mother. Did they get along well and have a deep, abiding bond? Were they at each other's throats all the time? Was it a combination of that, or some less definable emotion? Did she never even know her mother? What did her mother teach her, either directly or by example, about being a woman? Was her mother submissive, or strong and independent? How have these lessons affected her--does she follow her mother's example, or strike out on her own? Is her mother still alive, and if so are they still in contact with one another? Once you know these things, you'll know a lot more about where your character learned her kind of femininity, and how you should roleplay that.

· Why did she become an adventurer? This is where you really need to go all out and come up with a really good and interesting story. As I mentioned in OOC #3, women often have a deeper connection to their hometown and their family than men do, and need an extremely good reason for leaving. Many male characters will need no more motivation than the desire for money or adventure; not so with female ones. What makes your character so desperate that she would leave her home and family and put herself in danger? Is she running from a bad or abusive situation in her hometown? Does she have a driving goal that can only be accomplished through adventuring? What does she stand to gain from hanging out with a bunch of men? Think long and hard about this question; the answer will tell you a lot.

· Finally, how does she feel about being a woman in a male-dominated field? Does she enjoy it? Does she act timid around men, try to prove that she's better than them, or think of them as her equals? Is she a tomboy, or does she assert her femininity more than she would normally? How do the men she works with tend to see her? What do other people think about her when they find out about her job? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to being a female fighter, thief, mage, or whatever? Is she an outcast because of it? Is she more well-known and recognizable because of it?

Once again, these are only a few suggestions. The more time you spend working on your female characters (particularly if you're male), the better they'll be. Try to think and behave as a woman would--easier said than done, I know! Observe the women around you--friends, relatives, teachers, classmates, co-workers, even random women on the street. (Okay, if you start looking at strangers, maybe you shouldn't stare too long...) Note how they react to things in their everyday lives, and (if you're male) how that differs from the way you react. Apply those observations to your chick characters. If you really want to get in-depth, read up on psychology and human behavior. Or maybe just talk to women, and get an idea of how our minds work.

Also, realize that every woman is different. We can't be pigeonholed into neat, simple categories any more than men can, and because of that it's hard for me to give you advice that's going to apply to every female character all of the time. In the end, you're the one that has to decide how to roleplay your female character. All I can do is give you advice as I see it--you make the ultimate decision.

I'll tell you what you probably shouldn't do, though. Don't make the mistake of thinking that for a female character to be realistic, she has to be a man with breasts. You know the kind I'm talking about--armed to the teeth, emotionless, stone cold, far more violent and ill-tempered than the men in their party. The sentiments behind this kind of character aren't entirely misguided; most of the people who play them just want to avoid the stereotype of the weak, weepy woman and play a chick who's taken seriously. What they don't realize is that by avoiding one stereotype, they've created another. It's perfectly okay for a female character to be emotional, or fall in love easily, or hate snakes and spiders, or not really want to kill anybody, or get squeamish around blood. I'd even go so far as to say that it's okay to play a female character who's a nag or a tease. Female characters can and should have those little quirks we associate with women--they only become stereotypes when those gimmicks are all that a character is about. (I like to think that two of my characters, Elsa Alvaretti and Raechal Bridges, are particularly good examples of this kind of realistic, detailed, powerful, yet well-rounded women--but I'll leave that for you to decide!)

Armed with those more concrete roleplaying suggestions, I hope you feel more prepared to go ahead with playing a female character. It's a tough and sometimes messy business, but possibly one of the most rewarding aspects of gaming. My offer to review female characters for any player who'd like my input still stands; feel free to email them to me if you'd like my opinion. I've been very impressed with all of the ones I've received so far, and I'm sure yours will be no exception. (c: Keep up the good work!

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