In Gender, Role, Play you will...
...explain the genderless aliens you met to your totally square 1960s boss
...battle stereotypes as sidelined superheroes with mediocre powers
...break your stoic silence and reach out to other men at work
...weigh whether to parent in a post-capitalist utopia
...amp up your Metalhead friends to commit atrocious acts for attention
...survive floods, your in-laws, and The Fae’s dark influence in Spanish Louisiana
...tattoo your genderqueer feelings directly onto your skin
Gender, Role, Play is an anthology that explores gender diversity through the medium of live-action roleplay. The book contains seven single session scenarios from nine diverse designers, commissioned for the 2020 Make a Scene scenario festival. Each one invites you to explore different aspects of gender in playful and embodied ways. With this book you can try on a different relationship, visit another society’s gender norms, and come back knowing more about yourself and others.
The scenarios are designed with complete and clearly written instructions so they are accessible to newcomers. They can be run anywhere, no costumes or complex sets are needed to play out powerful emotional experiences. The anthology contains two games suitable for remote play via video chat.
Fast Facts
7 games
3-16 people
2-4 hours
The Scenarios
True Colors by LolV Peregrin
Set in the present, True Colors is divided into three acts, and follows a newly formed group of queer friends from the same peer self-therapy group. They'll turn to each other as they weather the big transitions of their lives, including getting a tattoo with personal transformative significance. The narrative focuses on bodies, sexualities and gender identities, trauma, and making a life for yourself.
Blue Collar by Shawn Roske
Blue Collar is about men reaching out to each other. You are maintenance workers, cleaners, or security personnel. The work is often lonely and solitary. You will explore silent and hidden experiences by shooting the breeze in the break room at work. The core themes are masculinity, stillness, and integrity.
Boldly Go by Rav Simon
The year is 1965, humanity (America) has just sent a super groovy unmanned mission to a planet thought to have Goldilocks conditions. The AIs on board the spacecraft are programmed with everything there is to know about Earth and its (American) people in order to accurately gauge the new planet's suitability. When they land, they are greeted by sun and surf and… aliens. How can they write a report home about a culture they have nothing in their databanks to compare?
The Emerald Chorus by Pablo Valcarcel and Rosendo Chas
The Emerald Chorus is a David Lynch-esque historical fantasy set in Spanish Louisiana during the Revolutionary War. The players take on the roles of Acadian (French) and Isleño (Spanish) settlers whose quarrelling communities are about to be linked by marriage. Little do they know that the servants of the mysterious Emerald Chorus watch them closely. How will their boons shape the stories of those meant to live and love in a time of war?
Helvete by Chris Dragga and Kate Hill
The Norwegian black metal scene was known for both musical genius and dark, violent acts. Step into the roles of the founders of this scene and explore how a passion for metal, a scorn for the mainstream, and toxic masculinity can drive a group of late teenagers to create urgently emotional music and to commit horrible acts of violence. Will your characters break free from this vortex of hypermasculine hatred, or will they plunge eagerly into its waiting maw?
The Icarian Conundrum by Josh Krehbiel
The final hour is at hand. After 11 breathtaking issues (and 36 exciting tie-in series), the great Icarian army is poised to conquer Earth, and only our greatest heroes can stop them. You are not one of these heroes. Some hack writer thought it would be interesting to throw you into the mix. But this could be an exciting paradigm shift. Maybe you’ll finally be taken seriously as a character! Or maybe you’ll be one of several casualties cold-calculated to provide pathos, a brutal end to your short wiki page. That’ll all depend on fan reception. This scenario is about grappling with insignificance, imposter syndrome, and metatextual influence in comic books.
Repro by Nadia Gillitzer
Repro is about making the decision to parent in a world where everyone has enough and biology is no barrier. All family structures are expected and accepted. At birth, everyone is implanted with a fertility blocker, and if an individual wishes to become a parent, they go to Reproductive Services, or Repro. The final step is an in-person retreat with counseling and preparation to confirm the decision to parent. Characters include non-partnered people, a monogamous, married couple, and two members of a polyamorous household.
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