From: leifmk@lise.unit.no (Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y)
Subject: Re: Sexism in Gaming
Organization: University of Trondheim
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 12:36:27 GMT

In article <c-chan.718485940@mcl> c-chan@mcl.ucsb.edu (Christina Callihan) writes:
>In <16071@mindlink.bc.ca> Nick_Janow@mindlink.bc.ca (Nick Janow) writes:
>
>>cn0n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Cynthia K. Neelan) writes:
>
>>> However sexism in roleplay games very much DOES exist. ....  The problems
>>> that I have experienced are two fold:
>>>
>>> I)  Obvious lack of Female NPC's
>>>
>>> II)  Male answer syndrome, or No *YOU* can't do that... but *I* can.....
>
>I have also experienced III)  GM does something to your female character
>that he would never do to a male character.  The time one GM had my female 
>half-elf raped by a bunch of Uruk-hai falls in this category. Suffice to 
>say I chucked that game fast....  Fortunately this kind of crap is, in my
>experience at least, fairly rare.  
>
>>I've always liked having female players in games.  I'm not quite sure
>>why--probably several reasons--but their contributions to the games make the
>>games more enjoyable.
>
>I remember one time I joined an all-male gaming group.  After a few sessions
>the GM told me quite happily that I'd had a "civilizing" effect on the game.
>I think that was a compliment.  :^}  
>
>>Good luck with your group
>
>>Now what can we do to encourage more female participation in this usenet
>>group? :)
>
>Ask and ye shall receive.  B)
>
>
>(please note newly changed e-mail address :)
>____________________________________________________________________________
>If You Know What |     Christina M. Callihan     |  Doing STRANGE THINGS
> You're Doing,   |  AKA C-chan, Bwee, Chrystal-  |  in the name of Art,
>   It's Not      |   Elf & Who Knows What Else   |  and STRANGER THINGS
>   Research!     |       (I sure don't)          |    in the name of
> => => => => =>  |     c-chan@mcl.ucsb.edu       |       CHOCOLATE
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>	When life gets weird, the weird get a life.     :)
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>
>(The opinions in this post are not endorsed by the University of California
>at Santa Barbara....THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!  ;^}  )

Well, I'm of the Great Majority (ie male), and have played & GMed
quite a lot....
I have had the pleasure to GM a regular campaign with one very
enthusiastic female player, and once a successful one-shot game with
two female players.  Other than that, most players and other GMs I've
played with have been male.  Concerning the gender of NPCs and even
my own PCs, I use the following procedure:

-If I have a strong character concept which necessitates one gender,
 I simply use that.
-If I don't (which means most of the time) I roll 1dwhatever, letting
 odd numbers signify different chromosomes (one X and one Y--male)
 while even numbers signify similar chromosomes (two Xs--female).

As for rape, well, as far as I can remember that has happened twice in
games I've been in.  I GMed the one, where the victim was a male PC
(male player) and the perpetrator was a male NPC (this was Call of
Cthulhu, after all).  The other incident I witnessed as a player--
female victim PC (but male player), male NPC perpetrator.  This was a
very low-down, gritty cyberpunk campaign where such a thing was,
although disgusting and all that, not unexpected.  No PC ever
committed rape in a game I played in, nor have I ever used sexist
'punishment'.  The punishment *I* deal to my poor little players is
equal and unbiased....:-)

True, though, I wish I could play with more females.  The ones I have
played with have been among the best roleplayers I've known.  And I've
met a number of good roleplayers.

Leif Kj|nn|y
leifmk@lise.unit.no