Girls (Females) in D&D/Roleplaying

[geoffrey d`glanville]

Hello everybody out there!

After a heated discussion on a German board a while ago, I wanted to ask the people on EN World on how they perceive female roleplayers in their campaigns.
Please stick to the questions:

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?
2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?
3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?
4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?
5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?
6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?
7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?
8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?
9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?
10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?
11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?
12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers? Did you (if so, how often percentagewise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?
How do those groups differ in style?
13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?
14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?
15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?
16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why? Could this be also to the benefit of the gaming, e.g. problemes are being dicussed rather that ignored?
17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?

Thanks for participation. I also would like to mention that this is only a purely statistical question of mine and should of course have nothing to do with discrimination of either of the genders at all.
Just checkin` if the stereotypes are right, and if so, why.

 

[Nazerel]

I'll bite.

1. Presently, none. But back during my campaign's hey day, we had several. Over 150+ sessions, I'd say I had 7 female players (it's been a while, things haven't been the same since I joined the military so my memory is a bit fuzzy). M ex-girlfriend and her aunt (incidentally she's ex-military) were also in my game, which was pretty cool while it lasted. Counting the many others games I've played in, I probably encountered around 10 or so total.
2. I'd say roughly 15 to 20 percentage, according to my personal experience. They're definitely a minority, but their numbers are growing.
3. There was another thread regarding this issue, and I agree that tensions and disagreements tend to be more common than if the players were all of the same gender. But at the same time, it just goes to show that thought processes are different among the players with the added variation, plus the story-telling aspect was greatly enhanced.
4. I'd say they are. Social interaction comes more naturally to them I suppose, and really getting into the emotions and psyches of characters is something that's appealing. Though this doesn't necessarily mean that women players don't like to smash things up in combat (my ex's aunt played one scary berserker!).
5. I'd say it depends on the person. There is a tendency for the story-telling and role-playing aspects being stressed over number crunching and rules min-maxing, at least from what I saw.
6. Again, depends on the person. My ex was that way, concentrating more on RPing than numbers, while her aunt was adept at both.
7. Advantages of a mixed group, enhanced story-telling and variation, ways of thinking (female players come up with ideas that male players wished they did, and vice versa). Disadvantages of a mixed group, more likelihood of tensions and disagreements as a result of more ideas and different thought processes involved. Advantages of a uni-sex group, more likelihood of cutting loose and being at ease, more camaraderie, I suppose is the word. Disadvantage, a lot less varied and story-telling isn't stressed as much as it could be, sometimes taking a backseat to action, generally.
8. Boys and girls are raised differently, I guess. Boys are encouraged to dominate and be strong, silent stereotypes with very few outlets for emotional and creative stress. Girls, not so much. I think the GI Joe and Barbie analogy works here.
9. See #8. That, and female players tend to like the malnourished androgynous boushonin gothic vampire characters more than the guys do.
10. I've only played a few systems aside from AD&D and D&D, so I really can't say.
11. Probably a few. I'm not sure; perhaps the rules come across as somewhat intimidating. 3e and 3.5 rules do tend to be somewhat dry compared with the fluffier AD&D books.
12. All female? Nope. All male, yup. See #7.
13. This happened once or twice. Thankfully, the hangers-on almost always dropped out of sight after a session or two.
14. Unfortunately, yes, due to misunderstandings, mostly. I won't say more than that.
15. Depends on the person.
16. Generally yes for the reasons I stated above.
17. See #16.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?
Total, out of 2 home games, and about 30 people or so I know who play Living Greyhawk in our city, I know of 1 female.

2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?
Hmm, I'd have to say out of the 150 or so people I've played with 15 or so of them have been female. That makes it about 10%

3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?
They don't change them that much. Most have them have been much more interested in the role playing portion of the game rather than the wargaming aspect. Most haven't changed us at all.

4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?
As I said, yes. I've found that wost female gamers we've played with haven't really had a head for numbers. They haven't cared that their bonuses gave them +34 to hit or that they could kill an enemy in 2 hits. It just hasn't interested them. They were always more interested in the storyline and the name of their pet in the game and who their character's family and husband was. Why? I don't know, I don't claim to understand women.

5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?
Not immune, no. They just don't show any real interest in it on their own. I've seen a couple get really into it when shown what to do by the other people at the table. But the vast majority of them seemed completely happy going through battles saying "I have +2 to hit, I need a natural 20, I miss. Your turn."

6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?
Not very many of the ones I played with knew the rules all that well. None of them seemed to have any real desire to learn them any more than they already knew them. The suggestion that anyone would want to read a 300 page book of entirely rules on purpose tended to get a couple of them to look at me funny.

7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?
I did find that a woman at the table would get my players a bit more focused on the plot of the game. However, it often meant that suddenly all the "role playing" in the group was a couple characters trying to hit on the female character all the time.

8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?
I can't say for certain on this one. I'm thinking that it had a lot to do with the groups of people that tended to gathe and play the games at one point. Computer geeks, math geeks, science geeks. I can speak from experience that the computer industry is male dominated and a lot of the people I know in it game. I don't think a lot of women felt welcome in these groups.

9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?
Yes, I don't play these games which is why I only listed 10% female gamers up there. From my observations of the games going on at conventions that I was at I can tell you that these games seem to have closer to a 60% female population. Why? Well, most of the games cater to people who don't know any rules and don't want to know any rules. They cater to role players and people are shunned and booted out of them for powergaming. I was once told that they would go weeks or months without a combat ever occuring. This plays into the female desire to socialize and put on a mask for a while and just pretend to be someone else without worrying about dying or losing. Plus, I think, in the case on Vampire that it appeals some females with low self esteem to play brooding, goths who feel emptiness and loneliness as they feel rather rejected themselves.

10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?
I haven't seen any system completely devoid of females.

11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?
Yes. They played in games that were so focused on role playing they didn't need to know any rules.

12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers? Did you (if so, how often percentagewise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?
How do those groups differ in style?
No, I haven't. I only wish I had.

13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?
This seems to be the vast majority of women who have played with us, they were girlfriends of people in the group who were convinced to try the game. A lot of them didn't really take any interest in the game at all, they just showed up each week and did what was required of them.

14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?
Nope, none of that really. I know my ex-gf and I had a lot of arguements about her not paying attention to the game and me recommending she didn't play if she didn't want to.

15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?
Nope, I have never seen this.

16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why? Could this be also to the benefit of the gaming, e.g. problemes are being dicussed rather that ignored?
Nope, all our female gamers have pretty much been silent/not paying attention types, they never said anything so they couldn't cause arguements.

17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?
Well, yes, as I've said before. The difference seems to be that female gamers approach the game from a "I'm this person, I want to accurately simulate all potions of their life" point of view while the males are looking at it from the point of view of "I'm a big, bad orc with a huge axe, I want to save the world from ancient evil. Let's skip the rest...yes, I know I sleep, I'm assuming that part.." This has caused me to hear stories from female gamers where (in one extreme case of an all female gaming group) they had a "family tree" that showed the connections of all of the characters they had ever played and all the important NPCs in the campaign. They each played 6 or more characters each of which could say "Oh, her 3rd character? Yes, she's my 2nd cousin on my mother's side. Her 1st character? She's my lover." and hours spent role playing out awkward moments of players falling in love, using oil of slipperiness and a table to make a slip n' slide, etc. (yes, these are all stories told to me by actual female gamers, I'm not exaggerating or making things up)

 

[jonesy]

1. Two.
2. Entire gaming history? About 15-20%.
3. I haven't noticed any changes in the "style of play". That depends more on who's DMing (and I haven't noticed any changes in the DMing styles either).
4. Umm...not really. But then again most of the people I've gamed with have been heavy roleplayers anyway.
5. Nope. We had a female munchkin once. She got better.
6. Not any more than the males. Heavy roleplayers all like I said.
7. Umm...I don't.
8. It's perceived as a "game for boys", hence boys are more likely to check it out. I don't think there's a deeper reason to it.
9. Unable to answer that because of lack of experience dealing with players who aren't heavy roleplayers.
10. No idea.
11. I know male players like that who are still great players so the question is pointless.
12. Being a male, it's kind of hard for me to be in a game featuring only female players. But no, I've never seen a group of only female players.
13. I know only one female who became a gamer because of a boyfriend. And she knew him quite well prior to becoming a gamer.
14. If you mean "relationship break" as in "that couple broke up" then no.
15. Not really.
16. The opposite is true. I've seen less fights in groups with female players.
17. Not as far as I can tell.

Edit: I just realized that #16 answers #7 nicely.

 

[Steverooo]

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?

Zero.

2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?

About 50%.

3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?

They don't.

4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?

Not particularly, in my experience.

5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?

No.

6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?

No.

7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?

Having female players is nice.

8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?

Unsure. Perhaps because gaming is "unproductive"?

9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?

I have no experience with VtM, hence no idea.

10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?

No opinion.

11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?

No.

12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers? Did you (if so, how often percentage wise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?

No. Males only is more common (maybe half the time).

13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?

No. In my experience, husbands and wives often play, but both seem to enjoy it (and often the women more than the men).

14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?

No.

15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?

No.

16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why? Could this be also to the benefit of the gaming, e.g. problemes are being dicussed rather that ignored?

No. N/A. No.

17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?

No.

 

[cyferwolf]

1. Currently there are 4 which is a first since I've ever played. They just joined us this year.
2. probably 25% just going on a random sample at conventions and such.

3.I don't think the play style changes a huge amount, but some of the approaches are definately different, and some of them seem more willing and eager to do roleplaying.

4. I think some are and some aren't just like guys. I don't think there's any overall explanation other than personal preference.

5. Hell no! One of the female gamers in our group is an absolute monster with power gaming. in one encounter she single handedly wiped the floor with every single opponent on the map in one round!

6. Agian no, this goes by personal preference. A couple are really rules oriented and like to pwoergame, a couple are less rules oreinted and just like to play.

7.I think like any group with more diversity it can give people a broader exposure to many points of view, so it's a good thing.

8.Typical male geek sterotyping maybe? possible that there is some prediliction towards it due to societal expectations but those sorts of things seem to be falling away over the years.

9.I do tend to see more females involved in these games just looking around our campus, but overall I'd say the proportions aren't much different than dnd and other types of games.

10. If there are, I don't know of any.

11. No, most have managed to pick up at least the basics over time.

12. This year is really the first time I've played in a long term campaign with female gamers, So I guess 90% of my time has been spent iwth groups that are male only. I think this is mostly due to a lack of knowing any interested females at the time rahter than some lack of female roleplayers.

13. I knew one girl who played dnd mosly just becuase her boyfriend was dm, she was someone who normally only played storytellers. Other than that, most female gamner's I've met got into it on their own.

14. No thankfully, such drama hasn't occurred.


15.Not any more than males.

16. If there is its a very marginal increase simply due to having some more points of view. I think it provides more approaches to the game, which seems to provoke more thought and discusssion.

17. Some are, some aren't. for the most part I think it's by preference than anything.

 

[fusangite]

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?

One.

2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?

20-25%

3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?

I don't know what you mean by "style" here. Do they change the social dynamic of the group? Always. Do they change the priorities/behaviour of the party? About 25% of the time.

4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?

No. I think that if there are gender differences, my experience is that women are more drawn to character development, sometimes at the expense of story, than men are. But this is not universal -- only 3 of the 7 women I have worked with as players were like this.

5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?

I haven't found this. Now, admittedly, the one female player I had who was into the power gaming/maximizing thing didn't pursue her agenda rationally but that was, nevertheless, her agenda. Really, I've only worked with three male players who are into this and one woman which roughly corresponds to the ratio of male to female players I have worked with. But I wouldn't be surprised if in a larger sample your generalization was true; if so, I don't think we're dealing with any spectacular new social phenomenon. It's just how we're socialized. Women are encouraged to think in more qualitative terms and men in more quantitative terms. Women are socialized to hide or repress their competitiveness whereas men are socialized to express it.

6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?

Yes. I think that women have less incentive to learn the rules. Men are always happy to help them with the rules and expect them to need this help. Co-ed gaming has been around long enough that I think we can even see this as an expected aspect of this dynamic.

7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?

This is too big a question for me to answer here. Perhaps I'll return to it in a future post if this thread takes off

8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?

Being an RPG player is about being a geek. Male geeks are more socially valued and approved-of than female geeks. Quantitative games that simulate violence naturally attract males because both violent gaming and quantitative gaming are gendered male in our society right now.

9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?

Because they de-emphasize violent and quantitative aspects.

10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?

No idea.

11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?

(a) Because male players are highly unlikely to express displeasure when a woman doesn't know a rule and very likely to express displeasure when a man doesn't.
(b) Because men enjoy helping and expect to help female players with the rules.
(c) Explaining the rules stands in for opening doors, carrying books and other socially encouraged ways that males are supposed to assist females in a mutually gratifying way.
(d) In the case of the one player I'm referring to, the woman in question exhibits a hostility to or ineptitude with systematic thought in all aspects of her life.

12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers?

No.

Did you (if so, how often percentagewise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?

Yes. It was a weekly "guys' night" which featured superheroes, drinking and a sometimes a trip to the local strip bar after the game.

13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?

Yes. And lucky for us. I think heterosexual relationships with GMs probably still are the best recruiting tool our hobby has amongst the fair sex.

14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?

No. Except in one situation where an irrational player developed an intense unreciprocated crush on the GM. But that wasn't a relationship breaking up the game; that was some bad emotional mojo getting the player kicked out.

15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?

Maybe but I've never seen it.

16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why?

No. There is less. Female players exert a moderating influence making the male players behave more maturely and less aggressively.

17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?

It depends on the gamer. However, I would be prepared to say, using the Edwards GNS division that female players are more likely to be simulationists than males and males are more likely to be gamists than females.

 

[Turanil]

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?

2 female players and 4 male players.

2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?

I think that approximately 10% of all gamers I encountered were female.

3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?

When there is female players, male players tend to be less vulgar and cussing much less.

4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?

I didn't notice a difference between males and females there.

5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?

Not necessarily. However, they tend to be less "obsessed players", so tend to be less interested in game mechanics for the sake of gaining any advantage possible.

6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?

Not "ignorant" but often much less interested in them than males. Yet one of the current female roleplayer has actually a good knowledge of the rules.

7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?

It's not a matter of whether having female players in a rpg, but it's generally more pleasant (as far as I am concerned) to have both males and females in a social group.

8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?

I suppose that the idea of exploring ruins and killing creatures generally appeal much more to males than females. At least it was already the case when I was a child for the choice of children's games. But then I noticed that female gamers in my experience, loved much more playing Cthulhu than D&D hack'n'slash.

9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?

Yes (see my comment above).

10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?

I know too few games to guess.

11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?

No. Rules are easy to grasp eventually, even if you are not really interested in them.

12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers? Did you (if so, how often percentagewise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?
How do those groups differ in style?

I never played in (or heard about) games with only female roleplayers. I most of the time have played in groups 100% male roleplayers.

13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?

I have seen many female roleplayers come to the game because their boyfriend already was in it. Never seen a girl trying a rpg to get a boyfriend though.

14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?

No.

15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?

No.

16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why? Could this be also to the benefit of the gaming, e.g. problemes are being dicussed rather that ignored?

No.

17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?

No.

 

[der_kluge]

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?

Currently 1. Last campaign 1.


2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?

Probably around 33%


3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?

In groups I have been in in the past without females, the guys tend to be more vulgar, and make more sexual references in the game. With females, the guys tend to be a bit more subdued with regards to OOC jokes and references. With regards to the game-play itself, I haven't observed any changes.


4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?

Not any moreso than so guys. I've also known really munchkiny, powergamer girls. So, no.


5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?

I don't think so. See above.


6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?

Many of the females I've known are somewhat ignorant of the rules. I think this has many reasons, including the "girlfriend" syndrome, where they get into the game because of a boyfriend/spouse, and don't actually own their own book. I think girls tend to learn more by observation, and experience, versus reading the rule books thoroughly. This has been my experience, and only reflects those girls that I have gamed with, though.


7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?

I think girls can add some unique role-playing situations to the group. I'm certain that female can probably role-play a girl better than I can.


8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?

This has been debated a lot. I think it has to do with the mechanical aspect of the game, and the historical/wargaming roots of the system.


9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?

I think they do, at least I've noticed a lot of females play things like Vampire. I think those games attract more females because they involve more social interaction.


10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?

Of systems I've played, I don't think I've ever met a female BattleTech player.


11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?

No, not really. But then, I've not gamed with any group for more than about 2-4 years at a time.


12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers? Did you (if so, how often percentagewise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?
How do those groups differ in style?

I have played in guy-only groups. No female-only groups. In mixed groups versus guy-only groups, I've not noticed any difference in style.


13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?

Yes, I think a lot of female gamers get into the hobby through a boy they know. And I know at least one girl that had a psychotic crush on me (we didn't call her psycho Sally without a reason), and I'm fairly certain she played in my game a few times because of that.


14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?

No.


15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?

I have seen this. One of the female players in my last group commented that she loved "personal mysteries", i.e., things about her character that were mysterious that she could cling to and reveal at some critical point in the game later on down the road. In fact, she couldn't play an "open-book" kind of character.


16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why? Could this be also to the benefit of the gaming, e.g. problemes are being dicussed rather that ignored?

I have not noticed this.


17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?

I have not noticed one.

 

[WayneLigon]

1. How many female roleplayers do you have presently in your campaign(s)?
One

2. Percentagewise, with how many females did you share your hobby in your own gaming history so far in comparison to the males?
About 2.3%

3. How do female roleplayers change the style of play in your groups?
Not a great deal.

4. Do you think that female roleplayers are more drawn in to the storytelling aspect of the game? If so, why?
The majority of the ones I've played with are more interested in the interaction aspect than they combat aspect, but with such a small sample I can't say that it would be a definate proof of anything. I've also known female RPG'ers to love combat. The female in my current group loves playing 'the brick' or figuring out her most efficient spell allotment for the day as much as she likes getting into character.

5. Do you think that female roleplayers are more or less immune to powergaming/maximizing? If so, why?
Heck, no.

6. Do you think that female roleplayers are generally ignorant about the rules, concentrating more on the stories and the roleplaying itself?
Not at all. I've known some that prefer someone else handle all the rules. I know one whose favorite system was Rolemaster, and she knew it backwards and forwards. And not your wimpy modern Rolemaster, either. She desiogns GURPS vehicles, for God's sake. I've also known one that, after four years of playing the same character, never knew what her Perception roll was.

7. Where do you see advantages/disadvantages of a group that features some/majority/none female roleplayers?
In general, the more enjoyable groups I've been a part of have had at least one female gamer. Never been a part of a group where they were the majority. I see no disadvantage. I see, in general, that a group with a female player will be somewhat more inclined to stay on track and roleplay more, but that could be just that female seem more attracted to quality RPG groups than the other way around. They tend not to play if there is only bad play to be had, whereas most (but of course not all) males will sometimes just say 'heck with it' and game with a sub-par group.

8. Why do you think that male roleplayers are the vast majority in the hobby?
I wish I knew the answer to that question.

9. Do you think that socalled "Storytelling Games" like e.g. "Vampire" draw more female roleplayers to their genre than traditional roleplaying games like D&D? If so, why?
Yes. I have no idea why, unless it's because in some ways more 'storytelling' games go out of their way to attact female gamers..

10. Are there systems/settings out there in your estimation that are completely devoid of female roleplayers? If so, why?
I would highly doubt that. There is as much variation among women as among men, so I'm sure that every system out there has female participants. Except perhaps FATAL, which just proves that they are the smarter sex, after all.

11. Do you know female gamers, that, even after some years of play, have only miniscule/no knowledge of even the simplest rules? If so, why?
Only one. I have no idea why. She originally came with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend didn't last but about ten weeks. She stayed on for four years. But she never learned more than the most basic rules. As in, she knew how many dice she had for an attack, and how to do 'to hit' but that was about it.

12. Did you ever play in groups that only featured female gamers? Did you (if so, how often percentagewise) play in a group that only featured male gamers?
How do those groups differ in style?
No, I've never been in an all female group. I have very frequently been in a group of all males. Perhaps 99% of the groups I've been in have been all-male.

13. Do you think a lot of female gamers are drawn into the hobby because their boyfriends are already playing it, or they want to get to know a boy better in the group, rather than out of personal interest?
I've only known one woman that joined because her boyfriend played. He stopped, but she continued, so obviously it her interest in gaming had nothing to do with him. He just happened to introduce her to it.

14. Have you ever seen relationships break in a group, maybe even while playing? If so, why?
No.

15. Do you think that female gamers are more prone to draw private problems/conflicts into the actual roleplaying than males? If so, why?
No.

16. Is there generally more quarreling in a group that features some female gamers? If so, why? Could this be also to the benefit of the gaming, e.g. problemes are being dicussed rather that ignored?
There is usually less quarreling in general.

17. Do you think that the general approach of a female gamer is different from a male gamer? If so, how?
Somewhat, but I haven't known that many female gamers. With such a small sample it's difficult to really make any conclusions. I think they approach gaming differently, but then women approach many problems differently than men, in general. If I knew the hows and whys of that difference, I'd be writing bestsellers.