Is D&D and other tabletop-RPGs "unpopular" with girls?

[IxionIndustries]

My friends and I, we have had a wonderful D&D campaign going along. We have fought psychic fish, met with John Goodman, and have even ridden horse-birds (Chocobos) accross the land, fighting evil.

However, our group consists of just us four, and we're all guys. Now, we have told of our escapades to friends and family, and peaked some of their interest, but we don't know them well enough to bring them into the fold. One of my closest friends, on the other hand, was extremely interested.

I have known this girl since we were toddlers, and she has moved to Delaware in the past years. Since we have had no real reason to struggle with using OpenRPG for our D&D games, we figured a far off party member would be the perfect reason to, since I tend to ***** about moving around a whole lot on the weekend.

So I have tried again and again to get her in, and each time she has given me different reasons for not wanting to even try or watch.
"It seems too complex."
"It's not too complicated, I'll help you learn."

"This seems more like something to do face-to-face."
"Yes, but through voice-chat over our Skype accounts, it'll be the same thing."

Giving up, I talked one of my other female friends into playing, her having been an RPer and such for ages, and she wanted to try it out, so she had been added.

When I went for my final attempt to try and convince my friend in Delaware, she declined as usual, and I had told her that though we would enjoy her presence, we have a back-up girl anyways.

She then said "Hm.. Well I guess it's as unpopular with the ladies as I thought.".

Now for the discussion, and this is especially to you girl gamers out there:

Do D&D and other tabletop games repel you like some kind of toxic nerd-stench?

Have you ever been in a group with a lot of other women?

About how many of the ladies find such games "Too nerdy for words", and how many actually partake?

Note, I do know the obvious that yes, girls do play. My mother, her friends, and many others used to play for ages. But I wish to know how many.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I used to play D&D with my friends and fiance. She was always the half-orc barbarian.
"Why should I place 2 skill points into literacy when I can stick 'em into intimidate and make people read things for me." Best line ever.

 

[Pegghead]

While there aren't any women in my little D&D circle I've seen them playing it at conventions and such.

Plus just look at "I hit it with my axe", actually don't because that show's shit.

 

[CloakedOne]

you just have to look in all the right places. At one point, I had an rp group that was 100% girls (consisting of 5) for a year. You talk to a girl who likes it then she brings in a friend and so on and so forth. it's just like rping males: you have to know who to talk to. Simple as that!

 

[Socken]

I have played AD&D and Vampire: The Masquerade with a girl and I Hit It With My Axe (great show btw) is about a group of girls (or porn actresses, but girls nonetheless), but in general I guess it depends on where you're from. While it's certainly more of a guy thing I haven't met a lot of girls who were "repelled" by it. Most girls I know just have no idea what to think of it.

 

[Amnestic]

I used to play D&D with my friends and fiance. She was always the half-orc barbarian.
"Why should I place 2 skill points into literacy when I can stick 'em into intimidate and make people read things for me." Best line ever.

Creative solutions to very basic problems. Love it

 

[bojac6]

My group is about a 1:1 ratio. It varies, but right now its 2 girls and 2 guys who are regulars and then off and on with a 3-4 other guys and 2 other girls. Well, 3 guys if you count the GM (and I guess you should). I know more there were more girls who wanted in than guys (we were pretty full with 8 people for a while, now we've lost some and looking for fill ins).

In my experience, its all social. Girls who pursue more girly things will avoid it because they feel embarrassed and pressured socially. It's weird. I know a girl who had a major crush on one of players, but she wouldn't do it because she was afraid he would think less of her for gaming. Even when he said his ideal girl would game with him, she seemed to think it was a trap and told me that boys don't really want girls to do that sort of thing.

Girls who do whatever they want tend to enjoy it. Both of our regular girls are in the bio-medical industry, I think there may be a connection there.

 

[LogicNProportion]

Because the guys in the party often charisma check/etc the girl character into sleeping with them. It's true. I've seen it sooooo many times.

We still have 2-3 girls who have played, one being my sister, and they've all had their good times, and bad times.

Overall, I have seen many girls who play at conventions, school, etc. Like someone said earlier, it depends on where you look.

PS. Natalie Portman loves some D&D.

 

[JPH330]

I think tabletop RPGs are unpopular in general.

That's not to say I don't think they're fun. I still play D&D every once in awhile. But they aren't exactly mainstream at the moment.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I used to play D&D with my friends and fiance. She was always the half-orc barbarian.
"Why should I place 2 skill points into literacy when I can stick 'em into intimidate and make people read things for me." Best line ever.

Creative solutions to very basic problems. Love it

Yeah, except it completely backfired on her when she solved a riddle but had failed to ask someone to read it out for her. She would have got a massive chunk of XP for it too.

 

[Shanannara]

I love playing tabletop RPGs. I belong to a gaming club in my home town and there are quite a few of us girls. Admittedly, there are waaaaaay more men but there are enough girls that I don't feel like a freak being there.

 

[IxionIndustries]

I don't play tabletop RPG's myself, but of those sessions that I have been to, it seems to have a fairly 50/50 split between boys and girls. Of course, the girls were all sort of tomboyish.

LARPing seems to be the same, from the limited amount I've seen of it.

 

[Iwata]

My girlfriend has a ginormous Eldar army, and played Warmachine before I even knew her. Not RPG's, but tabletop games nonetheless.

 

[ace_of_something]

My wife plays D&D (she did before we even met) The group I've been gaming with since 1990 contains two females.
Most RPGA games I've been at have one or two females. It's definitely male dominated don't get me wrong but I've been seeing girl's play D&D/Pen and Paper games for 20 years now it just doesn't catch my attention.

 

[eruwenfuin]

Do D&D and other tabletop games repel you like some kind of toxic nerd-stench?

Have you ever been in a group with a lot of other women?

About how many of the ladies find such games "Too nerdy for words", and how many actually partake?

Note, I do know the obvious that yes, girls do play. My mother, her friends, and many others used to play for ages. But I wish to know how many.

1. No it doesn't. However, being the only girl in a group of men can be intimidating, especially when you're the "noob". Of course that lasts up and until the point you get to know them and realize, they're just as nerdy as you are .

2. Yes....but not with DnD . Just movie marathons. (We're planning on including some dudes into that particular group. Tell me as a man, or other male posters, is the reverse also intimidating?)

3. I've never really played tabletop games, simply because I haven't found any groups yet. I'd love to play D&D sometime, because it sounds quite intriguing and complex. I must admitt though that initially I didn't have such a positive view of these tabletop RPGs. A brother of one of my friends plays warhammer and has an extensive collection, but sadly he fit all the stereotypical "nerd" criteria (including the real toxic stench) and screwed with my perceptions a bit. But after spending a few years being a geek with MMORPGS, with a few of my female friends, and knitting, I've gained some appreciation for people who are really into their hobbies.

 

[soilent]

There are more women in my D&D circle than men, you just need to NOT play over skype, as that is retarded.

 

[Zer_]

Not when you're Vin Diesel.

 

[Orbert]

My group was like 4 girls and one guy. With my friends, the girls have always been much more reliable than the guys.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

My girlfriend's sister (who recently got a modelling contract) has an Orc WH40K army that's the size of the moon and plays WoW. She might play D&D but I'm not sure.

I guess rules are meant to be broken (spectacularly), but you are generally right.

 

[KEM10]

I had told her that though we would enjoy her presence, we have a back-up girl anyways.

I guess I am the one to do this. It's not that it is a deterrent for women, but you were selling it as she was special and now there is someone else to take it over for her, eliminating the special treatment.

And why stop at one girl? We had a campaign that had three women in it, yes there were six or seven guys also in it, but it was how you sold it not what it was.