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Message no. 1
From: HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk>
Subject: Strange characters
Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT
Last night I have had one of the wierdest characters created for me
as a GM. One of my PC created a character that started life as Harold
Dwight White male Caucasian and has now dropped down to a sinnless
because the govermenat won't recognise him as Andrea Dwight.

As part of his character generation he spent 100,000 nuyen to undergo
a sex change operation. I thought that the technological advancements
would be such that the change could be absolutely complete. The other
characters in the group only know him as Andrea and so far one has
tried it on with her.

Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.

P.s I gave this character extra karma at creation for coming up with
a really good background.

Love is the fine line between pleasure and pain

Except when you're into S&M when it's just pain! pain! pain!

Haloween Jack
Message no. 2
From: bqtech1@***.pipeline.com (Andrew W. Ragland)
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 08:52:27 -0400
On May 11, 1996 11:10:48, 'HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk>' wrote:

>Last night I have had one of the wierdest characters created for me
>as a GM. One of my PC created a character that started life as Harold
>Dwight White male Caucasian and has now dropped down to a sinnless
>because the govermenat won't recognise him as Andrea Dwight.

A commmon problem for transgendered people. However, if the process was
accomplished in an aboveground (non-shadow) clinic, then there would have
been a year of Real Life Test, a series of legal motions filed to recognize
the change in status, etc. I can only assume that Ms. Dwight went through
her surgery and subsequent therapy in a shadow clinic.

>As part of his character generation he spent 100,000 nuyen to undergo
>a sex change operation. I thought that the technological advancements
>would be such that the change could be absolutely complete. The other
>characters in the group only know him as Andrea and so far one has
>tried it on with her.

Tried it on? You mean as in making advances? I would hope that Ms. Dwight
would react as a woman...

>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.

Hm. Something in me just doesn't like the term "weird" applied to a
transgendered person. Maybe I've known one too many and found them to be
nice, normal people in most senses, with certainly more centeredness and
more sense of self than most people have. I'm not trying to flame here, but
I have to ask this: Did you do any research on transgendering before you
worked up this character?

--
Andrew W. Ragland, Product Support Manager, R & M BioMetrics / BioQuant
raglan45@*****.mmc.edu *** bqtech1@***.pipeline.com
GoTW!4)Au!3( TM(An) B0/32Bk cGR{BR}p+4BM PPrSaG V++s M++p2wD ZGo(NrGnCl)
C+3P2e a33 n*O b-:+D H193 g+* m-3 w++T r++E D-% h+ S* k++* Rm SmNn N0689n1w
LusTN+ HzMc2p4
Message no. 3
From: "'Spaceman' WD Lee" <galahad@*.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 09:46:49 -0700 (PDT)
On Sat, 11 May 1996, HALOWEEN JACK wrote:
> Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.

I don't know, sounds rather normal. compared to the characters a
friend of mine comes up with for my campaign, it's mom down the street.
He's had a totally honourable Sun shamanic adept who took everything as a
personal crusade, and refused to kill several people during his brief
shadowrunning career (he got killed by the team for trying to save a hit
target). He then created a German anarchist assassin, who enjoyed "(his
own words)Buying people goldfish, letting them get emotionally attached to
the goldfish, then killing the goldfish." This character decided anarchy
would best be served by killing the rest of the team. He was killed for
this. And for the new campaign, he's bringing a former sports trainer for
the Seattle Supersonics. It's a sorcery adept with a bunch of health
spells.....

Ok, looking back over them, they're not that bad, but this guy
plays them in such a way that you shake your head in amazement every
session. yeesh.

The Spaceman |Remember, Abraham Lincoln didn't die
spaced@*.washington.edu |in vain, he died in Washington, D.C.
galahad@*.washington.edu | -Firesign Theatre
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~spaced
GCC/GL d- s:++ a-- C++ U+ P L>L++ !E W++ N++ o+ K w !O M-- V--
PS+ PE Y+ PGP t 5+ X+ R+ tv b+++ DI+ D+ G++ e h r z+
MPA/SH/TA S G Q+ 666 y W C++ N+ PEC+++ D1
Message no. 4
From: mailguy@****.com (Mathew T Schaffer)
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 21:28:54 PST
On Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk> writes:

>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.

I once had a sadomasichist sammie. Not much of a background, but sure
was interesting in combat!!!!!
Message no. 5
From: Hairy Smurf <ab130f92@*******.adelphi.edu>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 21:51:28 -0400 (EDT)
At 21:28 5/11/96 PST, you wrote:
>
>On Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk> writes:
>
>>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.
>
>I once had a sadomasichist sammie. Not much of a background, but sure
>was interesting in combat!!!!!
>

That's cool. I'd run one campaign with a transvestite ork sammie. It was a
bit of a joke character, so (s)he got and extra point of armor for the fake
boobs.

Sasquatch

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Message no. 6
From: Paolo Falco <Falco@****.it>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sun, 12 May 96 11:24:12 +0200
At 09:51 PM 5/11/96 -0400, you wrote:
>At 21:28 5/11/96 PST, you wrote:
>>
>>On Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk>
writes:
>>
>>>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.
>>
My campaign has a Secretary. She is your normal secretary, plus she has some
cyberware and guns (but she cannot qualify as either a sam or a bodyguard
since she can type), and she deeply hates corps. Sometimes she does (by
herself) a demolition job on the exterior of some arcologies or office
buildings. She is south african and called Kelly Van Der Krieg. I think most
campaigns profit in having at least one humorous character! Before that we
had (same player) a tribal warrior called Pinguino Smerigliato ("Sandpapered
Penguin"). By the way the secretary has a regular contract that includes the
use fo guns and being wounded, and works for their cat shaman, who used to
pay her at the 27th of every month until Kelly killed a cat, which meant she
was fired :)

Paolo Falco
Ironbound Section (Near Aveue L)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"I wouldn' like to be God. There are 5 billions of humans in the world,
and I am lonely. Imagine how I would feel if I was the only God"
Dr. Harry Wolper in "Creator"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 7
From: "Dr. Bolthy von Schotz" <bolthy@**.com>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 05:29:43 -0500 (CDT)
On Sun, 12 May 1996, Paolo Falco wrote:

> At 09:51 PM 5/11/96 -0400, you wrote:
> >At 21:28 5/11/96 PST, you wrote:
> >>
> >>On Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk>
writes:
> >>
> >>>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.
> >>
> My campaign has a Secretary. She is your normal secretary, plus she has some
> cyberware and guns (but she cannot qualify as either a sam or a bodyguard
> since she can type), and she deeply hates corps. Sometimes she does (by
> herself) a demolition job on the exterior of some arcologies or office
> buildings. She is south african and called Kelly Van Der Krieg. I think most
> campaigns profit in having at least one humorous character! Before that we
> had (same player) a tribal warrior called Pinguino Smerigliato ("Sandpapered
> Penguin"). By the way the secretary has a regular contract that includes the
> use fo guns and being wounded, and works for their cat shaman, who used to
> pay her at the 27th of every month until Kelly killed a cat, which meant she
> was fired :)
>

Most of the people in my group don't play strange characters... I think
I'm a little odd for playing a super-techie... But, hey, having 14 dice
for a Biotech test when the street sammie just got cacked off is kinda nice.

Yes, I played Clerics in AD&D. =) ("C'mon, man... please, just cast cure
light wounds on me... please!?")

The physad in our group wants to play a Dwarf spider shaman when his
character cacks off. He wants to do it for the sole purpose of saying
that he runs a Dwarf Spider Shaman. Personally, I'm cooking up rules for
a Goat totem just in case my character takes the long ride.

Oh, I forgot... Our physad's first character was a former Docwagon
medic. =)





|\ /\ |\ | |\
|/ \/ | \ |\ | \
|\ /\ | |/ \ |
|/ / \ | | \|

http://weber.u.washington.edu/~bolthy
"Remember: Heaven is Blue. Tomorrow, the world."
-Head of the Blue Meanies
Message no. 8
From: bqtech1@***.pipeline.com (Andrew W. Ragland)
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 08:20:13 -0400
On May 11, 1996 21:51:28, 'Hairy Smurf <ab130f92@*******.adelphi.edu>'
wrote:

>That's cool. I'd run one campaign with a transvestite ork sammie. It was a

>bit of a joke character, so (s)he got and extra point of armor for the
fake
>boobs.

Tch tch. I had a character in a campaign not too long ago that was a
Norse-trad shaman, who had crossed over as part of her initiation. Kind of
a geas. While I wasn't quite so tacky as to suggest the above, we did have
a bit of fun with the character, who looked and acted like your typical
German woman. One of the other player characters, not realizing what was
going on, made a pass at her. I took him and the shaman's player, who was a
woman (which helped with the deception no end), into another room, and
played out the scene -- and everybody out in the living room heard the
YIPE! when the secret was discovered. The shaman was disappointed he
reacted so poorly, and chased him for the rest of the campaign. :) My
wife's elven mage, a genetic female, and the shaman ended up being shopping
buddies and going mall-crawling.

--
Andrew W. Ragland, Product Support Manager, R & M BioMetrics / BioQuant
raglan45@*****.mmc.edu *** bqtech1@***.pipeline.com
GoTW!4)Au!3( TM(An) B0/32Bk cGR{BR}p+4BM PPrSaG V++s M++p2wD ZGo(NrGnCl)
C+3P2e a33 n*O b-:+D H193 g+* m-3 w++T r++E D-% h+ S* k++* Rm SmNn N0689n1w
LusTN+ HzMc2p4
Message no. 9
From: Hairy Smurf <ab130f92@*******.adelphi.edu>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 11:19:51 -0400 (EDT)
For those who thought the ork transvestite was a bad idea I've got one that
was a little more pol. correct.

An Elven Rigger born without vocal cords. That's right a mute runner. he
used morse code over radio frequencies to communicate when necessary. He
didn't what to get a cyber vocal box, and since he was born without cords I
deemed that a clonal replacement wasn't possible. Course with the new
cybercomm implant out in cybertech he would have been able to talk over
radio freq, but he wuldn't have been as much fun.

Sasquatch

------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Support Bacteria! |
| It's the only culture some people have. |
| |
| ab130f92@*******.adelphi.edu |
| tech@*******.adelphi.edu blair@*****.adelphi.edu |
| No Website (yet) |
------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 10
From: 96sp080 <96sp080@***.edu>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 01:35:51 -0700 (PDT)
On Sun, 12 May 1996, Dr. Bolthy von Schotz wrote:

>
> On Sun, 12 May 1996, Paolo Falco wrote:
>
> > At 09:51 PM 5/11/96 -0400, you wrote:
> > >At 21:28 5/11/96 PST, you wrote:
> > >>
> > >>On Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT HALOWEEN JACK
<sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk> writes:
> > >>
> > >>>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.
> > >>
> > My campaign has a Secretary. She is your normal secretary, plus she has some
> > cyberware and guns (but she cannot qualify as either a sam or a bodyguard
> > since she can type), and she deeply hates corps. Sometimes she does (by
> > herself) a demolition job on the exterior of some arcologies or office
> > buildings. She is south african and called Kelly Van Der Krieg. I think most
> > campaigns profit in having at least one humorous character! Before that we
> > had (same player) a tribal warrior called Pinguino Smerigliato
("Sandpapered
> > Penguin"). By the way the secretary has a regular contract that includes
the
> > use fo guns and being wounded, and works for their cat shaman, who used to
> > pay her at the 27th of every month until Kelly killed a cat, which meant she
> > was fired :)
> >
>
> Most of the people in my group don't play strange characters... I think
> I'm a little odd for playing a super-techie... But, hey, having 14 dice
> for a Biotech test when the street sammie just got cacked off is kinda nice.
>
> Yes, I played Clerics in AD&D. =) ("C'mon, man... please, just cast cure
> light wounds on me... please!?")
>
> The physad in our group wants to play a Dwarf spider shaman when his
> character cacks off. He wants to do it for the sole purpose of saying
> that he runs a Dwarf Spider Shaman. Personally, I'm cooking up rules for
> a Goat totem just in case my character takes the long ride.
>
> Oh, I forgot... Our physad's first character was a former Docwagon
> medic. =)
>


then of corse there was Murl <don't laugh>

Murl was my troll decker <cerebal booster is a GOOD thing... good I loved
that guy... <sigh>





>
>
>
>
> |\ /\ |\ | |\
> |/ \/ | \ |\ | \
> |\ /\ | |/ \ |
> |/ / \ | | \|
>
> http://weber.u.washington.edu/~bolthy
> "Remember: Heaven is Blue. Tomorrow, the world."
> -Head of the Blue Meanies
>
>
>
Message no. 11
From: mbroadwa@*******.glenayre.com (Mike Broadwater)
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 07:57:22 -0500
>On May 11, 1996 11:10:48, 'HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk>' wrote:
>I can only assume that Ms. Dwight went through
>her surgery and subsequent therapy in a shadow clinic.
Why? Whats to say that she did it all above board and the UCAS gummint
still refused to recognize her as legal citizin Andrea Dwight?

>>Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.
>
>Hm. Something in me just doesn't like the term "weird" applied to a
>transgendered person. Maybe I've known one too many and found them to be
>nice, normal people in most senses, with certainly more centeredness and
>more sense of self than most people have. I'm not trying to flame here, but
>I have to ask this: Did you do any research on transgendering before you
>worked up this character?
>
Wow. Thats way overly sensitive. I think he meant "weird" as in "I would
never have though of anything like this." Did you think, perhaps, that this
was one persons attempt to play a female character with a reason for being
in the shadows? I'm not flaming you for calling for sensitivity, but I
think you should realize that perhaps just because a mention of
transgenderness was made, it wasn't a slap at it.

Before you ran a troll last time, did you do research on racially oppressed
groups?

Mike Broadwater
http://www.olemiss.edu/~neon
"You only need to things in this world. WD40 to make things go, and duct
tape to make them stop."
Message no. 12
From: Jonas Gabrielson <m94jga@*******.tdb.uu.se>
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 17:39:35 +0200 (MET DST)
On Sat, 11 May 1996, Mathew T Schaffer wrote:

>
> On Sat, 11 May 1996 11:10:48 GMT HALOWEEN JACK <sbc3kcb@*******.ac.uk> writes:
>
> >Has anyone else had any wierd characters like this.
>
> I once had a sadomasichist sammie. Not much of a background, but sure
> was interesting in combat!!!!!

I like the fact that in Mage: tA, being a masochist is actually a
Merit! (Yes!! YEEEEES!!! Hit me again! I *like* being beaten, so I can
stand much more pain, just do it to me...)
:)

-Jonas Gabrielson, sexually normal
Message no. 13
From: bqtech1@***.pipeline.com (Andrew Ragland)
Subject: Re: Strange characters
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 17:04:44 -0400
On May 13, 1996 07:57:22, 'mbroadwa@*******.glenayre.com (Mike Broadwater)'
wrote:

>Why? Whats to say that she did it all above board and the UCAS gummint
>still refused to recognize her as legal citizin Andrea Dwight?

Because if the UCAS is descended from the current Canadian and American
government, then they already have legal mechanisms in place to recognize
gender transition. I cannot see the events of the SR universe doing away
with those mechanisms. As we all know, it's easier for a government to make
new rules than to discard old ones. How do you think people who have their
surgery done at the Mayo Clinic get new driver's licenses?

>Wow. Thats way overly sensitive. I think he meant "weird" as in "I
would

>never have though of anything like this." Did you think, perhaps, that
this
>was one persons attempt to play a female character with a reason for being

>in the shadows? I'm not flaming you for calling for sensitivity, but I
>think you should realize that perhaps just because a mention of
>transgenderness was made, it wasn't a slap at it.

It was the association of the word 'weird' with the concept of
transgendered characters that did it. Perhaps I =am= being too sensitive,
but I've known some transgendered people and have seen the kinds of hell
they go through. As well, given that the GM has stated that the player is
homophobic, I'm concerned about motivation. And yes, I have considered the
possibility of the character's gender transition being their motive for
being in the shadows. However, I gave it low priority due to the foregoing.


>Before you ran a troll last time, did you do research on racially
oppressed
>groups?

Yes. If you want my take on racial tensions in rolegaming, I'll forward to
you privately a copy of a scenario I'm writing for Earthdawn. It's not in
submission yet, so I won't talk about it on list. Let's put it this way --
Nikki Giovanni was one of the inspirations. If you can tell me who she is,
I'll be happy to discuss this further.

--
Andrew W. Ragland, Product Support Manager, R & M BioMetrics / BioQuant
bqtech1@***.pipeline.com *** The Internet is a Process, not a Thing
GoTW!4)Au!3( TM(An) B0/32Bk GR{BR}p+4BM PPrSaG V++s M++p2wD ZGo(NrGnCl)
C+3P2e a33 n*O b-:+D H193 g+* m-3 w++T r++E D-% h+ S* k++* Rm SmNn N0689n1w
LusTN+ HzMc2p4

Further Reading

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