Tips and tricks from a trans writer to include representation without (hopefully) stepping on anyone’s toes.
Hello! Trans writer, Dungeon Master, and TTRPG player Sami Adalwulf here. I’m here to explain how I went about adding trans and gender non-conforming people to my Dungeons and Dragons game, as a bit of a resource for anybody looking to do the same.
First off: not everyone is going to agree with me here. Some people want specific things and feel very keenly about the topic I’m presenting, and if this is something you want to emphasize and you have reason to think some of your fellow players might have their own opinions on the matter, make sure to bring it up before the game begins.
I’m going to present the two “versions” of this I’ve included in my games before, and then go into my reasoning and tips in the next section.
The Lore
- Transitioning is recognized and understood the world over. The reason for this is simple: divine magic, the healing arts of the clerics, actively transition people who have it used on them. This process can take some time, depending on the strength and frequency of the healing magic used. Because of this, it’s a culturally homogeneous understanding that some people are just born and then need to transition. This extends to other aspects of healing as well, within limits: if you’ve lost a hand and don’t identify with having that missing hand, it’ll heal back, but if you’ve accepted and internalized it, it won’t.
- The ability to change your appearance is tied into a particular set of rituals around the “Blood Star”, a red star in the northern skies, that ties into change and rebirth. The ritual is fairly simple and somewhat intuitive, but takes some time. Part of the ritual’s effects means that people will recognize you despite the physical changes, for a time.
The Reasoning
In my first example, this was informed by the setting and story in particular. The campaign it’s for, The Mirror Sea, is an adventure about heroic characters fighting to save the world from destruction, with a lot of focus on unity, gathering allies, and empowering others. I wanted to include trans characters, but I didn’t want it to be a source of drama, just something present.
An interesting element in the decision making process was making it a generally slow, almost medical process of going to get healing spells. This was part of the attempt to have representation as the main goal: for a lot of trans people, myself included, the process of transitioning is a steady, slow process of shedding old clothes and changing, slowly and steadily, over time. To that end, I made sure that was represented in how I ran it.
The second example was also informed by setting and game. That campaign, Kings of Iron, was intended to have a very strong element of religious persecution, with the local “pagan-esque” religious practices getting subsumed and replaced by a warlike crusade, led by the monarchs of the era.
While I don’t know how effectively that panned out overall, that was the general intent on the “Blood Star” ritual of transitioning. It tied it intrinsically to the less organized, beat down local religious practices, and gave it an element of subterfuge and secrecy in the face of religious persecution. Yes, you can transition in a night, but unless you’re willing to face the backlash, you may have to leave your home and take on a new identity where nobody will recognize you.
This, obviously, was a lot more intense as a setup, as the goal was to not just have trans people in the story, but to draw on my life experience to paint a picture of religious persecution.
Which, ultimately, is the takeaway. Trans people aren’t some monolithic pillar, and even one trans woman, me, had very different things I wanted in different games. I think you should have trans people in your games, and I don’t think that adding them makes your game “less fantasy” or anything. You should proceed carefully and not be afraid to ask for feedback. Talk to your players, decide what you want to focus on. Choose lore that will help you explore what you’re looking to explore.
If the tips I’ve given here aren’t enough, I can always provide more, and I’m more then happy to give advice to anybody who needs it.
Strike The Horizon 