Woman's Work: Making Realistic (And Fun!) Female Characters
Maybe
you're a chick who's just getting into gaming and wants to start out playing
what she knows, or a guy who's read about transgender role-playing
and thinks he's ready for a change.
Either way, you've come here looking for advice on how to make a female
character for your favorite game. First
of all, let me say that I salute you!
No matter your gender, playing a woman (or being a woman, for that
matter) in a hobby where players and characters alike are predominantly male
can be a big step, and I think it's great that you've decided to take it. Now let's get on to (more or less)
everything I know about making good female characters.
In
most ways, making a female RPG character is no different than making a male
one, except there's a different letter in the "gender" space. There aren't (and shouldn't be) any
limitations on what races, classes, or personalities a female character can have. Over the years I've played female humans,
elves, halflings, Noghri, Twi'Leks, warriors, pirates, Jedi, thieves, bards, telepaths,
werewolves, mages, bureaucrats, outlaws, hackers, and more--and I haven't even
been gaming as long as others have! Let
your imagination have free rein, and come up with something really great no
matter what your character's gender. This
isn't to say that male and female characters should be exactly the same; my
point is that differences mostly come not in the character creation process,
but in the actual role-playing itself.
Men
and women are different; it would be stupid to argue otherwise. Therefore, male and female characters need
to be roleplayed differently. How you
alter your role-playing for a female character is mostly your call, to be
inferred from your character's personality, the overall "feel" of
your group, the situations the game gets into, and your personal strengths and
weaknesses as a role-player. However,
there are a number of basic ways in which I think female characters should
usually be played differently. (Of
course, I certainly don't mean to stereotype here, and not all female
characters will behave in these ways.)
Female
characters are often less combat-oriented (or at least less confrontational)
than men. That's not to say that women
don't know when to let the weapons do the talking; I've just noticed that most
women seem inclined to try to talk things over, negotiate, and try to avoid
bloodshed before they start busting heads.
As for women being more emotional, I think this is another individual
decision to be based on the character's needs.
Also, being able to bear children, women often have a closer connection
to their families and have that to think about in addition to their crazy
adventures. Male characters often need no more reason for being in a group
than the desire for money or adventure; women, on the other hand, often seem to
need a dang good reason to leave their home and family and therefore a slightly
more developed background. And then
there's the whole pregnancy thing, which can be a big deal depending on how
your character behaves (if you know what I mean). Women do have to worry about unexpected pregnancies a good deal
more than men, and any pregnancy (wanted or otherwise) will be a huge, defining
event in a female character's life. It
should be role-played as such if it occurs.
This is something to consider before you, or your GM, take it
flippantly.
These
are just a few suggestions, and they probably will not always apply. That's why my biggest suggestion for making
realistic female characters is this: If you're not female, talk to a real
live girl about it--preferably one who knows her gaming, at least somewhat. (Even if you're female yourself, you may
want to run your ideas by some other gamer chick friends to see what they think
of your characterization.) I know, this
may take some courage if you're like a lot of the male role-players I have
known, but it'll pay off for your character in the end! Ask her what she thinks of the character's
background, and for any role-playing tips she might have on how this particular
woman might behave. Don't be afraid to
ask the tough questions. Who knows, you
might even make a friend (wink wink, nudge nudge).
By
now a few of you might be thinking to yourselves, "Gee, that sounds like a
great idea, but girl gamers are hard to come by in my neck of the woods. Who will tell me if my female character is a
horrible one-dimensional cardboard cutout or not?" If this is your problem, go right ahead and send your chick characters to me! Whether you're a guy who wants some general
pointers about how not to offend everyone in his group, or a gamer chick who
just wants a second opinion, I would be more than happy to look over your
female RPG characters, offer my suggestions, and answer any questions you might
have. Good luck, and don't ever give up!
Copyright
(c) 2000 by Beth Kinderman. This is my
original work, so please respect it.
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