How girlie are they?

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How girlie are they?
Topic Started: Feb 13 2007, 01:08 PM (292 Views)
kismetrose	Feb 13 2007, 01:08 PM Post #1
Administrator Posts: 3,162 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: February 6, 2005	I got to wondering today just how girlie the female characters are in your games. I'm talking about the soft, delicate, beautiful kinds of women with refined manners. The women that easily make damsels in distress. The reason I think of it is because I had such a damsel in distress in the game this weekend. She was quite literally a noblewoman who had been abducted, young, virtuous, talented, and beauitful. You know, ideal breeding stock. The characters weren't there so much to rescue her as to steal her back and deliver her elsewhere, at the whim of an elder vampire. In the Vampire the Dark Ages game I'm doing, there are plenty of women who don't get to be girly but a good many have no other choice. It's what they're raised for and expected to be. I notice that my vampiric women tend to wear their gender and breeding like they were clothing, meant to impress; they get to be openly proud of their beauty and they can pretend to be soft. But a few of them are actually more girly and delicate; they're not pretending - and they're at risk of being killed for it. Softness can only survive for so long in Vampire before it is destroyed or changed. I know that other games have other dynamics. So tell me about yours.
	Kismet's LJ - FB - dA - D&D - GG - WoD - SG-1


HollowDes	Feb 13 2007, 03:29 PM Post #2
Big Koala Posts: 283 Group: The Council Member #12 Joined: August 19, 2005	This is something I actually struggle with a lot. I've known many different kinds of women throughout my life, and there's definitely no emerging patterns. I try to make sure females are present in my world, but I avoid role-playing as them at all costs. There's a few, in my opinion, practical reasons for this. For one, I'm a voice imitator, a habit I'm trying to drop because of cross-gender roleplaying actually, but I haven't broken the habit yet. My voice is naturally quite deep, so me trying to sound feminine, just comes across as a throaty, phone-sex operator. Secondly, I only game with other guys, and if I'm role-playing an attractive female, the players are likely to flirt with her (me), and that just gets weird. I have no problem seperating myself from an imaginary personality, but I can't say the same for the players. In general, I just milk the stereotypes. My women are usually simple and predictable. Usually depends on the stereotype, but there's the "bimbo", the "innocent maiden", the "grandma", the "bitch", the "dike" etc. To answer your question, I think the females in the adventures I run are only as girly as they have to be. Again, if I make them too hot, feminine and appealing, my players start hitting on them. :lol:
	Sleep...oh, how I loathe those little slices of death. - Longfellow


Hades	Feb 18 2007, 06:53 PM Post #3
Ritual Partaker Posts: 100 Group: The Council Member #64 Joined: July 20, 2006	Well, the women I game with play very strong, beautiful, passionate female characters. When I DM, I make sure to include the full range of female characters in my game, from the simple, sweet peasant girl to the bawdy serving wench to the sensuous, flirty harlot to the shrewd, acid-tongued adventurer or swordswoman. I've met so many different types of women in my life that its pretty easy for me to represent all their personalities in my games. I personally love playing female characters. Some of my best experiences roleplaying have been while playing female characters. Why? Who knows. In fact, most of the guys I have role played with have also tried playing female characters at least once. Never any weirdness or embarrassment for us. The only time really "girly" female characters ever show up in my games is when the character has to be that way for some particular plot device to work. For example, maybe she is a really spoiled princess who hires the players for some illicit job. Great question, Kismet.
	“Don't do anything by half. If you love someone, love them with all your soul. When you go to work, work your ass off. When you hate someone, hate them until it hurts.” - Henry Rollins


Razius	Feb 23 2007, 07:03 AM Post #4
Dabbler Posts: 12 Group: Members Member #69 Joined: September 28, 2006	I rarely use damsel-in-distress girly types when I DM because they frankly irritate me.



Redisbest	Feb 28 2007, 01:00 AM Post #5
Habitual Offender Posts: 78 Group: The Council Member #54 Joined: February 25, 2006	I always play a female because the other players at the table have a nasty habit of referring to the player's gender and not the character's. A night filled with "I hand the potion to Ricardo, she really needs to heal up" type discussions really pulls you out of a game. However, I try to make my characters (and female NPCs) as diverse in looks and personality as the men. It's easier for me to do that with the 'helpful' NPC's, though. The female baddies tend to fall into the stereotype catagory.
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kismetrose	Feb 28 2007, 01:18 AM Post #6
Administrator Posts: 3,162 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: February 6, 2005	Quote: The female baddies tend to fall into the stereotype catagory. Which stereotype(s)? Does this happen in games you play? Does it also happen in games that you run?
	Kismet's LJ - FB - dA - D&D - GG - WoD - SG-1


Redisbest	Feb 28 2007, 01:32 AM Post #7
Habitual Offender Posts: 78 Group: The Council Member #54 Joined: February 25, 2006	kismetrose Feb 28 2007, 12:18 AM Quote: The female baddies tend to fall into the stereotype catagory. Which stereotype(s)? Does this happen in games you play? Does it also happen in games that you run? Yay for ambiguity. Actually, as a player I've never encountered a vilainess. I think we fought a few female ogres/owlbears (they had cubs. or owlbearlets) but that's the extent of it. In defense of my group, they don't tend to be fans of villainy in that most of our adventures lack a centralized, identifiable evil. Lately we've been on a kick where someone/something undefined has landed us in prison, or a Roman arena, or some cursed woods.... Three DMs are running very similar campaigns, but it's what they like so it's ok. Words cannot express how much I love villainy. I think it's because I like roleplaying out that NPC, giving them a history, a method, goals, hopes and justifications. The trap I fall into, though, is in creating powerful women. The lackey's are all the same-their gender as makes only theoretical difference, so there's plenty of variety of gender roles. But when I set out to make an boss as female, she tends to be either a cackling witch or a slinky seductress. I'm working to get past that, though. The villainess I'm doing right now is going to be just another really good person as far as the pc's know. She's nice, a good hostess, a seemingly kind boss, she just enjoys a little genocide from time to time. and torturing peasants.
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kismetrose	Feb 28 2007, 01:45 AM Post #8
Administrator Posts: 3,162 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: February 6, 2005	Quote: But when I set out to make an boss as female, she tends to be either a cackling witch or a slinky seductress. Do you have certain classes that you use for female characters (and villains)? You say cackling witch, but does that mean cackling geriatric wizard/sorcerer?
	Kismet's LJ - FB - dA - D&D - GG - WoD - SG-1


Redisbest	Feb 28 2007, 02:02 AM Post #9
Habitual Offender Posts: 78 Group: The Council Member #54 Joined: February 25, 2006	Well, by witch I meant more the personality than the class- the types of villainesses that are basically a rip off of the Wicked Witch of the West. And maybe they remind me of Oz the way everything reminds my friend H about Star Wars. It just does and I feel kind of dirty and unorigional. I've not used a female wizard yet. My wizard villains tend to be more like mad scientist. Odd that as a female (future) scientist myself, I never thought to put a girl into that role.
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HollowDes	Feb 28 2007, 09:01 AM Post #10
Big Koala Posts: 283 Group: The Council Member #12 Joined: August 19, 2005	Quote: My wizard villains tend to be more like mad scientist. I think due to the nature of Arcane magic, a lot of us do this. I can only picture a wizard villain with a small handful of variations. Aside from the mad scientist, I guess there could be the outright homicidal maniac, but just like in real-life, their killing sprees are usually short-lived, 'cause some bigger badder fish comes and takes them out pretty quick. Most successful villains never work out in the open, so what kind of Arcane-related mischief could a wizard do behind closed doors that wouldn't lean towards the mad scientist archetype? Gah, too much work going on at the office for this today. If I don't think this thought is complete I'll come back and finish it later.
	Sleep...oh, how I loathe those little slices of death. - Longfellow


Pete	Jun 26 2009, 09:57 AM Post #11
Twig Posts: 31 Group: Members Member #401 Joined: June 14, 2009	I loooove female villains. I always use the concept to surprise the players because they never ever expect it! The players try to track down the villain who did the crime always thinking it was probably some bad guy. But surprise surprise people! It was the female traveler you picked up all along! Hoho! Aaah the look on their faces. Priceless. And how girly are they? Well I usually don't portray them as delicate people. They are usually very strong willed and powerful individuals. But a reocurring thing is that they never use sheer force to accomplish their goals. They are usually very cunning and elusive and use finesse to accomplsih their goals. Edited by Pete, Jun 26 2009, 10:02 AM.



kismetrose	Jun 26 2009, 11:38 AM Post #12
Administrator Posts: 3,162 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: February 6, 2005	One of these days I'm going to play more with the concept of very delicate and feminized women who are the physically-oriented villains of the piece. One moment, silk gowns and makeup. The next moment, kicking ass. "Just look what you made me do! This dress is ruined!"
	Kismet's LJ - FB - dA - D&D - GG - WoD - SG-1


Pete	Jun 26 2009, 11:56 AM Post #13
Twig Posts: 31 Group: Members Member #401 Joined: June 14, 2009	Now that will be an interesting character i imagine. Problem with me is that i can't conceive something as a "delicate villain". Whenever I think villain, the villain is gonna have to go kick some ass at some point. And going from delicate to kick-ass seems very schizophrenic to me.



Pete	Jul 14 2009, 09:23 AM Post #14
Twig Posts: 31 Group: Members Member #401 Joined: June 14, 2009	Sorry for the double post here but i've been pondering about this delicate villain thing for a bit. I felt like i needed to give it a try because it could make a really interesting character. Aaaand i think i got something. The concept is a girl how looks delicate and acts out in a quiet and shy kind of way. But is in reality actually incredibly physically strong and quite the sadist. She actually has very strong sadistic desires and tendencies but she never acts them out because she knows it is not socially acceptable. She also has very low self esteem and some anxiety and depression problems. Now the jist is that she can't control her sadistic desires. She tries to surpress them but they just build up until she explodes and goes completely crazy! And then you'd better watch out D:. Only thing i need to figure out is what class i should pick for her.



kismetrose	Jul 19 2009, 03:48 PM Post #15
Administrator Posts: 3,162 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: February 6, 2005	Why are low self esteem, anxiety, and depression central to this concept? A class would be difficult for this one. Being very physically strong seems to invoke a fighter type, but the shyness also makes me think of rogue (perhaps assassin?).
	Kismet's LJ - FB - dA - D&D - GG - WoD - SG-1


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