sinanju Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... Re: Slasher Ahhh... i take it she's not a hero? Not exactly. But she's not a villain either. She's a student at a Xavier Academy-like school for "talented" youngesters. What? She has a talent. Okay, it's not a terribly versatile talent--at least at present--but it beats some of the other lame talents that various mutants have displayed over the years. And maybe she'll learn other ways to employ her abilities. Failing that, they hope to teach her that just because you can slash people doesn't mean you should. All that slashy fanfic she reads doesn't help, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmarock Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... My most disturbing PC concept was for Champions. Her name was Speedfreak- I am sure I posted her somewhere on the boards here a few years ago, or at least talked about her. Speedfreak was a speedster, obviously, and she was addicted to a drug that created her speedster-ness. Her own body created the drug in her sweat, so she wore a suit similar to the ones in Dune, that harvested her sweat and piped it through thin tubes that snaked down her nostrils and into her stomach. Yes... gross. And don't even ask how she got hooked on her own sweat in the first place. Secondly, she could give vials of her sweat to others to temporarily boost their speed. Only problem was- the taste of her sweat was extremely vile and caused sickly side-effects (to which she was personally immune)... and was, sadly, was also addicting to others after a couple doses. Yes.. still gross. Additionally, Speedfreak had hunteds who wanted to capture her and exploit her drug-making capabilities. I only played her once. The rest of the group did not like her at all. Cheers, Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remjin Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... Less a premise and more a behavior... I was playing an exotic weapons specialist in D&D, with Spiked Chain as my specialty. He wore studded leather armor, and had a list of feats to take advantage, blah blah blah. Now, pretty boring, usual fare for that game. I had what I thought were fun abilities but no personality. That character died an uninspired death... but I had really liked his abilities. Thus came his replacement, with everything exactly the same (I just rewrote the name), except THIS time I had a concept to go with it.... His name was Tibold. His studded armor looked like fetish gear, and I had added spikes. Oh, and a sadomasochistic attitude that derived pleasure from pain... that part, I didn't really tell the GM until I took my first hit. GM: "He stabs you with his spear for 4 hit points." me: *moooooaaaaan* "Ooooh... penetrate me again, little monster!" GM and other players: .. .. From there on, my play was emphasized by a series of shudders, sick looks, and generally creeped out players... then came the Book of Vile Darkness, which I was not allowed to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrisUlf Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... GM: "He stabs you with his spear for 4 hit points." me: *moooooaaaaan* "Ooooh... penetrate me again, little monster!" GM and other players: .. .. From there on, my play was emphasized by a series of shudders, sick looks, and generally creeped out players... then came the Book of Vile Darkness, which I was not allowed to use. Oh, hell, I remember a con RPG experience (not mine, thankfully) that basically devolved into "how can you top your last inventively sadistic rape of the NPCs?" The guy who actually played it told me that he left when they started in on snuff-raping teenaged girls, to a chorus of cheers from onlooking fanboys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenAge Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... We played in an amazingly funny 1-shot many years ago. Purely comedy, it had huge sexual overtones. The characters (that I remember) were: Pocket Rocket (shrinking and flight) The Flash (and I don't mean he was fast) Der Helmut (German guy who had Growth dependent on sexual arousal) There were others, but (luckily for me) they have escaped my memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... My most disturbing PC concept was for Champions. Her name was Speedfreak- I am sure I posted her somewhere on the boards here a few years ago, or at least talked about her. Speedfreak was a speedster, obviously, and she was addicted to a drug that created her speedster-ness. Her own body created the drug in her sweat, so she wore a suit similar to the ones in Dune, that harvested her sweat and piped it through thin tubes that snaked down her nostrils and into her stomach. Yes... gross. And don't even ask how she got hooked on her own sweat in the first place. Secondly, she could give vials of her sweat to others to temporarily boost their speed. Only problem was- the taste of her sweat was extremely vile and caused sickly side-effects (to which she was personally immune)... and was, sadly, was also addicting to others after a couple doses. Yes.. still gross. Additionally, Speedfreak had hunteds who wanted to capture her and exploit her drug-making capabilities. I only played her once. The rest of the group did not like her at all. Cheers, Mags You win. I had a character I created, also called Speakfreak. He was a mutant whose metabolism reacted with methamphetamine to give him superspeed. It wasn't pretty. But your concept is even more twisted, so I bow to the master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmarock Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... You win. I had a character I created' date=' also called Speakfreak. He was a mutant whose metabolism reacted with methamphetamine to give him superspeed. It wasn't pretty. But your concept is even more twisted, so I bow to the master.[/quote'] Why, thank you! *does her victory dance* You are sweet. Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmarock Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... Oh, hell, I remember a con RPG experience (not mine, thankfully) that basically devolved into "how can you top your last inventively sadistic rape of the NPCs?" The guy who actually played it told me that he left when they started in on snuff-raping teenaged girls, to a chorus of cheers from onlooking fanboys... Wow. I am surprised that GM didn't get banned from the con. However, in the past we have used rape (implied and off camera) on the most rare occasion to exemplify the vileness of certain villains. Not 4-color, you say? Check out The Identity Crisis if you don't think its been done. Only on one occasion do I ever recall a PC getting raped. The DM asked the Player if she were ok with it first- and it was handled off-screen- and it made for some very dramatic roleplay. The heroes went out of their way to hunt this villain down. However, I don't recommend this plot unless ~everyone~ in the RP group is mature enough to handle it... and that it doesn't become an excuse to RP detailed disgusting behavior. A lot can be said for handling certain scenes off camera... and it leaves it all to your imagination (in some cases, that can be worse). Anywho. I digress. Mags -The Digresser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrisUlf Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... Wow. I am surprised that GM didn't get banned from the con. Mags -The Digresser It was a furry con, not a gaming con. Sad to say, some rather twisted sh*t occasionally gets excused on the grounds of "If it's 'furry' (something related to the fandom, no matter how tangentially) then of course it's okay." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaras Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... It was a furry con' date=' not a gaming con. Sad to say, some rather twisted sh*t occasionally gets excused on the grounds of "If it's 'furry' (something related to the fandom, no matter how tangentially) then of course it's okay."[/quote'] I blame the Furry:thumbdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrisUlf Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I blame the Furry:thumbdown I blame the con organizers who do nothing even when complaints about this sort of public idiocy are brought to their attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusterBoy Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... With the greatest power comes the ability to deny responsibility. Talk about cutting straight to the heart of the matter. Hoo, boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmurie Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I know I'm going to start a riot, but for me, nine times out of ten the most disturbing thing I see in any game is the gender bender. The average male gamer attempting to play a female character. It always makes me cringe if I even notice that the character is female at all. Most male gamers have no more conception about what motivates women than he does about brain surgery. Critical Miss has covered my reservations about the situation pretty well. It's a funny and well written article called Men in Dresses NOTE: I think this is what distinguishes good GMs from bad GMs. The GM either plays it light on the female NPCs recognizing his inability to portray them correctly, or has some serious knowledge of the female psyche and an impressive acting talent to back it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... NOTE: I think this is what distinguishes good GMs from bad GMs. The GM either plays it light on the female NPCs recognizing his inability to portray them correctly, or has some serious knowledge of the female psyche and an impressive acting talent to back it up. I know my limits. I sometimes slip into first person when I portray male NPCs (or asexual, like AI's or aliens) while GM-ing, depending on my mood and how much of an actor I feel that day, but I've never portrayed a female NPC from first person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I know I'm going to start a riot, but for me, nine times out of ten the most disturbing thing I see in any game is the gender bender. The average male gamer attempting to play a female character. It always makes me cringe if I even notice that the character is female at all. Most male gamers have no more conception about what motivates women than he does about brain surgery. Critical Miss has covered my reservations about the situation pretty well. It's a funny and well written article called Men in Dresses NOTE: I think this is what distinguishes good GMs from bad GMs. The GM either plays it light on the female NPCs recognizing his inability to portray them correctly, or has some serious knowledge of the female psyche and an impressive acting talent to back it up. You'd hate our current campaign, then. Four of the 6 PCs are female, and it's an all-male gaming group. On the other hand, one player has 4 daughters, and three are married, so they might have some ideas on how to think "female." Curiously, I played the only female PC in the last incarnation of this campaign, and most people agreed I pulled it off fairly well, all things considered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I know I'm going to start a riot, but for me, nine times out of ten the most disturbing thing I see in any game is the gender bender. The average male gamer attempting to play a female character. It always makes me cringe if I even notice that the character is female at all. Most male gamers have no more conception about what motivates women than he does about brain surgery. Critical Miss has covered my reservations about the situation pretty well. It's a funny and well written article called Men in Dresses NOTE: I think this is what distinguishes good GMs from bad GMs. The GM either plays it light on the female NPCs recognizing his inability to portray them correctly, or has some serious knowledge of the female psyche and an impressive acting talent to back it up. How do you feel about women portraying men? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeropoint Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I know I'm going to start a riot, but for me, nine times out of ten the most disturbing thing I see in any game is the gender bender. The average male gamer attempting to play a female character. It always makes me cringe if I even notice that the character is female at all. Most male gamers have no more conception about what motivates women than he does about brain surgery. When I play a female character, I get around this by assuming that a woman is simply a human being, motivated by much the same things that motivate any other human being, and play her accordingly. In other words, I don't worry about playing a woman. I play a character . . . who happens to be a woman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... When I play a female character, I get around this by assuming that a woman is simply a human being, motivated by much the same things that motivate any other human being, and play her accordingly. In other words, I don't worry about playing a woman. I play a character . . . who happens to be a woman. Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... That's how I handle it. What I find disturbing is the number of genderbend-PCs that are lesbian nymphomaniacs. Played by overweight 40+ year olds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... Speaking of generbending. I once played a shadowrun mage who kept a shapeshift spell on him/her at all times. The party had managed to figure out that my club-hopping character was a bi-sexual with gender dysphoria, but they couldn't figure out if he/she was pre-op or post-op. They also took a while to find that the character had been born male (SINless and all that). When they found that the core of the characters dysphoria was from being locked into only one gender. I creeped the table out for about the next four sessions. His/Her sexual liasons were always played "behind the curtain". You would think that the handle Succubus might have been a bit of a hint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garou Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I know I'm going to start a riot' date=' but for me, nine times out of ten the most disturbing thing I see in any game is the gender bender. [/quote'] I've noticed that many people portray the opposite gender in a stereotypical fashion, but, in all honesty, almost everyone portrays aliens as essentially humans in rubber suits, which is no better. It's a game, and acting is certainly part of it. But not everyone is a good actor - that doesn't mean that they aren't good players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... That's how I handle it. What I find disturbing is the number of genderbend-PCs that are lesbian nymphomaniacs. Played by overweight 40+ year olds! On the other hand, you'd be shocked--shocked, I tells ya!--by how many canonically straight, heterosexual men in films and television series turn into homosexual sluts in the hands of (mostly female) fanfic writers. Fair's fair. Guys tend to find two attractive women twice as hot as one attractive woman. Watching/imagining/writing two--or more--such women getting it on tends to amuse and entertain a lot of guys*. A lot of women get a similar charge from watching/imagining/writing two attractive men doing the very same thing. If the one happens at the gaming table far more often than the other, I think that has to do with the predominantly male demographic at such tables. *Including me. I've written my share female slash fic, and played some nymphomaniacal characters in online games (with the enthusiastic cooperation of female writers/players, I might add). Doesn't mean I can't write (or play) women characters who don't act that way. But sometimes it's fun and as long as nobody else is being ignored or bored, no harm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weldun Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... Yes, but I'm referring to players with whom 2 out of every three characters fit the lesbian nymphomaniac mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
input.jack Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... I know I'm going to start a riot, but for me, nine times out of ten the most disturbing thing I see in any game is the gender bender. The average male gamer attempting to play a female character. It always makes me cringe if I even notice that the character is female at all. Most male gamers have no more conception about what motivates women than he does about brain surgery. Critical Miss has covered my reservations about the situation pretty well. It's a funny and well written article called Men in Dresses NOTE: I think this is what distinguishes good GMs from bad GMs. The GM either plays it light on the female NPCs recognizing his inability to portray them correctly, or has some serious knowledge of the female psyche and an impressive acting talent to back it up. As a long-time GM who includes both male and female NPCS, and a Player who plays male and female characters, I am going to assume I fall into the "exception" category (the one time out of ten, and the GM who understands people and can act). Otherwise your comments would strike me as both insulting and naive. Some men can, in fact, conceive of women as complete people, and not just caricatures. Amazing as that is to comprehend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 Re: Disturbing Character premises... When I play a female character, I get around this by assuming that a woman is simply a human being, motivated by much the same things that motivate any other human being, and play her accordingly. In other words, I don't worry about playing a woman. I play a character . . . who happens to be a woman. That's how I played Jamadigni Renuka in Shadows Angelus. And got kudos for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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