Why Gender Roles in Medieval-Authentic Play? Because it Makes it BETTER!

Bedrockbrendan · February 28, 2018, 09:06:47 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1027231In 46 years of gaming I have had one person ask one question about clothing. I want your players.

I could post all the sumptuary laws I wanted; the players wouldn't care.

GAAH! I leave for GaryCon in less than a week, I can't get into a long discussion now!!!

I've met a suripising number of textile nerds over the years.

Krimson · February 28, 2018, 12:52:47 PM

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;1027341I've met a suripising number of textile nerds over the years.

Ren Fair, SCA and cosplayers.

Warboss Squee · February 28, 2018, 10:23:15 PM

Some of us just want our characters to be fashionable.

RPGPundit · March 03, 2018, 06:02:15 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1027231In 46 years of gaming I have had one person ask one question about clothing. I want your players.

I could post all the sumptuary laws I wanted; the players wouldn't care.
!!

They'd care if their PCs got arrested for impersonating a noble...

RPGPundit · March 03, 2018, 06:02:28 AM

Quote from: Warboss Squee;1027300It's funny the L&D gets heat for gender roles, when something like Reign gets celebrated. I really wonder if the issue is the book or the author.

Almost certainly.

Gronan of Simmerya · March 03, 2018, 02:01:16 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1027765They'd care if their PCs got arrested for impersonating a noble...

First they'd have to ask about clothing. I suppose I could have them treated like vagabonds for dressing like vagabonds.

Warboss Squee · March 03, 2018, 06:29:38 PM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1027792First they'd have to ask about clothing. I suppose I could have them treated like vagabonds for dressing like vagabonds.

I really find it odd that this isn't the norm. In all the groups I've been a part of since the 80s, dressing the part and fitting in to the parts of society the characters were interacting with was part and parcel of the game.

Omega · March 04, 2018, 07:54:54 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1027792First they'd have to ask about clothing. I suppose I could have them treated like vagabonds for dressing like vagabonds.

When we enter a new region one of the first things we scope out is the style of clothes in case we need to disguise, any notable customs at a glance, and the cuisine.
Then we look for signs of obvious trouble. Armed guards on the streets in odd numbers. People looking fearful of said guards rather than happy. Anything creepy that cant be pinned down to just weird customs. And so on. But clothing styles and customs were high on the list. Or an actual priority if we were going in under cover.

RPGPundit · March 05, 2018, 01:22:44 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1027792First they'd have to ask about clothing. I suppose I could have them treated like vagabonds for dressing like vagabonds.

Is that all that your players ever have their characters dress as?

Yeah, that would not go well in a medieval-authentic setting. People might mistake them for Cymri gypsies.

Spinachcat · March 05, 2018, 03:34:41 AM

Clothing, bathing, jewelry, - all result in social modifiers in my games. Smelling of blood and sweat in grimy armor can be a positive or negative modifier, depending on who you are dealing with and what is your approach. AKA, that's a +2 modifier when intimidating a fop and a -2 mod when trying to impress a fop.

Gronan of Simmerya · March 05, 2018, 02:20:36 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;1027944Is that all that your players ever have their characters dress as?

Yeah, that would not go well in a medieval-authentic setting. People might mistake them for Cymri gypsies.

They mostly don't care. If I asked them "what are you wearing," they'd say "clothes." If I pressed it, they'd probably say "whatever is appropriate."

crkrueger · March 05, 2018, 02:38:14 PM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1027231I leave for GaryCon in less than a week, I can't get into a long discussion now!!!

Just post on the can, that should give you several hours a day for posting.

Gronan of Simmerya · March 05, 2018, 02:44:46 PM

Quote from: CRKrueger;1028031Just post on the can, that should give you several hours a day for posting.

Since I've added a fiber supplement to my diet on a daily basis I spend a lot less time in there, thanks for asking.

As they say in the taconite trade, "production and pelletization have both greatly improved."

ThatChrisGuy · March 05, 2018, 03:30:01 PM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1028035Since I've added a fiber supplement to my diet on a daily basis I spend a lot less time in there, thanks for asking.

As they say in the taconite trade, "production and pelletization have both greatly improved."

I had to look up taconite, I thought you were just punning on "Taco night." Which, now I think about it, isn't likely to have improved matters.

RPGPundit · March 07, 2018, 06:21:49 AM

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;1028022They mostly don't care. If I asked them "what are you wearing," they'd say "clothes." If I pressed it, they'd probably say "whatever is appropriate."

That's usually OK, sometimes even in Medieval-Authentic campaign. Of course, if you're playing in a game where being present at a Lord/Monarch's court is a common occurrence, it wouldn't be.