I've had a female character before (Talia, the bat-winged Tiefling) but she was so untypical...well...anything that I never really put all that much thought into how to properly roleplay a female character.
Now...well, now I've got an ex-slave Feral female in a RP-heavy environment. Epic, too.
Which just makes it all the harder...
So...to help me make sure I don't fall prey to Blake...
Anyone have helpul suggestions? Kathryn is a red-haired human, about 40 years of age, and the preeminent ranger in the world she resides in. I did say she was an epic character, didn't I? (I had her profile up here, but it was kind of out of date. The updated one is here.)
For those of you with excess time who want to see how she's been acting already, the game thread is here, on DnDOnline. Current tally: One player thrown out for arguing (Excessive, excessive arguing. Think Rules Lawyer when he found one he liked and Rules Ignorer when he was presented with one he thought he could argue his way around.), one rather silent and mostly unheard, one more recent replacement for the booted one.
KT? Liz? Karen?
Posted by adam at December 27, 2004 09:20 AMWell, now... Here's a caveat to go with my response: You shouldn't ask women how to play women. We don't know how to do it; we just *do*. If you're really interested in the best way to play a female character, you should ask another man that you've seen play cross-gender characters well. See if you can get KT to nudge Kevin into responding for you.
On the other hand, I'm a woman who's played several different men - fairly successfully, or so I'm told, and there has to be some overlap, so here's my stab at an answer.
The first thing to do is to observe the sort of person you want to play. Watch the women in your life - your mother or sisters or co-workers or the cashier at the local Qwik-Mart or just walking down the street. Watch how they move, how they talk. Consider the circumstance that they're in, and ask yourself how their actions are different from what yours would be. Really pay attention, and note any quirks or habits or such that might be borrowed for a character.
Then, when you play the character, use your own experiences to tell you what "feels" right for her. For example - when I first created Kevil, I wanted him to be a bit of a playboy, a major charmer. So when he interacted with women, I tried to have him say and do things that would charm *me*. I assume Kathryn isn't looking for romance (though it's worth noting that I've often heard that women in their early 40s experience a significant upswing in physical desire - Mother Nature's last effort to get them to pass on their genes to as many offspring as possible) but even if she's not trying to pick up men, I assume you want her to be likeable. Keep her in the back of your thoughts and pretend she's *your* friend, imagine her saying things to you, and gauge your own reaction.
You'll be fine.
(I might note that your link to the game thread appears to be locked from non-subscribers. Alas.)
Posted by: Liz at December 28, 2004 03:49 AM(Oh, drat...yes, that's connected with that player who got kicked out. It's a Private thread designed to specifically exclude him and so it also locks out anyone else who isn't signed in :P )
Posted by: Stam at December 28, 2004 05:15 AM