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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: The Reverend <MDB0213@*****.TAMU.EDU>
Subject: Re: New players, gender benders, etc.
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 16:57:17 -0500
]but a new guy I am introducing is playing a
]hermetic female elf mage - so HE will be a little confused for a while.

HE? Dumb question, for the list in general: how have "gender benders" (i.e.
people playing members of the opposite sex) worked for y'all? I've seen 3+
done, but have yet to see one done well. (IMHO, guys)

]Oh - the other reason he did this was that one
]of the players was using a character from another game. the character is a
]grade 0 init.

Another question, of a similar nature. How many problems do your campaigns
(I'm not talking about one-shots, necessarily, but rather campaigns) have with
new players coming in from other campaigns? I'm curious as to how the power
level changes when people come in.

---
The Reverend "They called me the Reverend when I entered the church unstained"
Fear the Information Revolution...for it has reached the hands of the strange.
PGP 2.2 Public Key Block available upon request
Message no. 2
From: steven mancini <mancinis@******.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Subject: Re: New players, gender benders, etc.
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 20:41:18 EST
To quote The Reverend:
]
] HE? Dumb question, for the list in general: how have "gender benders" (i.e.
] people playing members of the opposite sex) worked for y'all? I've seen 3+
] done, but have yet to see one done well. (IMHO, guys)
]
We have had several successful "gender benders" of a sort. They
were not truly "bent". I have had 2+ homosexual players who
have elected to run female characters. They have worked out
well. In fact one character, "Black Widow", is a female elf,
run by a gay male, is a lesbian. She has worked out quite
well.
]
] Another question, of a similar nature. How many problems do your campaigns
] (I'm not talking about one-shots, necessarily, but rather campaigns) have with
] new players coming in from other campaigns? I'm curious as to how the power
] level changes when people come in.
]
Good Question. I and several of my players are recovering munchkins.
For example, I used to play Ronin- a Grade 19 Weretiger Physical
Adept who was given shamanic adept status by Tiger so that he could
become an Avatar to this world in their fight against the Insect
Totems...

I went from that to the rather strict guidelines we as a group
decided to follow. This may also explain why I reject many of the
"Cause I am the GM" rationalities, eg my recent question regarding
a stacked foci- I basically ignored those responses which reduced to
calling the player a munchkin, telling him "cause I said so", etc...

We invite new players to our game *only* after the current players
have met with the potential player and agree to have them. We have
had very few rejections, and most of those were because of personal
reasons.

Anyway, after this initial "interview", the person is guided in the
player construction system and is given a comprehensive list of the
house rules. This way the person knows in advance all the peculiars
of our game. The player is also given a Sponsor, someone experienced
in our game who will act as the new players mentor, regardless of
their gaming experience. This is the new players first line of
defense with regard to questions.

We have had only 3 people reject our system and revert to their
former munchkin status with the GM who most of us left. One left
of his own free will to return to F******r, the Grade 20 Hermetic
Magician who has a set of rings that provide him 8 auto successes
to distribute as he sees fit through any magic test. The other two
could not adjust to the new game and we subsequently stopped inviting
them when they complained about how weak their characters are.

Anyway, what this lecture boils down to is that regardless of our
new players former status (old SR players, Munchkins, newbies, etc)
we have found that taking them by the hand through the character
creation process, providing them a comprehensive list of house rules
rather than learn them as the game progresses, and most of all, a
sponsor (similar to the sponsors in MUDs) from within the game
who can answer their questions as the game progresses, contribute
to a positive adjustment for new players. You can always ask my/our
players- there is at least one of our new players monitoring this
list=> Speak Up Tom!

Hope this helps...

Da Minotaur
Message no. 3
From: Hobbes Patrol Headquarters <TYGER@****.WINONA.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: New players, gender benders, etc.
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 20:51:39 -0500
To quote The Reverend:
]
] HE? Dumb question, for the list in general: how have "gender benders" (i.e.
] people playing members of the opposite sex) worked for y'all? I've seen 3+
] done, but have yet to see one done well. (IMHO, guys)
]
> We have had several successful "gender benders" of a sort. They
> were not truly "bent". I have had 2+ homosexual players who
> have elected to run female characters. They have worked out
> well. In fact one character, "Black Widow", is a female elf,
> run by a gay male, is a lesbian. She has worked out quite
> well.

A local player frequently runs female characters (He's a male, as can be
abvious of the pronoun, neh?) But most of them are the same. A female who
seems 'butch' homosexual (IE a man in a girl suit). But oh well.

This is the same guy who, in his game, can have a SWAT team touch down
three seconds into a firefight in the Barrens (when, BTW, we were doing
nothing ELSE illegal...)

Munchkin or bad actor. You be the judge.

-Tyger

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"It's not like talking with people. With people, anything can be said and
nothing matters. Words and words and words. You go to a party... people
sit around and say things. Anything. Just to talk. Put forth views and
debate them. Sometimes you get a new idea. Sometimes something changes"
-Luicifer
From "Virtual Realities"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Message no. 4
From: The Deb Decker <RJR96326@****.UTULSA.EDU>
Subject: Re: New players, gender benders, etc.
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1993 22:59:01 GMT
> We have had several successful "gender benders" of a sort. They
> were not truly "bent". I have had 2+ homosexual players who
> have elected to run female characters. They have worked out
> well. In fact one character, "Black Widow", is a female elf,
> run by a gay male, is a lesbian. She has worked out quite
> well.

I must publicly disagree with the implicit assumption that gay men are somehow
bending the gender fence less than straight men who play female characters.

I have to admit that I don't feel I did Jaez justice playing her, but then
again many of the situations we found ourselves in, one's gender was not
important.

One other female character that I played I felt I felt the difference most
when I played a noblewoman on a mission to an Islamic country in GURPS (there's
that word again!) Deryni campaign, because of the culture and the campaign. I
think in combat-oriented camapaigns you sex is irrelevant, and only becomes
important if heavy role-playing happens. Even then, if gender is unimportant
to all the characters involved in a scene, it won't be a problem.


J Roberson
Message no. 5
From: steven mancini <mancinis@******.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
Subject: Re: New players, gender benders, etc.
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1993 00:29:23 EST
To quote RJR96326@****.utulsa.edu:
]
] > We have had several successful "gender benders" of a sort. They
] > were not truly "bent". I have had 2+ homosexual players who
] > have elected to run female characters. They have worked out
] > well. In fact one character, "Black Widow", is a female elf,
] > run by a gay male, is a lesbian. She has worked out quite
] > well.
]
] I must publicly disagree with the implicit assumption that gay men are somehow
] bending the gender fence less than straight men who play female characters.
]
That was not my point. Rather what I was trying to imply was that
Patrick, the player in question, found it easier to "hit on" the
male members of the party than the straight player who was playing
a women.

Any other assumptions are the product of an overactive political
correctness filter.

Da Minotaur

Further Reading

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Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.