Do you use female goons?

Nexus · January 19, 2015, 01:37:17 PM

Goons, thugs, extras, mooks, call them what you want but they're the rank and file muscle, the random guards and enemy soldiers and whatnot that fill out the antagonistic forces that work against the PC and usually exist to be slaughtered (or at least beaten) whole sale but sometimes exist as muscle to intimidate less martial PCs or at low level challenges and random encounters. Do you ever use females in this sorts of roles, if so how frequently?

Skyrock · January 19, 2015, 01:45:35 PM

I use them as often as it makes sense. There won't be many if any fighting women in the 1940s U.S. Army, the Taliban or a traditional patriarchalic orc tribe. In the IDF, a territorial street gang or a drow raiding party, there _will_ be.

Forced diversity where there shouldn't be any is to me just as non-sensical as a forced dickfest where it shouldn't be. Primarily it has to rhyme with the setting facts.

Doughdee222 · January 19, 2015, 02:04:13 PM

Can't say I've ever thought about it before but I guess I don't, or very rarely. I just always think of goons as being male.

Although I am playing in a PbP game and my character is a woman born and raised as an "army brat" and who matured as a member of the city guards. Does that count?

rawma · January 19, 2015, 02:22:28 PM

Quote from: Nexus;810696Goons, thugs, extras, mooks, call them what you want but they're the rank and file muscle, the random guards and enemy soldiers and whatnot that fill out the antagonistic forces that work against the PC and usually exist to be slaughtered (or at least beaten) whole sale but sometimes exist as muscle to intimidate less martial PCs or at low level challenges and random encounters. Do you ever use females in this sorts of roles, if so how frequently?

I usually don't describe them in much detail if they exist just to be slaughtered. The NPCs who are interacted with in more interesting ways tend to be less numerous and vary in a lot of ways (with the intent of making them somewhat memorable in case they recur), but I couldn't give a precise frequency.

Bedrockbrendan · January 19, 2015, 02:40:04 PM

Quote from: Nexus;810696Goons, thugs, extras, mooks, call them what you want but they're the rank and file muscle, the random guards and enemy soldiers and whatnot that fill out the antagonistic forces that work against the PC and usually exist to be slaughtered (or at least beaten) whole sale but sometimes exist as muscle to intimidate less martial PCs or at low level challenges and random encounters. Do you ever use females in this sorts of roles, if so how frequently?

In my wandering heroes of ogre gate campaign there were two whole martial arts sects that were mainly female after the party. This meant a lot of the nooks being thrown at them from session to session were female.

RandallS · January 19, 2015, 03:27:28 PM

It depends on the genre/campaign. The major source of hired thugs in my superhero games is usually the Fem Fatale. The Fem Fatale is an all female mercenary organization that will hire out thugs (and better if you have money to burn). The money is used to give their better members superpowers.

In one campaign in the 1980s, the heroes discovered that the FF really was a mercenary organization that would work for anyone willing to pay them when they had a sudden need for a lot of thug-type to distract Lord Brightdawn (a wantabe world ruler) with a crime spree in the country he ruled.

Natty Bodak · January 19, 2015, 03:51:01 PM

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;810705This meant a lot of the nooks being thrown at them from session to session were female.

Calling Dr. Freud!

Simlasa · January 19, 2015, 03:54:45 PM

Whenever I'd had call to use hordes of angry villagers there's always a bunch of women in there somewhere. Also, in warzones where the adult males have been conscripted away they might be the only defenders when the PCs breeze through town looking for easy loot.

jeff37923 · January 19, 2015, 03:57:27 PM

Quote from: Nexus;810696Goons, thugs, extras, mooks, call them what you want but they're the rank and file muscle, the random guards and enemy soldiers and whatnot that fill out the antagonistic forces that work against the PC and usually exist to be slaughtered (or at least beaten) whole sale but sometimes exist as muscle to intimidate less martial PCs or at low level challenges and random encounters. Do you ever use females in this sorts of roles, if so how frequently?

Yes.

As frequently as it makes sense to.

I do a lot of science fiction RPGs and guns are the great equalizer in those and modern games.

Sacrosanct · January 19, 2015, 03:59:43 PM

pretty much all mooks and bad guys are gender neutral. then I grab a bunch of humanoid minis, so whatever gender I happen to grab, the gender of the mook is. Probably about 2/3 male, 1/3 female that way.

Omega · January 19, 2015, 04:03:51 PM

Depends on the situation.

Assassins, Bandits, Barbarians, Cultists, Guards, Mercenaries, Natives, Rival Adventurers, Raiders, Spies, Town Militia, etc are where they show up fairly regularly when I am DMing.

In straight up armies I tend to have them in their own units unless the kingdom is one that specifically mixes genders in units. Or are fielding only all women forces.

In a superhero setting its very villain dependant. Some are all one gender some arent.

Shipyard Locked · January 19, 2015, 04:11:46 PM

All the time in fantasy, without a second thought. No player has ever balked either.

flyingmice · January 19, 2015, 04:29:36 PM

In a-historical games, all the time. In historical games, when it makes sense. Why not?

-clash

S'mon · January 19, 2015, 04:40:22 PM

A random gang of brigands might occasionally have female members, but they tend to be rare. It mostly depends what minis I pull out. I'm currently running Curse of the Crimson Throne, which has the Gray Maidens, an all-female army of elite mooks. But generally with humans the mooks will be male unless there is a reason for some or all to be female. With other species there may be lots of female mooks, eg gnolls & drow have lots of female warriors so many of the mooks in drow/gnoll encounters will be female.

Edit: How about them YPJ, eh? B)

crkrueger · January 19, 2015, 06:16:57 PM

Just depends. I don't use "Mooks" as a mechanic, I despise it with the fury of the unshielded Astronomican.

Aquilonian soldiers - no women.

Vanir raiders - might be some women in there. The Seidkonas or Volvas might be in charge.

Cimmerian defenders - definitely will be women kicking your ass there.

Pict warband - no women.

Nemedian Bandits - occasional combatant on patrol, probably combatants in lair/hideout.

Zamoran Whorehouse - they all have a razor handy somewhere and know how to use it.

Barachan Pirates - Sure.

Zingaran Freebooters - Not so much, more Pirate's women then Pirate, but you turn your back on them, you're a fool.

Etc. Etc.