> Why? For the same reason that players in rolegames
> rarely pay
> attention to the sex lives of characters? Or rarely
> pay attention
> to the time that characters spend voiding their
> bodies of waste?
> Or for some other reason?
> If death, injury, food, sleep, violence, wealth, and
> sex are fair
> game for rolegames, why not menstruation and
> defecation/urination?
>
> My assumption is the answer is "because the hobby is
> predominanly
> male", but I'm still curious to see if other groups
> have handled the topic and how.
>
> (Jane? Any comment?)
OK.... I don't think this is a predominantly male/female thing. I think it's more avoiding things that most players find unpleasant.
The physical realities of Glorantha tend to be based on ancient/medieval reality. And in those times, public toilets, with flushes and loo roll, didn't happen. If you were travelling, you found a bush. I hope. Privacy and hygiene.... no. So discussion of bodily functions in Glorantha, unless hopelessly unrealistic, tends to make modern players squeamish. So we don't do it.
I've sometimes seen predominantly male groups bring the grungy bits into the game, apparently as a deliberate attempt to make other players unhappy: a sort of "I'm tougher than you are" competition, along with "I can drink more lager before throwing up". I do not see this as a good thing myself, nor would I suggest that it is typical behaviour for most male roleplayers. (Or am I being unduly optimistic?)
And FWIW, RW menstruation varies between women, but it's somewhere between a minor nuisance and several days of pain and nausea. In either case, leaving it out of semi-wish-fulfilment fantasy is probably a good idea. If you're playing the ritual life of the clan, though, it could be important. There are actually good reasons why menstruating women should avoid certain activities, it's just that they aren't relevant to "normal" (read: abnormal") adventuring life.
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