From: jr041561@sjuphil.uucp (Judith Rudolph)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Sexism & Racism in FRPs
Date: 12 Apr 92 21:01:11 GMT
Organization: Saint Joseph's University


	Okay, first thing I want everyone out there to know is that I am  
	a female FRPGer, mostly in the D&D sequences.  I think that much of
	the problem is that all along, everyone's been saying 'males' and
	'females'.  If those are the only 2 possible subgroups of the 
	human race, we are in BIG, *big* trouble.

		Okay, so there are dippy girls who giggle all the time
	who you would need to take 12 days to explain the difference between
	hp and Xp.  There are also guys out there who have just as tiny brains
	and only play the game to see how many orc faces they can smash in in 
	the least amount of time.

		I play LOTS of characters, male & female, of all different 
	races.  No matter how many chars you play, one always has a favorite.
	But if you limit yourself right from the beginning, by taking only
	one, I think you lose out on the whole experience.

		It's not just a power thing, either.  Why the hell is everyone
	always so surprised to see a high-level female character?  That 
	happens, if you survive.  And chances of survival are the same, whether
	male or female, I think, if they are in the same situation.

		Art is another topic of dispute, it seems.  Hey, I *LIKE* 
	Elmore's art.  Most of the TSR artists, I think, have a pretty good 
	idea of what they're doing when they paint.  The main idea is to show
	a mood, a scene,or to project a feeling.  Clothing tends to be 
	secondary. If you've ever seen the 'Kit & Dalamar' painting from
	Dragonlance & have never read the story, you *really* wonder who's 
	going to win.  Caldwell's painting with Raistlin & '"The Dark Queen"
	leaves *no* doubt as to who's in charge (even if she isn't wearing
	much).  Caramon looks just as good in a bikini as any of the women
	they paint wearing one.

		I guess what I'm saying is that, why do women wearing bikinis
	tend to be empty-headed & helpless, while a guy with a loincloth is
	the hero of the week ?

		
		I think that having a mix of both characters & players gives
	the role spice.  I mean, I've been killed when the top half of the 
	temple we were exploring ejected & crashed into the mountaintops 
	several miles distant, but I've also put impotency spells on gold-
	filled treasure chests.  And it's not true that girls play the 
	clerics all the time, either.  Granted, I have a cleric who could
	take on Lord Soth  (& win hands down) - but that was because none
	of the guys I was playing with wanted to be one, & they were spending
	all of their gold on healing potions!  I also have a 1/2 elven
	assassin/magic user, with 17 int & 19 dex, AL: chaotic evil-neutral, 
	and *NOBODY* bothers her.

		Role playing reflects what we are, or who we would like to be.
	It gives our imagination a playing field.  If you want to put limits
	or prejudices on it that are entirely unneccessary, go ahead; you're
	in for a boring, *boring* game ....

						Nightdancer

	+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
	jr041561@sjuphil.sju.edu		"just remember there are worse
						 things than a shattered
						 chandelier" - the Phantom of
						 the Opera 
		ll
		++
		\/	.... the Grin Reaper
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp