Crossing Players, How comfortable with them? Options

[Zazen]

I've noticed that my black characters often end up with stereotypical traits right out of old blaxploitation flicks. It ends up being a cartoonish caricature rather than a real three-dimensional character, but it's still very fun for me to relive Dolemite or Disco Godfather or whatever.

I don't have any black players in my group so I sometimes wonder if my afro-wearin' bitch-slappin' jive-talkin' characters cross the line of tastefulness.

[Tiralee]

Well,

Now problems here, except for my players dropping over in shock when I don't play an elven female, of any description.

Some stereotype, sheesh.


And completely off topic - does anyone have a song that describes your stereotypical character?

Mine is "Missionary Man" - Eurhymics.

"I was born an original sinner, I was born without an original SIN,
And if I had a dollar bill for every run I'd done, there' be a mountain o' cred stackin' up to my chin..."


L> A thought. Hell, I'm going to be making up lyrics to that song all day now.

[Ol' Scratch]

Mine would be "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3. I just like that bluesy feel for most of my character.

One of my all-time favorite lyrics for a Shadowrunner comes from "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" by Cake, however. "Aging black leather and hospital bills, tattoo removal and dozens of pills. Your liver pays dearly now for youthful magic moments,
but rock on completely with some brand new [cybernetic] components."

[spotlite]

There's a very lengthy, and very good, large number of threads on this at www.kenzerco.com 's discussion forums (they're the guys who do Knights Of The Dinner Table, which if you've not heard of go to a comic shop and order immediately or forever deprive yourself of a thoroughly good giggle). Just in case anyone wanted to check it out.

Personally I've played a few female characters, I tend to try not to stereotype on purpose with all my characters so the females shouldn't be any worse (at least I hope not). The old 'flirt with the guard' routine is used extensively by the female roleplayers I know, so i'm buggered if I'm not going to if I get the opportunity and the charisma rating!

But other than that, why should anything be different? If you want to pay attention to bodily rythmns, then do so, but our actual female players don't. Is it really the kind of depth you want from your game? The only other thing either of the female players have come up with that I rarely see males do as part of character goals or background questions was 'does the character want/have children, or can they have them in the first place?'.

That aside, their backgrounds are not especially 'feminine' except for the occaisional ex-corp princess on the mean streets type. They all want bigger guns, or more money, or to save the world, or to bring down Mr X, or get cybermanced, or own a corp, or whatever. So I really don't think its a problem unless they do start stereotyping offensively. In which case tell them and give them a chance to alter their behaviour!

[Req]

For the poeticly-inclined characters, Sting's Fragile works pretty well, though my characters tend toward much harder theme songs.

If blood will flow / when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our mind will always stay

[Lilt]

I tend to play male characters without thinking of making the character female. I did play a female character once (The geisha/assasin retainer of another character).

If I was to play a female character I think I probably would play a lsebian as then my sexual tastes would remain the same. I've never made a bimbo/slut style character though, and I never plan on doing it.