A woman's lot in the middle ages was not a happy one. Christian and pagan societies alike tended to be patriarchal. The setting and gameplay of King Arthur Pendragon tends to reflect this historical reality.
Female characters tend to come in two seperate roles both of which have roles to play within the greater story of 5th and 6th century Britain.
Traditional
While women in traditional roles do not often go on quests like knights they are an important and essential part of courtly life. In Arthurian literature there are a good number of powerful traditional women (often called Elaine or some variation thereof) who guide the plot. Not to speak of such characters as Guenever, Morgan le Fay, and Nimue, Lady of the Lake.
Female player characters who take on traditional roles must use the alternative character generation system, and alternative character sheet.
Non-Traditional
While entirely absent from Arthuran literature, women who took up the profession of arms, while rare, were not unknown. In medieval french there is even a term for this: chevaleresse (as opposed to chevalière the wife of a knight). Some famous historical fighting women include: Sigelgaita who fought alongside her husband during his conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily; Eleanor of Aquitaine who took up the cross and joined the army during the Second Crusade; and Duchess Constance of Brittany who led her duchy in its resistance against the perfidious French.
Women who engaged in non-traditional roles in the medieval world faced various reactions and consequences. Sigelgaita was almost universally admired (though Anna Comnena once refered to her as “a monster, hateful to her kind". Eleanor of Aquitaine faced a mixture of admiration and scorn before eventually becoming one of the most powerful women of the medieval world before being caught up in the various familial squables of the Angevin dynasty. Constance of Brittany secured the rights of her son as Duke of Brittany before going mad and spending thirty years imprisoned in the castle she fought so valiantly to defend. Also of note is Joan of Arc who took up arms against the English before being burned to death for her crimes of heresy and witchcraft.
Female player characters who take on non-traditional roles use the same character creation system as male knights (though they take on their mother's Woman's Gifts rather than their father's Family Characteristic.)
Female non-traditional characters may face social reluctance but the nature of Arthurian Britian is such that any powerful warrior may gain acceptance through their deeds and glory.
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