IE games: PC race and gender

[berelinde]

Because I'm curious about how much race- or gender-specific content a mod really needs to have. This question is primarily geared toward NPC mods, but it applies to other things as well, like race-specific kits or items.

[coaster]

Probably due to the number of replays of BG1/2, I've gone through most races, but tend to play human (sorceror or straight mage or paladin or bard), elf (ranger or thief or mage), gnome (illusionist or fighter/illusionist) or halfling (thief or fighter/thief). Usually my humans & elves are good, my gnomes and halflings evil which suggests some weird prejudice against small folk and their motives.

 

I have played a dwarf and half orc on the odd occasion.

 

I am male and almost always play male (once as a female vanilla bard. One of my motives for doing so was to see the content of the Anomen romance - yeah, I know, I know. Once you have caught the BG bug you will end up doing almost anything to expand your game experience).

[KathStoneDog]

Once you have caught the BG bug you will end up doing almost anything to expand your game experience).

 

Very true.

 

I go for human/elf/halfelf because they are what romance mods liked back in the day and I haven't caught up with a more experimental attitude, even when the romance isn't the point of the run through.

 

Within that I pick class based on what's needed when I've picked the party I want. I tend not to swap NPCs in and out. My first task is usually to run round and collect everyone

 

Kath Stonedog

[ericp07]

Humans, Half-Elves, Elves, and Half-Orcs. Most often, Elves. Either sex (always hetero, so gender agrees with sex). I dislike playing Humans because I see no advantage to doing so.

[Ipsy]

Always either LG human (generally monk, cleric, or paladin) or CN elf, generally set up as an avariel for roleplaying purposes, and I mostly play female characters.

[Jarno Mikkola]

I dislike playing Humans because I see no advantage to doing so.

Well, in BGs, the advantage is huge... at least when compared to anything else than Half-Orc Fighter or Elf archer... and that's the usable kit and class choices.

 

Now, I usually go with a Human caster of some sort, and the gender is nearly always Male...

[CoM_Solaufein]

Female elven fighter/mage is a standard with me. Its been a standard since I played PnP 1st edition D&D.

 

Lets be truthful there's more than myself who play as the opposite sex. And yes I'm quite comfortable with my manliness. I just find playing as a female more interesting. The point of playing a role playing game is to play something that you are not.

 

Elves are hot.

 

Fighter/mages can fight with a sword and armor and still cast spells.

[berelinde]

Lets be truthful there's more than myself who play as the opposite sex.

I am sure there are! I almost always play a new CRPG first as a male PC and I always play PnP D&D as a male. The latter is partially because it prevents my all-male D&D group from getting distracted, but nevermind. It is fun to play as someting you aren't.

 

My BG/BG2 characters are 60% likely to be female and 70% likely to be human, though I do run elven PCs while testing Haldamir. I'm not fond of most of the mages in the game, so I usually play either a mage or a sorcerer myself. I like playing paladins and clerics, but I've always got Ajantis along in BG1 and Keldorn along in BG2, so I don't need another one. And cleric is covered.

[lroumen]

Male or female... opposite is always the most interesting in my book.

Good or evil... always chaotic, mostly neutral unless forced differently.

 

I think the game restricts us too much in the race department because of class choices. As a result I mostly play humans and elves or a mix.

 

 

Classes and races:

- Fighters will be dualclassed so then I need to be human. I never play a pure fighter class unless it is a barbarian, but that amount is restricted to once (dwarven).

- Paladins must be human.

- Rangers will be elven.

- Thieves have been most often human and dualed, but I have completed the game twice as a pure halforc assassin and gnomish bountyhunter. Multiclass is often an elf or halfelf (if tripleclass).

- I play mostly bards of any kit, so that renders me human or half-elf, but there's little difference really.

- When I play mage I prefer the kits that are only available to elves of halfelves, but I never go with kits not covered by NPCs (illusionist, conjurer) or mod NPCs (necromancer, enchanter, wildmage, sorcerer... counting as kit anyway). I mostly dual into a mage from a thief or fighter kit or I dual from a mage into a thief, fighter or cleric kit for fun. I prefer transmuter but noone ever agrees with me that it is a good kit, hahaha.

- Clerics are any race I prefer at the moment, but if dualed or multi it's likely with a fighter part thus human.

- Druids are halfelven.

- Monks I never play. I always want since it is an interesting class to but never feel like it.

- Barbarians sometimes, which will be any race I fancy playing at the moment.

Forgotten anything? Probably means I never play it.

[Senka]

Human and elf. Male and female without any priority It depends what party I have. I love Jaheira romance and choose male to play it But if I planning duo with Keldorn I play female of course

[Ardanis]

Human, male, yes (male).

 

Female I usually play in games without much roleplaying (in it's modern meaning) content, where there's little incentive to associate myself with PC. Action-RPGs, as you guess.

Yet, I did play Fallout 2 as female, and haven't felt uncomfortable about it.

 

PS

I'm 99% Fighter/Mage, usually of CN alignment

[KathStoneDog]

My best gaming friend usually plays female - except in Mass Effect 1 and 2 when Miranda was too good an offer to miss.

 

And I just couldn't play male when it means I'd miss out on Kaiden Alenko

 

Kath Stonedog

[Jarno Mikkola]

But people, we are still talking about the Infinity Engine games...

 

I cannot deny that I did play Female Shepard the first time though, but that's a complete different thing and subject itself.

 

Now, why do I raise that up, is that berelinde who asked the question, is/was interested in our BG2 gaming habits, not ... :censored for the good of the audiences health of mind:

[Anomaly]

Humans mostly. Half-Elf when I cannot do Humans (for multiclassing purpose for example), otherwise I don't see a point to this race. Sometimes Elf. I never really tried other races, I just cannot identify myself to them, and besides, I don't really know how to RP them. Elves are also difficult in that regard, but they are still more familiar than the other ones.

 

Female only. I *tried* to play a male but this just can't do, I cannot get interested to this kind of characters. I need Heroines, and male NPCs who could fall in love for my Heroines!

 

Lets be truthful there's more than myself who play as the opposite sex. And yes I'm quite comfortable with my manliness. I just find playing as a female more interesting. The point of playing a role playing game is to play something that you are not.

+1

[KathStoneDog]

I'm sorry.

 

I was interested in the how and why but it was inappropriate.

 

Kath Stonedog