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Why are female pronouns used for GMs in rule-books?
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I'm French, and GM are usually male in the french translations or in french RPG books. We do not have a neutral pronoun like English has with 'they'.
But I noticed that many rule-books in English default to the female pronouns when talking about the GM, and I wonder why.
I would have assumed that a neutral pronoun would be used, but I often see 'she' or 'her' when talking about the GM, and 'they' for the players as a group.
For example:
- All of the Star Trek RPG books from the various publishers (LUG, Decipher, FASA, )
- Furry Pirates,
- Vampire the Masquerade (the 5th edition even default to 'She' for the player)
- Shadowrun 5e
- Starfinder
- Dresden Files
Can someone tell me why that is the case?
game-design publishing gender
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
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Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
I'm French, and GM are usually male in the french translations or in french RPG books. We do not have a neutral pronoun like English has with 'they'.
But I noticed that many rule-books in English default to the female pronouns when talking about the GM, and I wonder why.
I would have assumed that a neutral pronoun would be used, but I often see 'she' or 'her' when talking about the GM, and 'they' for the players as a group.
For example:
- All of the Star Trek RPG books from the various publishers (LUG, Decipher, FASA, )
- Furry Pirates,
- Vampire the Masquerade (the 5th edition even default to 'She' for the player)
- Shadowrun 5e
- Starfinder
- Dresden Files
Can someone tell me why that is the case?
game-design publishing gender
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
3
Hi, and welcome to rpg.se! Can you provide examples of English rule-books defaulting to female pronouns when talking about the GM? It seems like your question would be much better if you provide such examples, otherwise, the question seems very much opinion-based, and perhaps not even based on actual evidence.
– Jack
2 hours ago
@Jack Sava and I have both added some systems where this use of language shows up. I can provide quotes & specific page numbers for the three systems I added (Shadowrun 5e, Starfinder, Dresden Files) if you think that's needed.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Jack I can provide more examples as well once I get back home in a couple days if you want me to, then I'll have access to my collection of RPGs.
– Sava
1 hour ago
This seems very hard to answer so broadly. Specific designers/authors might have explained their reasoning for doing so in specific books (...which also makes this seem like a designer-reasons question), but any attempt to explain an overall trend of this sort seems like it'd just be speculation/original research.
– V2Blast
1 hour ago
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is asking for designer reasons.
– Szega
36 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
I'm French, and GM are usually male in the french translations or in french RPG books. We do not have a neutral pronoun like English has with 'they'.
But I noticed that many rule-books in English default to the female pronouns when talking about the GM, and I wonder why.
I would have assumed that a neutral pronoun would be used, but I often see 'she' or 'her' when talking about the GM, and 'they' for the players as a group.
For example:
- All of the Star Trek RPG books from the various publishers (LUG, Decipher, FASA, )
- Furry Pirates,
- Vampire the Masquerade (the 5th edition even default to 'She' for the player)
- Shadowrun 5e
- Starfinder
- Dresden Files
Can someone tell me why that is the case?
game-design publishing gender
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I'm French, and GM are usually male in the french translations or in french RPG books. We do not have a neutral pronoun like English has with 'they'.
But I noticed that many rule-books in English default to the female pronouns when talking about the GM, and I wonder why.
I would have assumed that a neutral pronoun would be used, but I often see 'she' or 'her' when talking about the GM, and 'they' for the players as a group.
For example:
- All of the Star Trek RPG books from the various publishers (LUG, Decipher, FASA, )
- Furry Pirates,
- Vampire the Masquerade (the 5th edition even default to 'She' for the player)
- Shadowrun 5e
- Starfinder
- Dresden Files
Can someone tell me why that is the case?
game-design publishing gender
game-design publishing gender
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
edited 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
39.7k14120183
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
asked 2 hours ago
Sava
135
135
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Sava is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
3
Hi, and welcome to rpg.se! Can you provide examples of English rule-books defaulting to female pronouns when talking about the GM? It seems like your question would be much better if you provide such examples, otherwise, the question seems very much opinion-based, and perhaps not even based on actual evidence.
– Jack
2 hours ago
@Jack Sava and I have both added some systems where this use of language shows up. I can provide quotes & specific page numbers for the three systems I added (Shadowrun 5e, Starfinder, Dresden Files) if you think that's needed.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Jack I can provide more examples as well once I get back home in a couple days if you want me to, then I'll have access to my collection of RPGs.
– Sava
1 hour ago
This seems very hard to answer so broadly. Specific designers/authors might have explained their reasoning for doing so in specific books (...which also makes this seem like a designer-reasons question), but any attempt to explain an overall trend of this sort seems like it'd just be speculation/original research.
– V2Blast
1 hour ago
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is asking for designer reasons.
– Szega
36 mins ago
add a comment |Â
3
Hi, and welcome to rpg.se! Can you provide examples of English rule-books defaulting to female pronouns when talking about the GM? It seems like your question would be much better if you provide such examples, otherwise, the question seems very much opinion-based, and perhaps not even based on actual evidence.
– Jack
2 hours ago
@Jack Sava and I have both added some systems where this use of language shows up. I can provide quotes & specific page numbers for the three systems I added (Shadowrun 5e, Starfinder, Dresden Files) if you think that's needed.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Jack I can provide more examples as well once I get back home in a couple days if you want me to, then I'll have access to my collection of RPGs.
– Sava
1 hour ago
This seems very hard to answer so broadly. Specific designers/authors might have explained their reasoning for doing so in specific books (...which also makes this seem like a designer-reasons question), but any attempt to explain an overall trend of this sort seems like it'd just be speculation/original research.
– V2Blast
1 hour ago
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is asking for designer reasons.
– Szega
36 mins ago
3
3
Hi, and welcome to rpg.se! Can you provide examples of English rule-books defaulting to female pronouns when talking about the GM? It seems like your question would be much better if you provide such examples, otherwise, the question seems very much opinion-based, and perhaps not even based on actual evidence.
– Jack
2 hours ago
Hi, and welcome to rpg.se! Can you provide examples of English rule-books defaulting to female pronouns when talking about the GM? It seems like your question would be much better if you provide such examples, otherwise, the question seems very much opinion-based, and perhaps not even based on actual evidence.
– Jack
2 hours ago
@Jack Sava and I have both added some systems where this use of language shows up. I can provide quotes & specific page numbers for the three systems I added (Shadowrun 5e, Starfinder, Dresden Files) if you think that's needed.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Jack Sava and I have both added some systems where this use of language shows up. I can provide quotes & specific page numbers for the three systems I added (Shadowrun 5e, Starfinder, Dresden Files) if you think that's needed.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Jack I can provide more examples as well once I get back home in a couple days if you want me to, then I'll have access to my collection of RPGs.
– Sava
1 hour ago
@Jack I can provide more examples as well once I get back home in a couple days if you want me to, then I'll have access to my collection of RPGs.
– Sava
1 hour ago
This seems very hard to answer so broadly. Specific designers/authors might have explained their reasoning for doing so in specific books (...which also makes this seem like a designer-reasons question), but any attempt to explain an overall trend of this sort seems like it'd just be speculation/original research.
– V2Blast
1 hour ago
This seems very hard to answer so broadly. Specific designers/authors might have explained their reasoning for doing so in specific books (...which also makes this seem like a designer-reasons question), but any attempt to explain an overall trend of this sort seems like it'd just be speculation/original research.
– V2Blast
1 hour ago
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is asking for designer reasons.
– Szega
36 mins ago
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is asking for designer reasons.
– Szega
36 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
Female pronouns are used to be gender-inclusive.
First off, singular "they" as a gender-less pronoun is not yet agreed upon as standard English. It's cropping up more and more in spoken in English, but it's less common in writing, especially published writing (as opposed to communication such as email or text/instant messages).
Historically, masculine pronouns have generally been the default for persons of unknown gender in English. In the past few decades, feminists have begun to push back against this, with attempts at finding pronouns that don't assume unknown persons are male accelerating over time (which is why singular "they" is becoming a thing). If you look at slightly older RPGs (e.g. D&D 4e, 13th Age), many use "he or she" everywhere to avoid specifying a gender.
The RPG hobby in particular was heavily male-dominated when it began. As RPG publishers have come to see the value in attracting female participants (both as players and GMs), they have tried to make their books more inclusive in attempt to expand their user base. Another example of this trend is the shift away from the art depicting scantily-clad women being rescued by all-male parties that was not uncommon in RPG manuals of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Using female pronouns for readers of RPG manuals is an easy way to express that it's perfectly normal/OK for women to play/GM RPGs. I have never seen any evidence of this being a negative for male readers of these manuals, who generally don't have trouble envisioning themselves participating in RPGs (since, again, the hobby has been male-dominated for most of its existence).
As for why English-language RPG books are doing this but French-language RPG books are not, that's harder to say. One possible factor is differences in how "correct" usage of the language is defined. The English language has historically been heavily on the "descriptive" side of defining language (especially in the US, and especially in the past 50 years or so); if enough people use the language in some way, then that's correct English. The French language, on the other hand, has tended towards being defined "prescriptively"; the Académie française is officially and legally in charge of defining what is, and is not, correct French language usage. This may make French language publications slower to change existing trends of pronoun usage. Another possibility is that the feminist-led drive to question the "default masculine" in the US has not taken hold to the same extent in French-speaking nations.
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
3
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
1
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
1
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
Female pronouns are used to be gender-inclusive.
First off, singular "they" as a gender-less pronoun is not yet agreed upon as standard English. It's cropping up more and more in spoken in English, but it's less common in writing, especially published writing (as opposed to communication such as email or text/instant messages).
Historically, masculine pronouns have generally been the default for persons of unknown gender in English. In the past few decades, feminists have begun to push back against this, with attempts at finding pronouns that don't assume unknown persons are male accelerating over time (which is why singular "they" is becoming a thing). If you look at slightly older RPGs (e.g. D&D 4e, 13th Age), many use "he or she" everywhere to avoid specifying a gender.
The RPG hobby in particular was heavily male-dominated when it began. As RPG publishers have come to see the value in attracting female participants (both as players and GMs), they have tried to make their books more inclusive in attempt to expand their user base. Another example of this trend is the shift away from the art depicting scantily-clad women being rescued by all-male parties that was not uncommon in RPG manuals of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Using female pronouns for readers of RPG manuals is an easy way to express that it's perfectly normal/OK for women to play/GM RPGs. I have never seen any evidence of this being a negative for male readers of these manuals, who generally don't have trouble envisioning themselves participating in RPGs (since, again, the hobby has been male-dominated for most of its existence).
As for why English-language RPG books are doing this but French-language RPG books are not, that's harder to say. One possible factor is differences in how "correct" usage of the language is defined. The English language has historically been heavily on the "descriptive" side of defining language (especially in the US, and especially in the past 50 years or so); if enough people use the language in some way, then that's correct English. The French language, on the other hand, has tended towards being defined "prescriptively"; the Académie française is officially and legally in charge of defining what is, and is not, correct French language usage. This may make French language publications slower to change existing trends of pronoun usage. Another possibility is that the feminist-led drive to question the "default masculine" in the US has not taken hold to the same extent in French-speaking nations.
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
3
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
1
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
1
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
Female pronouns are used to be gender-inclusive.
First off, singular "they" as a gender-less pronoun is not yet agreed upon as standard English. It's cropping up more and more in spoken in English, but it's less common in writing, especially published writing (as opposed to communication such as email or text/instant messages).
Historically, masculine pronouns have generally been the default for persons of unknown gender in English. In the past few decades, feminists have begun to push back against this, with attempts at finding pronouns that don't assume unknown persons are male accelerating over time (which is why singular "they" is becoming a thing). If you look at slightly older RPGs (e.g. D&D 4e, 13th Age), many use "he or she" everywhere to avoid specifying a gender.
The RPG hobby in particular was heavily male-dominated when it began. As RPG publishers have come to see the value in attracting female participants (both as players and GMs), they have tried to make their books more inclusive in attempt to expand their user base. Another example of this trend is the shift away from the art depicting scantily-clad women being rescued by all-male parties that was not uncommon in RPG manuals of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Using female pronouns for readers of RPG manuals is an easy way to express that it's perfectly normal/OK for women to play/GM RPGs. I have never seen any evidence of this being a negative for male readers of these manuals, who generally don't have trouble envisioning themselves participating in RPGs (since, again, the hobby has been male-dominated for most of its existence).
As for why English-language RPG books are doing this but French-language RPG books are not, that's harder to say. One possible factor is differences in how "correct" usage of the language is defined. The English language has historically been heavily on the "descriptive" side of defining language (especially in the US, and especially in the past 50 years or so); if enough people use the language in some way, then that's correct English. The French language, on the other hand, has tended towards being defined "prescriptively"; the Académie française is officially and legally in charge of defining what is, and is not, correct French language usage. This may make French language publications slower to change existing trends of pronoun usage. Another possibility is that the feminist-led drive to question the "default masculine" in the US has not taken hold to the same extent in French-speaking nations.
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
3
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
1
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
1
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
Female pronouns are used to be gender-inclusive.
First off, singular "they" as a gender-less pronoun is not yet agreed upon as standard English. It's cropping up more and more in spoken in English, but it's less common in writing, especially published writing (as opposed to communication such as email or text/instant messages).
Historically, masculine pronouns have generally been the default for persons of unknown gender in English. In the past few decades, feminists have begun to push back against this, with attempts at finding pronouns that don't assume unknown persons are male accelerating over time (which is why singular "they" is becoming a thing). If you look at slightly older RPGs (e.g. D&D 4e, 13th Age), many use "he or she" everywhere to avoid specifying a gender.
The RPG hobby in particular was heavily male-dominated when it began. As RPG publishers have come to see the value in attracting female participants (both as players and GMs), they have tried to make their books more inclusive in attempt to expand their user base. Another example of this trend is the shift away from the art depicting scantily-clad women being rescued by all-male parties that was not uncommon in RPG manuals of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Using female pronouns for readers of RPG manuals is an easy way to express that it's perfectly normal/OK for women to play/GM RPGs. I have never seen any evidence of this being a negative for male readers of these manuals, who generally don't have trouble envisioning themselves participating in RPGs (since, again, the hobby has been male-dominated for most of its existence).
As for why English-language RPG books are doing this but French-language RPG books are not, that's harder to say. One possible factor is differences in how "correct" usage of the language is defined. The English language has historically been heavily on the "descriptive" side of defining language (especially in the US, and especially in the past 50 years or so); if enough people use the language in some way, then that's correct English. The French language, on the other hand, has tended towards being defined "prescriptively"; the Académie française is officially and legally in charge of defining what is, and is not, correct French language usage. This may make French language publications slower to change existing trends of pronoun usage. Another possibility is that the feminist-led drive to question the "default masculine" in the US has not taken hold to the same extent in French-speaking nations.
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
Female pronouns are used to be gender-inclusive.
First off, singular "they" as a gender-less pronoun is not yet agreed upon as standard English. It's cropping up more and more in spoken in English, but it's less common in writing, especially published writing (as opposed to communication such as email or text/instant messages).
Historically, masculine pronouns have generally been the default for persons of unknown gender in English. In the past few decades, feminists have begun to push back against this, with attempts at finding pronouns that don't assume unknown persons are male accelerating over time (which is why singular "they" is becoming a thing). If you look at slightly older RPGs (e.g. D&D 4e, 13th Age), many use "he or she" everywhere to avoid specifying a gender.
The RPG hobby in particular was heavily male-dominated when it began. As RPG publishers have come to see the value in attracting female participants (both as players and GMs), they have tried to make their books more inclusive in attempt to expand their user base. Another example of this trend is the shift away from the art depicting scantily-clad women being rescued by all-male parties that was not uncommon in RPG manuals of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Using female pronouns for readers of RPG manuals is an easy way to express that it's perfectly normal/OK for women to play/GM RPGs. I have never seen any evidence of this being a negative for male readers of these manuals, who generally don't have trouble envisioning themselves participating in RPGs (since, again, the hobby has been male-dominated for most of its existence).
As for why English-language RPG books are doing this but French-language RPG books are not, that's harder to say. One possible factor is differences in how "correct" usage of the language is defined. The English language has historically been heavily on the "descriptive" side of defining language (especially in the US, and especially in the past 50 years or so); if enough people use the language in some way, then that's correct English. The French language, on the other hand, has tended towards being defined "prescriptively"; the Académie française is officially and legally in charge of defining what is, and is not, correct French language usage. This may make French language publications slower to change existing trends of pronoun usage. Another possibility is that the feminist-led drive to question the "default masculine" in the US has not taken hold to the same extent in French-speaking nations.
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
edited 1 hour ago
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
answered 1 hour ago
Oblivious Sage
39.7k14120183
39.7k14120183
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
3
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
1
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
1
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
add a comment |Â
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
3
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
1
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
1
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
I certainly didn't want this question to imply that this was a negative thing, I was just wondering the reason of this difference between the French and English books I was reading.
– Sava
1 hour ago
3
3
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Sava Gender dynamics and market reactions to them vary widely from country to country. I can tell you why English-language books are using female pronouns this way, but I don't enough about the RPG market in France & other French-speaking nations to tell you why publishers and translators there aren't using female pronouns this way.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
1
1
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
I believe White Wolf was the first to use the publishing style where the GM was always the female pronoun and players the male pronoun. It’s spread a bunch since then; e.g., IIRC, Greg Stolze does this in his RPGs ever since he wrote for WW. (I’ve never seen the inverse, male pronouns for the GM and female for the players.)
– SevenSidedDie♦
1 hour ago
1
1
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
In France, there is a convention to use the feminine for players and masculine for GMs. It is widely used in independent games but has yet to become the norm for bigger publishers.
– Boulash
1 hour ago
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Sava is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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3
Hi, and welcome to rpg.se! Can you provide examples of English rule-books defaulting to female pronouns when talking about the GM? It seems like your question would be much better if you provide such examples, otherwise, the question seems very much opinion-based, and perhaps not even based on actual evidence.
– Jack
2 hours ago
@Jack Sava and I have both added some systems where this use of language shows up. I can provide quotes & specific page numbers for the three systems I added (Shadowrun 5e, Starfinder, Dresden Files) if you think that's needed.
– Oblivious Sage
1 hour ago
@Jack I can provide more examples as well once I get back home in a couple days if you want me to, then I'll have access to my collection of RPGs.
– Sava
1 hour ago
This seems very hard to answer so broadly. Specific designers/authors might have explained their reasoning for doing so in specific books (...which also makes this seem like a designer-reasons question), but any attempt to explain an overall trend of this sort seems like it'd just be speculation/original research.
– V2Blast
1 hour ago
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is asking for designer reasons.
– Szega
36 mins ago