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Author Topic: Women's RPGs?  (Read 6956 times)

ConanMK

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Women's RPGs?
« Reply #15 on: September 19, 2008, 10:34:37 AM »
Thanks for the examples. Lots of Indie games so far, plus Nobilis. I forgot about Nobilis.

Quote from: Jason Morningstar;249322
Lisa J. Steele's[/URL] written a bunch of stuff for GURPS.


But she didn't write GURPS. I was wondering about RPGs, not supplements. Your other examples fit though. Awesome Adventures looks interesting.

noisms

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« Reply #16 on: September 19, 2008, 11:30:33 AM »
Quote from: Koltar;249308
Whats really interesting (maybe unusual) we're starting to get women gamers who are trying, then playing WARHAMMER 40K on our terrain tables. They seem to get a kick out of beating the guys at the game. (doesn't happen every game)


I wouldn't be able to not let a woman win in a situation like that. Maybe that's horribly sexist, I dunno. I suppose it would depend on how hot she was.
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Saphim

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« Reply #17 on: September 19, 2008, 11:31:18 AM »
Quote from: gleichman;249309
That was always my impression.

My own campaigns seem popular with women, almost always across the decades have had a good percentage of female players (1/3 to 1/2). But those aren't "aimed" at them as such.


I'm starting a new vampire game currently and 3 of the 4 players are female. I think the books of miss rice have a lot to do with that.
I would never get them to play anything like GURPS, Dungeons and Dragons or RIFTS.
Sci Fi is a rather big turnoff for most of them as is Dungeons and Dragons - even though two of them like the fighting they don't like "standard fantasy" as in lord of the rings or a song of ice and fire. GURPS they never heard of, but really, imho people are better off not having heard of it - terrible system.
 

Idinsinuation

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« Reply #18 on: September 19, 2008, 11:43:13 AM »
Of any game I've ever run Vampire always attracted the most attention from girls who were new to gaming.  A lot of them made Toreador.  I think Anne Rice definitely had something to do with almost every case but I never ran Vampire with a heavy focus on fancy clothes and tea parties.  Vampires eat people, it's what they do.  They're zombies with better looking bodies.  I always focused on the monstrous side of the game.  After a few sessions the games were more popular with guys, although I did have one female friend play a bitchin' Tzimisce.

EDIT:  I guess I should add that a lot of other games ended up appealing to the female gamers in my groups more than Vampire after we tried new things.  DnD, Unknown Armies, and Call of Cthulhu all were very well recieved by the ladies.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2008, 11:52:48 AM by Idinsinuation »
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GrimJesta

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« Reply #19 on: September 19, 2008, 12:40:42 PM »
The girls in my game like Hackmaster. Seriously. They're some bloodthirsty bitches, too. Good thing they never took advantage of their Hackmaster Association memberships or there'd have been some throw downs at the tourneys. Maybe some in the game too. I think if I tried to get them to play a game with ponies or anything they'd make them cannibalistic ponies that want all the hay for themselves, probably with Contacts: Glue Factory to remove their foes.

Nothing is worse than getting the "Girl pissed off glare" in unison from three women because of a GM call you made. It's fucking intimidating.

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Dr Rotwang!

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« Reply #20 on: September 19, 2008, 12:54:34 PM »
I'm not sure we need game titles aimed at women.  I think we just need to run games with our particular female players' tastes in mind.

For instance, the three things that my wife most enjoys in gameplay are, in no particular order:
  • Character interaction;
  • Fantastic situations/settings; and
  • beating the shit outta bad guys.
When you consider that none of those aspects or activities is unique to any one certain published title, setting or system, the idea comes quickly: "Well, hell, I'll just run a game with all the elements she wants to enjoy."  

If your girl likes pink ponies, well...there's room for 'em in lots of games, so stick 'em in.
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Serious Paul

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« Reply #21 on: September 19, 2008, 12:59:00 PM »
Wasn't Dragonlance written primarily by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman? My wife, and a lot of her friends love the series. Maybe that's just anecdotal on my part, but I've also noticed that in my area (Grand Rapids) there seem to be a lot of women who like D&D, Vampire, and something called BeSM. (I don't know what that is.)

I guess I figure the gender divide shouldn't be important to game designer, rather just designing excellent games should be their priority. People will play a quality product regardless of their gender, or other individual factors.

ConanMK

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« Reply #22 on: September 19, 2008, 01:03:55 PM »
Quote from: Serious Paul;249372
in my area (Grand Rapids)


No kidding. My brother lives in Grand Rappids MI. I'm up north in Mount Pleasant.

The Yann Waters

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« Reply #23 on: September 19, 2008, 01:05:00 PM »
Quote from: Serious Paul;249372
(I don't know what that is.)

Big Eyes, Small Mouth: a generic anime RPG based on the Tri-Stat system. There have been three editions of the game, and it's also compatible with Sailor Moon RPG which I happen to own.
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Serious Paul

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« Reply #24 on: September 19, 2008, 01:05:13 PM »
Yup, we have a pretty decent game scene here. (I think.) It's definitely growing.

Age of Fable

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« Reply #25 on: September 19, 2008, 01:33:09 PM »
Likes the pink ponies does she ay? Ay? Ay? Pink ponies eh guv? Phwoaar. Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more.

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Idinsinuation

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« Reply #26 on: September 19, 2008, 02:01:49 PM »
Quote from: Dr Rotwang!;249370
I'm not sure we need game titles aimed at women.  I think we just need to run games with our particular female players' tastes in mind.

I agree with you there, I don't even think we need to necessarily focus on "particular female players' tastes" but instead just focus on running well rounded games that appeal to a variety of tastes.

That's why I don't run Vampire anymore, I just suck at running what could be considered a well rounded Vampire game.
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JongWK

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« Reply #27 on: September 19, 2008, 02:25:15 PM »
Once again, Dr Rotwang! speaks the Truth.

Oh, and you keep that wife until the end of time, you hear me? ;)
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KrakaJak

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« Reply #28 on: September 19, 2008, 03:28:53 PM »
Just a note:

Rebecca Borgstrom has done much work in Exalted and other mainstream games as well.
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Silverlion

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« Reply #29 on: September 19, 2008, 04:10:47 PM »
My groups tend to have women. They love the games I run usually. It doesn't matter the system. (Although one has said she likes simpler systems, and wants to know "everything she can do", in some games like D&D4E.)

The most popular I've seen in my years of gaming was White Wolf's Vampire. Followed by D&D.

Now, I'm not sure that's a fair way of looking at it, is very few women I've known got into RPG's on their own, they were mostly influenced by the people around them. From my soon to be 9 year old niece, on up to the 69 year old woman who once shopped for D&D at the bookstore I had been employed at.

Now some Forgie games try and focus on a specific audience (more specific than just Forgie gamers.) I don't know how effective that has been.
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