# Anyone ever play with a female DM?



## Bloosquig (Jun 16, 2007)

Recently I was pushing my son's stroller around in circles to keep him asleep while my wife was shopping and for some reason I suddenly realized that I've never played with a female DM.  I've never even HEARD of a female being interested in DM'ing though I've played with several females before.  Just curious if this was just me and wanted to give a nod to all the girl gamers out there for fighting the good fight.


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## Jeysie (Jun 16, 2007)

Well...

I've been a PC for two female DMs, and I've done the DM bit myself, though in all three cases real life reared its ugly (in one case, very ugly) head before we got to finish any of the campaigns.

I also know some other females who like to DM. So... we're/they're out there. 

Peace & Luv, Liz


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## Angel Tarragon (Jun 16, 2007)

Yeppers. There are two females in our group that like to take up the mantle every once in a while.


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## Bront (Jun 16, 2007)

Regularly.


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## Agamon (Jun 16, 2007)

I've played D&D with a number of women, but no female DMs.  But then, I DM 80% of the time I play, so it's not surprising.


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## BOZ (Jun 16, 2007)

i've never played D&D with a female DM, but i would if the situation came up - we have 1 regular female player in our group, plus a newby and an infrequent shower-upper, so who knows what will come in the future.

the closest i came was a female friend of mine who ran a short-lived Changeling campaign.


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## delericho (Jun 16, 2007)

Not D&D, but I did play in a Changeling campaign run by a girl. The campaign started well, but gradally fell apart as she ran out of ideas... which is no different than so many of the campaigns I have run.


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## Pbartender (Jun 16, 2007)

My wife DMs quite often and quite regularly.


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## Sound of Azure (Jun 16, 2007)

Twice. 

One was pretty awful (and uncomfortable to be around in general), but the other was the best darned Werewolf Storyteller I've ever met.

Most of the female gamers I've met were player only, though. Same thing with male gamers, now that I think about it.


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## Mycanid (Jun 16, 2007)

Yes ... but that was some time ago.


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## The_Warlock (Jun 16, 2007)

One of my best friends is female and has run several games, was a frequent GM during cons at her college, and maintains one D&D campaign that's been going on for at LEAST the last 16 years...So yes. 

There have been others, but mostly just for one shots or Changeling LARP GMs...


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## megamania (Jun 16, 2007)

I was about to enter "Yes" automatically then stopped.   Many players but a DM?   After about 16 years of playing I have only ONCE played when a female DMed.   That is so....odd.


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## Gilladian (Jun 17, 2007)

Does it count if I'm the DM? I've been Dming for about 30 years.

I've played with several female friends DMing for shorter term campaigns; several Call of Cthulhu, a couple DnD, and one Supers. They've always been great.


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## DaveMage (Jun 17, 2007)

Never have.  I would love the opportunity.


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## SteelDraco (Jun 17, 2007)

I've had women in my games for most of my gaming history, but most of them don't have much desire to run a game. Currently, of the four women I game with, one doesn't have time to run a game, another doesn't have the confidence in her gaming skills, another doesn't have the interest, and the last doesn't think she's a very good GM. I'm sure she'd do a good job, and is the assistant GM for her husband. She does most of the bookkeeping for the entire group, making character sheets and doing all the treasure distribution.

The one woman I've played under ran a very hack-n-slash, old-school kind of game. It wasn't really my cup of tea, honestly, but that didn't have a thing to do with her gender - it was her gaming style. I ran a game with her in it for a while, but we didn't mesh too well that way, either.


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## BlueBlackRed (Jun 18, 2007)

Played D&D with women, but never had D&D run by a woman.

Other games yes, but D&D no.


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## kenobi65 (Jun 18, 2007)

Yes.  Just last night, in fact.

I've played D&D with quite a few women over the years (including my wife, and both of my former girlfriends).  And, I've played with a number of female DMs, most of whom were pretty good at it.


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## DungeonmasterCal (Jun 18, 2007)

Used to play DC Heroes with a female GM regularly.  Good times, good times.


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## Doctor DM (Jun 18, 2007)

Yeah I have, it was the Everquest RPG, and it was really bad. She was too focused on making her NPC's seem really cool, and tried to make it to much like a video game.

Not in a hurry to do it again. Allthough I've played with plenty of bad male DM's too.


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## Glyfair (Jun 18, 2007)

Never in a campaign.  Once I played in a sci-fi campaign (it might have been _Fading Suns_) with a female co-GM.  However, the main GM was male (and no, there was no relationship, romantic or familial, between the two GMs).

I have played a few one-offs with female DMS, but that was a long time ago (80s).


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## Harmon (Jun 18, 2007)

My first GM (back then she was called a DM) was female.

My wife has GMed in the past, but not for a while, and not regular like.

At a con a few years back I played in an Exalted game GMed by a female.

They are just like male GMs- some good and some bad.


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## Olaf the Stout (Jun 18, 2007)

I have gamed with females a couple of times.  The vast majority of my gaming has been a total sausage-fest though.   

Olaf the Stout


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## the Jester (Jun 18, 2007)

Yes, several- whether regular campaigns, one-shots or convention games, whether dnd or other games- I have played under female dms/gms.


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## Thunderfoot (Jun 20, 2007)

Yes, but then she slapped me...

JUST KIDDING.
Actually the lovely Alenda DM;d a game last GenCon, that I thought was particularly kick butt.  SO yes.
Also, there are currently five female players in my current campaign.


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## was (Jun 20, 2007)

Yes....two...and they were good DMs.


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## Jesus_marley (Jun 20, 2007)

The last game I played in was DMed by a female. Actually, come to think of it, I was the only dude in the room for that game. Me and 4 chicks.... sweet....


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## Piratecat (Jun 20, 2007)

I've played with 20 or 30 female DMs. Probably more, but 30 seems about right.

*buries head in hands* Oh God, I'm such a D&D slut!


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## Ferret (Jun 20, 2007)

Never, but I've not played much D&D tbh...  

Played with girls once, her friend told her to quit, so she did. :\


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## Merkuri (Jun 20, 2007)

There's no option for "I _am_ a female DM!"

Well, technically I'm not, but I keep thinking about putting together an Eberron PbP game.


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## awayfarer (Jun 20, 2007)

Piratecat said:
			
		

> I've played with 20 or 30 female DMs. Probably more, but 30 seems about right.
> 
> *buries head in hands* Oh God, I'm such a D&D slut!




Remember, when you game with a particular DM, you're also gaming with everyone else they've ever gamed with.


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## werk (Jun 20, 2007)

No option for _tried_...


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## Wombat (Jun 20, 2007)

I have yet to have a female GM.

Then again, I am GM for about 90+% of the game I am in, so there is a bit of a limiting factor...

I _have_ run games with multiple female players, though, including one mini-campaign (6 episodes) where the women outnumbered the men at the table (3::2).


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## Aurora (Jun 20, 2007)

I think if this poll was broken down into cons vs. weekly gaming, the outcome would probably be different. The only time I have ever gamed with another chick is at a gameday, and she wasn't DMing. I have never tried my hand at DMing and considering everyone I game with has been doing it like 15+ years and I have only been doing it for 5, I don't think I would feel comfortable doing so. 

Anyone who has been to a con or a gameday probably has not only gamed with a female, but may have also played in a female DM's game. 

Wanted to make it the whole time to Gencon this year, but seeing as I will be just shy of 9 mos pregnant, that's not gonna happen. Hopefully a day trip though


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## Atavar (Jun 20, 2007)

I've never played under a female DM, but one of the female players in my old Planescape campaign did run some D&D games for my other players (I couldn't join them because I had a brand new daughter that was much more important to me  ).

From what I heard elements of her games kind of disturbed the other players.  She was (and probably still is) a very sweet person, but she had some sick (in a cool way) ideas that she threw into her games.  The one I remember most is this weaving device that would slowly suck a living being into it, tortuously tearing apart his or her flesh, and weave the flesh into beautiful-looking tapestries to decorate the BBEG's home.  And he had a LOT of tapestries.

Very cool idea, made all the more disturbing by coming from the mind of such a sweet person.

Later,

Atavar


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## Rafael Ceurdepyr (Jun 20, 2007)

I've only had a female DM once, for a one-shot (and it was her first time--she did a great job), but I am a female DM, so maybe that counts too.


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## DaveMage (Jun 20, 2007)

Aurora said:
			
		

> Wanted to make it the whole time to Gencon this year, but seeing as I will be just shy of 9 mos pregnant, that's not gonna happen. Hopefully a day trip though




If you happen to give birth to a girl during the con, you could name her "Connie."  (Or Connor, for a boy, of course.)

....just trying to help.


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## kenobi65 (Jun 20, 2007)

DaveMage said:
			
		

> If you happen to give birth to a girl during the con, you could name her "Connie."  (Or Connor, for a boy, of course.)
> 
> ....just trying to help.




I think "Geneva" (Gen for short) would be more appropriate.


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## ssampier (Jun 23, 2007)

Never. I have gamed with a few women, though.



			
				DaveMage said:
			
		

> If you happen to give birth to a girl during the con, you could name her "Connie."  (Or Connor, for a boy, of course.)
> 
> ....just trying to help.




Indy would work for a boy. Plus you have the obvious Indiana Jones connection.


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## DaveMage (Jun 23, 2007)

ssampier said:
			
		

> Never. I have gamed with a few women, though.
> 
> 
> 
> Indy would work for a boy. Plus you have the obvious Indiana Jones connection.




We named the DOG, Indiana....


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## Bloosquig (Jun 24, 2007)

awayfarer said:
			
		

> Remember, when you game with a particular DM, you're also gaming with everyone else they've ever gamed with.




This is known as the Kevin Bacon law.    

And I should have thrown in a "I AM a girl dm" option it looks like oh well.


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## ssampier (Jun 24, 2007)

DaveMage said:
			
		

> We named the DOG, Indiana....




Written like a true Indiana Jones Geek. I applaud you.


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 25, 2007)

Yes
&
but I have played with girls before.


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## Roadkill101 (Jun 26, 2007)

Can't say as I've ever had a female GM.  In 26 years of gaming I'm personally aware of only one female who ran any kind of game.  An ex-wife of a buddy of mine, I missed the experience due to a heavy workload at the time, but I hate her guts, so it's probably a good thing I missed 'cause I'd have been an extremely disruptive player.  Of my other friends who did experience her game, I've never heard any comments except from the one who was married to her (and his comments were biased, IMO).


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## Scotley (Jun 26, 2007)

I voted 'yes' but I've only been in a handful of face to face sessions over the years with female DM's. I don't think my wife, who is not a gamer would be thrilled with the idea. "I'm going over to a woman's house to play some games Friday night dear. Um, its okay she's a Dungeon Master..." 

There are some female DM's who run good play by post games here at ENWorld as well. At least I think they are female. As in Thanee's case you can't judge by the avatar.


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## Halivar (Jun 27, 2007)

Played with girls frequently. DM'ing? Never.

The closest I've come is when we were running a game at our FLGS, and the table next to us (they're regulars, too) invited a girl in to start a campaign. I don't think we even got anything done in our game, as we were too engrossed in the hormonal spectacle occurring at the other table.

"If you didn't _say_ you were buying rations, then you *didn't* buy rations and now you're _starving_!"

"What? If you don't have your material components listed, then you can't cast spells!"

"If you *ever* question my authority again, I am going home!"

We never saw her again.


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## crazy_monkey1956 (Jun 27, 2007)

My wife has DMed in the past.  She prefers to play these days though, which is fine because I've been on a DM-only kick for the past few years.

Past game groups have included several married couples, but only one of the wives besides mine ever tried to run anything (Werewolf: The Apocalypse)...and that didn't go so well.


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## Stormborn (Jun 28, 2007)

Pretty much if I am not running a game then I am playing with female DM. 



			
				Halivar said:
			
		

> Played with girls frequently. DM'ing? Never.
> 
> The closest I've come is when we were running a game at our FLGS, and the table next to us (they're regulars, too) invited a girl in to start a campaign. I don't think we even got anything done in our game, as we were too engrossed in the hormonal spectacle occurring at the other table.




Not trying to pick a fight here, but I have seen and heard of pleanty of male DMs who do the exact same thing.  It has nothing to do with hormones, gender, or phases of the moon and everything to do with poor social skills and misplaced values.   All it means is that a woman can be just as bad a DM as any man.  

Or just as good.

Or better.


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## Bloosquig (Jun 29, 2007)

Yeah I can't see as how there would be a difference between females and males DM'ing or playing.  There are good and bad players of both sexes.  Just different plumbing is all.


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## Varianor Abroad (Jun 30, 2007)

Yeah. Why is this a topic for discussion? My old gaming group had more female DMs than male DMs. The point was good gaming, not the sex of the person behind the screen.


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## Bloosquig (Jun 30, 2007)

I didn't want this to become a battle of the sexes.  I was just curious if anyone else's experiences were different then my own.  That is that I had played with many girls but never seen one interested in DM'ing and thought it unusual since they were all great players.  No offense to anyone was meant by anything.


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