Trans in Tabletop

Introduction

June is LGBT Pride month! And Zelda games have often included subtle nods and inclusions of the LGBTQ+ experience – sometimes well, but often with missteps. 

As Reclaim the Wild is a tabletop game, where you are the story’s author, you have the opportunity to do better. Your table can be a safe haven for LGBTQ+ players, and you can include their story and have positive representation of them.

So in this article, we’re going to present advice of a different sort: ideas and encouragement for including characters and players of all types, but especially trans characters and players, in your Reclaim the Wild games. This article is split into two sections; first covering some general tabletop advice for including diverse experiences, and then dispensing advice specific to Reclaim the Wild and the trans experience.

This is a subject near and dear to my heart; while I am not trans, several of my friends are, and their contributions were essential to Reclaim’s development.

Check out the advice below!

General Advice

I want to be clear at the outset, and reiterate: I am not an expert on the trans experience, nor am I myself trans. (If you have the opportunity to discuss this with actual experts, I encourage you to do so, with an open mind and an open notepad.) I’ve done the best I could in researching this article, including seeking out the experiences and perspectives of trans people. Any missteps in this article are mine alone, and come from my own inexperience and limited knowledge.

Nothing in this article – or any article! – is intended to supplant or shout down what the actual people at your gaming table have to say, especially not any trans persons you are playing with. Every table, and every person, is different – and it’s up to you, as the GM, to account for what everyone’s comfortable with, and to tailor your game to meet those needs.

The trans experience is not a universal, monolithic thing. There are many ways to explore it – more than any one author or article can enumerate. There are people who are genderfluid, non-conforming, or who express their identity in unique ways. Their experiences are as valid as anyone else’s, even if we don’t touch on them in this article.

Above all else, you should speak with your gaming group. Make it clear that you intend to run a game that’s positive and inclusive towards LGBTQ+ characters, and that you’ll brook no bigotry on the subject. Talk to your trans players (if you have any) about what aspects of their experience they might want to see included in the game, if any. 

A Reference Point

Whether or not you or anyone at your gaming table is trans, you should still include transgender persons in your game world. For reference, in our world, it’s estimated that roughly 355 out of every 100,000 people identify as trans in some form – or roughly one-third of one percent. (Source) To not include them makes your game world less realistic and immersive, and also prevents you from being able to make the full breadth of interesting characters and stories that your game can accommodate.

While “one third of one percent” may not seem like a huge number, it’s about on-par with rolling an 18 on a 3d6 (which has a 0.46% chance of happening). However, while you certainly can randomly roll to determine an NPC’s identity, this can be a slow process when you’re trying to make a new NPC on the fly. Indeed, if one solely relies on a die roll to guarantee representation, then you might revert to your biases when you don’t use the dice (such as when you’re put on the spot). As such, you cannot solely rely on random dice rolls – you need to take an active role in being inclusive.

Be Actively Inclusive

As such, it’s important to be actively inclusive. This can take a variety of forms, but in general, it means that you, as the GM, specifically try to include otherwise-marginalized groups whenever the opportunity to do so arises. For instance, if you’re creating a new town for your players to visit, you’ve got an opportunity to include a few trans people – or people with disabilities, who are neurodivergent, who are of color, or who otherwise do not look, act, or come from circumstances like you yourself do. 

Remember that being inclusive in this way doesn’t mean the NPC(s) in question have to be about their differences – in fact, they probably shouldn’t be, unless you have an interesting story to tell that involves those unique aspects of the character. For instance, whether the town’s mayor uses a wheelchair or not, she’s probably more concerned with the monsters in the sewers and the bandits on the road, than with explaining what her legs can and cannot do. Similarly, if the merchant they speak to about the recent bandit attacks is trans, it may only come up because the GM mentions it, and not because the merchant needs to expound on the subject to these (amicable, yet heavily-armed) strangers.

So long as you keep being active, and varied, in the wide variety of types of peoples you’re including, you’ll find you make a more colorful, interesting, and representative cast of major and minor NPCs – the no-name barkeeps, the rival adventuring parties, the cackling villains, and the campaign world’s important historical figures.

Villains and Bigotry

If, as a GM, you decide to be actively inclusive, and you have a player who is playing a trans, disabled, neurodivergent, or otherwise ‘different’ character, it may be tempting to make your villain a bigot – to have an irrational distaste for people different from themselves. This can be fun in some ways, such as when your Heroes are able to punch the villain in their stupid, stupid face. However, as with everything in this article, it’s important to talk to your players about whether, and how, such a villain might express their bigotry.

If you do want to have a bigoted villain, we recommend minimizing the slurs and bigoted statements they use – even a single bigoted statement from a villain can ring in a player’s mind for a long, long time, giving heroes extra motivation to seek out and defeat such a villain. Using more can cross the line from “this character is a bigot” to “the person behind this character is using them as a mouthpiece”. (One possible middle ground here is to simply mention that they say “something bigoted”, without actually using the hateful words.)

We also recommend you not actually have the villain actually include their bigotry in their evil schemes. Again, this can very easily cross a line from “fantasy villain” to “you, the person at the table, being an actual villain”, and can easily be a slippery slope.

Reclaim-specific Advice

Zelda games have featured a few characters and thematic elements that can easily be utilized in exploring trans themes. All of these thematic elements have pros and cons to consider – so, as always, be sure to discuss their use with your whole table before you seek to utilize them in this way.

One thing to note before we dive in, though: this list of ways to explore the trans experience in Reclaim the Wild  is not exhaustive, nor is it required. The world of Zelda is huge, replete with magic and full of things that are never fully explained. The same may be true for trans characters in your campaign, whether they are Heroes or NPCs – they may have simply transitioned prior to the events of the game, and their method of transition may be as complete and unimpeachable as you like. Even if you decide to specify how a character transitioned, it is perfectly valid to then say, “…and it’s no big deal.”

Impa’s Disguise

Arguably the origin of trans stories in the Zelda mythos, the magical ability to change one’s appearance was key in the story of Ocarina of Time – allowing Zelda to appear as the masculine character Sheik. As such, it’s natural to use it as a way to explore changing one’s sexual presentation.

However, keep in mind that as a permanent measure, Impa’s Disguise is deeply imperfect. It requires the user to sink Magic into the spell to keep it active, making a Hero less effective than their fellows. It can also be rudely pierced by a Lens of Truth spell, or even by physical contact – allowing others to see past how the character wants to present themselves, without their consent. 

Now, this may be a valuable opportunity to face forces that would try to relieve you of your chosen identity, and to have the need to put in additional work to present as your chosen identity – but it also leaves a character’s identity exceptionally vulnerable, to anything from wizards to an innocent bump while walking down the street.

To that end, we only recommend Impa’s Disguise as a way to temporarily or tentatively alter one’s presentation, or to offer the opportunity to suffer, and the surmount, an opposing force to one’s identity. More experienced trans characters will almost certainly want a more permanent solution, and players who want to experience ‘how life should be’ moreso than ‘how life unfortunately can be’ may wish to use other options as well.

Masks & the Song of Healing

Masks are one of the most potent and mysterious types of Magical Tool available in the Zelda mythos, and as a thematic element, their use stretches back thousands of years. However, it’s important to note that their use in exploring the trans experience can be both incredibly freeing, and deeply problematic.

In Zelda games, and particularly in Reclaim the Wild, wearing a Mask of the Healed Soul can transform a Hero’s body into that of another race – from Hylian to Zora, or from Demon to Fairy, for example. Nothing in the canonical games suggests that the masks also can change a person’s physical sex, though one imagines the possibility comes up at least with members of races of monolithic genders (specifically the Gerudo and Gorons). 

In short, this means that a Mask could provide a player with a means to change their sex, whether or not the mask also changes their race (IE if a Hylian wears a Hylian’s Mask). While using a Mask for this method of transformation has some benefits, it also has several drawbacks.

On the plus side, as a non-permanent change, the Mask can be taken off as easily as it’s applied, allowing the person using it to change their physical sex when they choose. Wearing a Mask also prevents others from easily seeing through the change; unlike a casting of Impa’s Disguise, the Lens of Truth spell won’t pierce the change.

Using a Mask this way also allows the story of a person’s trans experience to have pitfalls, struggles, and opportunities to fail. While more permanent than most magical means, a Mask can slip, or be ripped off. If you and your fellow players are alright with that, then you can turn this negative aspect of a Mask into a positive – an opportunity to tell cathartic stories, where obstacles are overcome and one’s identity is (if you’ll pardon the name drop) reclaimed.

Negatively, however, the experience of being trans may not be akin to putting on a mask to cover up what one was – rather, it’s more like removing a mask that one had always been wearing. To that end, using a Mask in this manner has a variety of unfortunate implications, most importantly being that the person in question is “covering up” or “hiding” their truth, rather than fully revealing it to the world.

To that end, one alternative use for Masks might be to combine them with the Song of Healing (or some more targeted, specific variant thereof). By playing this Song for the trans character in question, their assigned sex might turn into a Mask, revealing their true selves. You may want to rename this item to reflect this change in perspective – a “Mask of Old Assumptions”, perhaps.

As an additional advantage, this may allow the character in question to either utilize this new Mask themselves – if they aren’t fully sure of their new form and presentation, for practical reasons, or just to hand it to someone else who wants to try it on. 

Keeping one’s old form at-hand can also enable a character to, quite literally, “put the mask back on”. This might be used when in the company of those who aren’t ready to accept their new, true form, or whom they are not ready to face as their true selves yet – be they family, friends, or villains who don’t yet know a Hero’s true face. This can be a bittersweet boon, and a potent reminder of (and roleplaying opportunity to express) what one has gained, lost, and changed, in one’s transition.

Finally, having one’s old Mask also allows the character the opportunity to destroy the Mask, providing a moment of catharsis – and making an irreversible, undeniable step into their new identity. We suggest that this not require more magical work to do; simply throwing the Mask to the ground (and maybe giving it a good stomp or two) should do the trick. Some characters may wish to impart more ceremony to the action, or take time to reflect on their former circumstances and say farewell – while others might simply drop the mask behind them and walk away.

Playing Certain Races

Perhaps uniquely among all Nintendo properties, the Zelda world ties gender and race together pretty tightly. There are several Races in Reclaim the Wild that might bring matters of sex, gender, and presentation to the fore.

(Before we begin, note that here, we mean “sex”, “male”, or “female” to speak of one’s biology, and “gender”, “man”, “woman”, “masculine”, “feminine”, or “presentation” to mean how one lives their life and presents themselves to others. The language is imperfect, and still in flux; this is my attempt to understand it, parse it, and give advice regarding it.)

First and foremost are the Gerudo, famous for their paucity of males, and their cities that allow only women to enter. Those few Gerudo raised as men face both a wealth of unearned privilege, and a heavy weight of expectation – they are seen as kings of their race, with both power and responsibility thrust upon them, whether they like it or not. Meanwhile, Gerudo women are seen as both desirable, and frightening, to the Hylian men that dominate many cities throughout Hyrule; they are forced to make their way in foreign lands to find mates, jobs, and housing.

Imagine, then, what a Gerudo man might be like, who was once assumed to be a woman. Would his fellow Gerudo see him as a usurper, trying to claim the wealth that their society feels is entitled to Gerudo men? Or the opposite, a Gerudo woman once considered a man by her people – is she abdicating responsibility, or giving up the nigh-limitless power her people handed her? In either case, what might a Gerudo’s perspective be on other trans peoples’ stories?

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Gorons, a race known for their curious rock-based biology and seemingly all-masculine composition. Even the Gerudo, focused as they are on a person’s gender and their role in society, often don’t know what to make of them – are they men, are they without gender, or are they something else entirely? We’ve never had a truly definitive answer, and the answer may never be fully known. But by playing a Goron, you may take on those masculine aspects, or present in a more gender-neutral way – or perhaps you might break new ground, as it were, by being among the first Gorons to present as a woman.

Then there are the Subrosians, unknowable but adorable, fully cloaked and never seen. Given this, a Subrosian’s gender can only be known by how they present themselves: a Subrosian woman wearing a cute ribbon, or a Subrosian man speaking in a rough, masculine way. Many Subrosians do neither, either as a conscious choice, or simply because the question of gender is one they’ve never considered (or may even be wholly unaware of). Perhaps for the Subrosians, one’s gender is only as permanent as the accessories and affectations one uses to indicate it. (After all, even a Subrosian’s name might change as their hobby or job changes!) 

Finally, that brings us to the Demons, a race known for its ability to transform from one form to another, and back again – first presenting as humanoid, then as monstrous. Nothing requires that both forms need be of the same sex or gender! You may even have multiple humanoid and demonic forms, if you want to have multiple presentations available to you (with GM permission). This may make Demons intriguing for people who wish to experience multiple genders, not be tied to a single presentation, or otherwise emphasize a multi-faceted nature. However, given how Demons can be ostracized from some communities in Reclaim, and how real-life trans people are sometimes ostracized from their communities, we want to encourage and remind you to not accidentally demonize trans people, whether or not they be Demons.

By playing a member of one of these races, a person who is exploring their sexuality or gender presentation – be they trans, gay, asexual, dysphoric, or however they might be – can further explore both their struggles, and their joys. Be doubly sure to speak with your GM and your fellow players, though, to know what struggles you want to explore, which to set aside, and which you’d rather leave in the dustbin of history.

Final Thoughts

In the end, these are merely suggestions and talking-points. It’s up to the GM and the players at the table to actually put them into action. Whether you’re a trans player, or a GM working to keep the table open and accepting of all people, be sure to have the discussion with your group both before the game starts, and every so often once you get it going. 

Remember to treat each other with kindness and respect; to listen and to discuss with open hearts and open notebooks; and above all, to enjoy one another’s company at the gaming table. Nothing in this article is meant to override the voices of trans persons, nor anyone else at your table – this article is only the start of the discussion, not the end of it.

Additional Reading

If you’re interested in reading more about including trans characters in your game, I highly recommend this series of articles on being inclusive of different LGBTQ+ persons at your gaming table. M Grant does a wonderful job of laying out how to be inclusive, both of players and of characters, and the general advice in this article owes a great debt to these blog posts.
I also recommend this article by Katherine Cross, if you’re looking for advice on how to write a trans character – either as a player, or as a GM creating an NPC.