I'll put it this way, RPers aren't usually going to have a problem if they know what they're getting into, but things like race and gender are written into the character and are taken, up-front, as read. Â Trying to do an end-run around them is usually not worth the trouble.
Sometimes, it's not such a problem. Â In WoW, for example, the Death Knights are, by lore, meant to be dead but there is a loophole to state that they may not be. Â People playing live Death Knights tend to catch some flack, but not much. Â It usually doesn't come up in introductory conversation.
However, sometimes it can be a problem. Â Also in WoW, I played with someone who played a female character who was meant to be a slim male. Â That really didn't work that well. Â People automatically assumed the character was a woman (despite his RSP and protestations). Â Most people he met automatically assumed he was a male and, when politely "corrected", weren't interested in playing with him. Â Just because having to go OOC within the first few minutes is NOT good.
So generally speaking, you can minimize the issue in some situations, but you'd better be ready to have an IC reason to roll with the punches. Â For example, if your Au Ra is actually a Padjal, you HAVE to have your character ready to accept that IC. Â Hell, you might WANT that misinformation, to have people think you're an Au Ra when you're not.
Making up your tribe is comparatively easier, though. Â That's not written on your character. Â You should be fine.
Sometimes, it's not such a problem. Â In WoW, for example, the Death Knights are, by lore, meant to be dead but there is a loophole to state that they may not be. Â People playing live Death Knights tend to catch some flack, but not much. Â It usually doesn't come up in introductory conversation.
However, sometimes it can be a problem. Â Also in WoW, I played with someone who played a female character who was meant to be a slim male. Â That really didn't work that well. Â People automatically assumed the character was a woman (despite his RSP and protestations). Â Most people he met automatically assumed he was a male and, when politely "corrected", weren't interested in playing with him. Â Just because having to go OOC within the first few minutes is NOT good.
So generally speaking, you can minimize the issue in some situations, but you'd better be ready to have an IC reason to roll with the punches. Â For example, if your Au Ra is actually a Padjal, you HAVE to have your character ready to accept that IC. Â Hell, you might WANT that misinformation, to have people think you're an Au Ra when you're not.
Making up your tribe is comparatively easier, though. Â That's not written on your character. Â You should be fine.
