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Being a woman and being a role-player makes one part of a minority, but does not make one a rarity. This is especially true for many of the more socially-oriented games, but not necessarily. Female players may be playing the erudite artisan of the vampire court one night and having fun slicing up orcs in a game of old-fashioned Dungeons & Dragons the next.

The danger of discussing women in role-playing as a rarity is that it sets them apart even further than they already are. They become both more and less than the male players. They are often defined by their gender and can add a strange dynamic to a previously all-male game. Suddenly sex appeal and attraction might be an issue, both in and out of character. This may be a problem, because the male players may feel uncomfortable with the change to the dynamic and the female players may feel that they are being seen as someone's next date when they just want to storm the castle and kill that pesky dragon like everyone else.

However, responsible and mature players understand that the interplay of gender can better the game. Love affairs, sexual desire, they have a place in the stories that are told in role-playing games, especially in settings such as White Wolf's World of Darkness, which focuses on personal horror and emphasizes the darker nature of humanity. Passionate and dramatic love stories can be told between two friends who, out of character, feel no romantic attraction for each other.

However, it is not true that female players bring only love stories and greater social interplay to a game. Such a statement would be a disservice to both female and male players. What female players bring is a different perspective, even when playing a male character.

The responsibility of the female player is to not use their gender to manipulate. Women are often outnumbered in a game and often receive a great deal of attention from their male cohorts. The female player is at her best when playing smart and not expecting special treatment.

The male player's responsibility is to treat the female player as an equal. She is not less intelligent if she does not have the rules memorized - or watch out, she might know them better than you do.

Just play. See what people bring to the table. Let new perspectives take stories past what they could have been.

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