Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the D&D Game

by Shelly Mazzanoble

Most Dungeons & Dragons game players are men, yet storytelling and roleplaying come so naturally to women. So where are all the female gamers? The answer is - everywhere!

Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress is a smart, humorous examination of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game from a female gamer's point of view. The book delves into the myths and realities of gamer stereotypes. It explains how to build a character for a D&D game, how to shop for gear, how to play, and how to find the perfect gaming group, all the while exploring the things that make the D&D game a rewarding and recurring social experience for both men and women.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gaming, Humor, Memoir, Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2007

About the author

About a million years ago, Shelly Mazzanoble had a short story published in a literary magazine called Whetstone. They paid her $50 which she used to purchase a keg and threw a great big party.

Motivated by her strong desire to curate menus for cocktail parties and her friends’ penchant for drinking free beer, Shelly has gone on to publish short stories and essays in Carve, The Seattle Times, Scary Mommy, In the Powder Room, and has been syndicated on popular websites such as Blunt Moms and BlogHer, where she has been named a featured writer. She writes a regular column called Mom in the Middle for the Seattle-based parenting resource organization PEPs (Program for Early Parent Support) where she seeks to scare daunt forewarn enlighten new parents about the terrors joys of parenthood.

Not wanting to completely waste the theater degree procured from lovely Ithaca College, she removed all the narrative from that first published short story and turned it into a one-act play. Blue Malls, starring Shelly herself, was produced in Seattle’s Mae West Fest XIII. Due to the anxiety dreams still plaguing her, she did not star, support or even understudy in her play, The Chicken & the Egg (also originally a short-story), which was produced in Mae West Fest IV and later Manhattan Theatre Source’s Estrogenius Festival.

In 2006, Shelly was introduced to the roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons, while working for Wizards of the Coast. She’s still bitter that no one introduced her to this game earlier as her imaginary friends and innate desire to lie tell stories would have been put to good use. Her book, Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girls Guide to the Dungeons and Dragons Game published by Wizards of the Coast, was nominated for an Origins Award and won an ENnies Award— the annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying gaming. Confessions has been translated into Japanese with the far superior title of, On Mondays I’m a Wizard (even though her game was on Wednesdays) and has been required reading in college classes focusing on game design and theory. Her second book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons: One Woman’s Quest to Trade Self-Help for Elf-Help was nominated for an Origins Award and has the distinct honor of being read by at least six of her non-D&D playing friends. Shelly really loves writing books with very long titles. In fact, she is at work on another book with a very long title. Sadly it does not include a dungeon or a dragon but it does include a toddler and several uses of the term “lady parts.” (TMI? Just wait.)

When not slandering the reputations of newborns and eschewing the very notion that having “just one baby” is indeed easy (WTH, Mom?!) She enjoys perfecting her Bert from Sesame Street impression (“Ernie! My pige-unnns!”), eating raw cookie dough, Ladies of London, when her husband is the one who gets up to fix her son breakfast, going down a Pinterest rabbit hole, painting things gray, ankle booties, her green sweatpants, quoting Mommie Dearest, the idea of a garden, and being the oldest mom at daycare. She lives in Seattle with an alpha cat named Zelda, various foster dogs, a very patient man who either doesn’t read her blog or just has a really good sense of humor, and a genius* toddler who loves Panda bears, falling down, and poop, and who provides his proud mother with endless fodder. At least until he gets a lawyer.
Shelly encourages you to check out her blog, especially the older entries because she had a lot more time to think and edit back then. If you like reality TV, Shelly wants to be your friend.

*According to 3 out of 4 grandparents

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think that the point of this book was to dispel the negative stereotypes that surround D&D gamers.

Brilliantly, the author chose to do this by cramming every single hideously pink page of this book with negative stereotypes about women (Women love to shop! Women love fancy shoes! Women eat a lot of chocolate! Women can't control their emotions!).

Genuinely awful.

[Amanda Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

My hubby bought this book after I showed some interest in wanting to read it. Now, I wish I had read it before this past weekend. Saturday was International Dungeons and Dragons Game Day, sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. I've played role-playing games before (and those, only very recently), but I've always been a little intimidated of D&D because of all the "math" involved and because it always seemed like a "boys only" type of game. My husband, however, is an avid gamer and has been since I first met him. He's really wanted me to try D&D out for a long time to see if I'd like it. So, we decided to utilize the special D&D Game Day and sign up for a 2.5 hour game at our local game store using a new campaign and pre-generated characters. Most of (what I consider) the hard stuff was already out of the way when we got there, and with my hubby's help along with the patience of the rest of the group, I had a great time--being the sorceress, I might add. Then, I picked up this book and started reading it on Sunday. And realized, that with all of it's anecdotes and tongue-in-cheek humor, I really could have used it's advice to have an even better time at the game. The author professes in the very beginning that she is a "girly-girl". However, the fact that she became employed at Wizards of the Coast, the premier game company in the industry as well as the producer of the D&D game, just made it inevitable that she would eventually try the game out. The fun she has had over the course of her "gaming life" so far is very apparent. Although I don't consider myself a real fashion-forward, high maintenance girly-girl, I still was able to get most of her current cultural references. She really took her adventures in fantasy to another level. For instance, at the beginning of her first gaming session, her team needs to equip themselves with their appropriate weapons/armor. Since her character is a sorceress, she really doesn't need any heavy artillery, so she decides to go ahead and just get the "Balenciaga hobo bag with the matching wallet" and proceeds to buy the matching clutch for night-time adventuring purposes. Of course, the references totally confuse her male dungeon-master, but every girl who's ever owned more than one handbag at a time knows the importance of needing each one, right? ;) In between the funny "confessions" about her own gaming group, the author gives very straight-forward how-to tips about the game, such as how to generate a character, what dice to roll when, and the difference between good and bad gaming etiquette. It was these how-to's that made me wish I had read the book before entering the dungeon for my first time on Saturday. They would have really helped me be less confused, especially about the meaning behind some of the specific wording used in the game, such as "armor class" and "buff". Now that I know I would like to play again, with my own character that I generate (by myself), I'll use the knowledge I've gained and the author's "girly wisdom" to help get me through some of the more difficult aspects of the game--which really aren't that difficult to begin with. The only problem I had while reading the book was the number of typos I found throughout. Also, because the book was published by Wizards of the Coast, all of the gaming advice, examples, and suggestions given are specific to Dungeons and Dragons. I think, however, that if you look past all of that, the core of the book can apply to all games, role-playing or not. Basically, if you're interested/curious about a game, don't refuse to play because of the possible stereotypes involved, like "only nerdy boys who live in their moms' basements play it". If you try it out, you may just find yourself having the time of your life! Because, we all know that girl gamers rule! ;)

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress, Shelly Mazzanoble sets out to do the seemingly impossible: introduce girly-girls to D&D. I will be the first to admit that I am not Mazzanoble's target audience. The girls she's talking to are the sort who fawn over shoes and purses, grab weekly mani-pedis in the summer, and down margaritas with their girlfriends. And maybe, just maybe, they wonder what the heck their boyfriends are doing when they go out to their "Dungeons and Dragons" nights and what possible fun anyone could see in rolling dice.

I'll give this to Mazzanoble: she writes to her audience. It's an extremely basic introduction, and the analogies are all based on things women stereotypically love or can relate to: the rogue "picks a lock with his Amex card and uses charm to avoid paying late fees"; gnomes "are like the lucky cousins who grew up without a curfew and ate organic fruit and were allowed to watch R-rated movies." Not all the analogies are spot-on, but many are close enough, in a weirdly Valley-girl sort of way.

I think Mazzanoble's best point in the entire book is that D&D should be a women's game: it's all about storytelling. Women (or girls) are natural storytellers. Even I will admit to making up long stories and backstories about my dolls when I was a kid. In as much as D&D is all about telling a grand story, it should be right up our alley, and it's a shame the game hasn't pitched itself that way.

I also found the chapter closers highly amusing. For the last two or three pages of each chapter, Mazzanoble provides a diary entry, written from the perspective of her character Astrid. The blend between D&D-world and real-world descriptions are pretty fun. (e.g. When the group's male cleric accidentally brushes up against Astrid, he declares that it's his "spiritual weapon" she was feeling. "Ursula [the dwarf fighter] shoved a gnarled little fist under his chin and told him if he came near me again, she'd take her greatsword to his spiritual weapon. Yeah, that spiritual weapon.")

On the other hand, I was intensely frustrated by a lot of the descriptions of play. For one of their first sessions, the DM placed the characters in a village market square, so that they could equip themselves for the upcoming adventure. Mazzanoble's character Astrid immediately declared she was going to Nordstrom and the Cheesecake Factory. Look, I appreciate that not everyone has the deep historical knowledge that I do, but even girly-girls know (I hope) that there was no such thing as Nordstrom in the middle ages. On Astrid's list of equipment -- I swear I'm not making this up -- there's a Balenciaga clutch and three pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes. One of the more established female players in the group had about the same reaction to that as I did: a barely-controlled need to whack Mazzanoble over the head with a clue stick.

In any event, this book was clearly not written for me. As both an established roleplayer and as far from girly-girl as you can get while still being female, I didn't find much to empathize with in this book. It was cute... in an, "Oh, my God, the pink!" kind of way. I'm just glad I didn't pay any money for it.

[Shash · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book!!! If you know someone who plays D&D, or a friend, spouse, or significant other of someone who plays D&D, this book is for them. Written with a sense of humor, but with a point to make, this book is the best "Introduction to D&D" I have ever read! You'll laugh from beginning to end, but best of all, you will want to play the game after reading this.

Don't be afraid to let out your inner geek!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was literally my entire personality in middle school and instrumental in making me the person I am today. It’s also probably why I was always so obsessed with journaling from my character’s POV. But seriously Shelly is a personal hero of mine and it was great fun to reread this through the eyes of an adult.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a girly-girl who RPGs twice a week, I demanded that my sister get me this for Christmas so I could see what the fuss was all about. Having read widely differing reviews on Amazon (from "You MUST get this for the woman in your life, D&D gamer!" to "It's all in pink, I'm so offended,") I was curious to see what the author had to say, despite the fact that I'm allergic to D&D itself (I'm more of a roll-and-keep kind of girl: 10-sided die, FTW! Ahem.) I quite enjoyed it, honestly: Mazzanoble breaks down the math-is-hardness mystique of the game into understandable pieces for novices, male or female. As someone who's constantly on the look-out for ways to introduce more women to gaming, I was appreciative of her party ideas, and liked how she used the whole "imagination with rules" explanation to draw people in (disclaimer: because that's my shtick, too.) I'm not sure why some women so vehemently hate on this book, but I'm guessing it's due to an attitude similar to the other female gamer at the author's table, who didn't have time for newbies. It's a shame, because this book, though light and definitely fluffy, does a really good job of demystifying D&D and making it more accessible to its non-core demographic.

[Bcrane · Rating 3 out of 5]

For D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) players it's a quick fun read, that may even give you some ideas for geting friends into RPG's (role-play games).

I highly recommend this book to any woman who has had or does have a boyfriend, brother, son, husband, or friend that was in to RPG's. It demystifies the mystery that is Dungeons & Dragons, and the world of gamer geekdom. If you’ve ever been curious about the game, or just plain felt that you just didn’t get it.. give the book a read. From my earliest times playing D&D I was impressed when one of the female of the species would join us. Not just because they had the courage to enter into a special nerd-world, populated by only males, but because they changed the way I looked at role-play games. They had completely different approach to solving problems. It opened my eyes to the wonder that is the female mind. I’m a junior high teacher who runs an after school games club, and I am proud to say the there are almost as many girls who come to the club as boys, and most of those girls are there to play D&D. Come on ladies.. give the uber-geekdom a try. You won’t regret it.

[Michi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a little over half the book already. If this book had been published while I was in middle school -- I probably would not have fought so hard against roleplaying! Shelly writes in a very conversational style and really brings in the benefits of being a girl in a D&D game. Absolutely wonderful.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a female D&D player, I was happy to see a book like this - that is, until I read it. Instead of attracting women to D&D, I think that it just furthers many of the stereotypes about women - that all we care about is shopping and shoes and manicures and whatnot. I had to skim the last pages because I truly couldn't stand reading anything more that this author had written.

[P. Aaron Potter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pure crap. Deeply, deeply condescending. My daughter, and all women, deserve better than this sneering, insulting junk. A perfect example of how badly WotC has lost its way.

Go read *anything* by Wil Wheaton instead.

[Billy Candelaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

My girlfriend is still on hold of playing DnD. But all in all a good book to introduce DnD to new and experience girl gamers

[Ember Air · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was originally given this book when I was 8 or 9, right before I entered my first D&D game. At the time I absolutely loved it; I was used to being surrounded by males, mocked by other girls my age, and all the classic horrors of not being one of the "preppy" ones. Because of those reasons, this book really jumped for me; I loved hearing about other girls (or in this case, women) who not only loved D&D (and other geeky things), but still loved pink and girly things too! I loved being told that I didn't have to choose. By the time I was done with this book, it showed some serious loving; sticky notes, plastic tags, and notes all over the place! Unfortunately, when I was about thirteen, this book was stolen from me, and it broke my heart! I didn't really need it as a "how to play" sort of book, I just needed it for emotional connection reasons, so I just never got around to buying another one. For my birthday this year, over a decade later, I received another copy for sentimental reasons, and was a little afraid to read it at first. The fear of discovering a child-hood favorite isn't very good is there for a lot of things and a lot of people, but I was also afraid that adult-me would be upset or annoyed at the female stereotypes this plays into. I was sort of right, I did find certain things annoying, and I did find certain things that I felt continued stereotypes rather than break them, but mostly I remembered how much this book meant to me, and enjoyed it.

It is a funny, quick read, with the goal of introducing complete skeptics (female, obviously) into the D&D world. It is written in a very conversational style of writing, and is very easy to understand. I would LOVE to see more books done in the style that doesn't target specific groups, but rather the general public. I recognize the danger of appealing to certain groups like this book does, and how it could actually hurt the cause in the long term, but it is also important to realize that at the time this book was coming out, a lot of us female D&D players felt alone, and had zero representation, so this helped balance out the scales. Overall, I love this fun little book, and would love to see more done in this as a series, or in this style at least.

[Rachael Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little background here: Apparently, sometime around the holidays, I got a little drunk with my friends one night and agreed to play Dungeons & Dragons with them. Hubby is, well, he's a nerd and he was extremely excited by this prospect. For a couple of weeks, and I'm not trying to play into any stereotypes here whatsoever, he spent hours of every day in the basement, planning the game. I mostly cringed but didn't have the guts to back out because it made him sooooo happy. One night I sat through the whole boring process of rolling out my character, feeling more and more pissed off that we were talking about playing a game and not actually playing a game, feeling my buzz fade a little more each minute. Then I remembered seeing one of Mazzanoble's books and decided to order this book through the library and give it a try. I was, after all, most likely stuck.

The end result: I want to try D&D now but not at all because of this book.

Mazzanoble confesses in the first chapter that she is the girliest of girls. I should have turned around right there. I am girly challenged. However, I read on, not expecting vapid side conversations about accessorizing and pedicures on every single page. Sometimes Mazzanoble managed to be funny but for the most part her tone just grated on me. A number of times I read sections out loud to my husband and we'd both go, "Really!?"

That being said, if you are a girl who is considering taking on the game this is a great starter book. Maybe you think that it really does matter who designed your spell pouch. Maybe you really do have the time and money for a weekly mani/pedi. Maybe you will find a kindred spirit. However, if you are not that kind of girl there is still value here. You can scan over the girly bits and take in the basic information about the game easily.

I'm undecided on this one. It did make me laugh a few times and I'm glad I didn't have to read the 410 page Dummies book. However, it is taking all of my strength and self control not to explode into a feminist rant.

[Lady Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written for women whose only experience with D&D was to use it to hurl insults at the nerds at school, this book gleefully tramples the old stereotypes of acne-riddled, dark-cloaked teenage boys huddled in Mom's basement saying weird, voodoo things like, "I'll cast magic missile."

Equal parts how-to guide and tongue-in-cheek (and out of cheek) confessional, this book goes where only a few women have gone before in the world of the most popular roleplaying game.

From creating a character to the rules and proper etiquette of playtime all the way to themed snacks (Magic Missile Meatballs!), Shelly tackles magic, adventure, and, yes, dungeons, for the benefit of girlfriends and wives everywhere. And she does it all in heels and a fresh layer of lip gloss.

While I don't quite fit her girly, fashionista-in-training mold (being a rather proud geek myself), Shelly's humor is impossible to resist. Already an avid D&D player before I bought the book, I have read it again and again.

I have to say that it is one of those must-have (or at least must-read) guides for any gal who has ever felt even a flicker of interest in getting her game on. Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed and you may even find yourself hankering for a dungeon to cast your own magic missiles in.

[Leighwoosey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book tried to introduce women to D&D by first assuming that all women are obsessed by fashion, celebrities and make up, then trying to explain how D&D is exactly like those things. On both points it is patently mistaken and we are left with 170 pages of unfunny remarks and coquettish self-obsession that try to cover these misapprehensions. Worse, the author obscures any useful information about the game behind tired remarks about shoes or cosmetics, producing a confused and unhelpful text. Disappointing.

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, she does type-cast women as shoe-loving shopaholics, but I think she does this on purpose. It makes the point that ANYONE can play D&D. All you need is a little imagination, some dice, and a basic understanding of the rules.

[Jane Higginson · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this it's a humorous fun quirky read,i could have done with reading it earlier on before I'd already come to know what a lot of the terms meant but still enjoyed it, I really like Shelly's sense of humour

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this is an unusual topic, but reading this pretty pink and white book about one woman's experience playing Dungeons & Dragons appealed to me... but sadly, it took me forever to finish because it was childish and unhelpful. Maybe she wrote it more as her D&D alter ego, Astrid, and less as a memoir that might help other women become interested in the game. Childish. Disappointing.

[Geeky Like · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still remember one of my first tabletop D&D sessions. It was something I had always wanted to play but my brother was never into it and growing up it was bad enough that I was the smart girl, but trying to find peeps in school who would play D&D with me? Didn’t happen. So it took me until university before my roomies boyfriend decided to be patient enough with four girls (thank you Jer) and knew them well enough that he created a story for us.

We were so excited. We went and got dice, pewter little figurines to represent our characters and were set to play something that was still (at that time) for boys and certainly not a gaggle of girly girls. It was one of the best times I ever had gaming and I still remember it fondly after all of this time. Of course now 15 years later I have done more than D&D. I got into White Wolf’s creations for a time (even LARP’d at a Con with Vampire: the Masquerade), but there have been others such as Feng Shui, Warhammer, a Lovecraft based one, and even BSG and Buffy.

There is something really fun about sitting around a table with your friends, glass of wine and snacky type treats and then just losing yourself in a game. It’s fun. You laugh. You want to rage cry when you roll horribly. I really miss it actually. Ah so yes the book. A friend gave this book some time ago, but it has been sitting in one of the umpteen TO BE READ piles that I have lying around at the house until just a wee bit ago. Love the cover by the way. Yep the pink kind of makes me smile.

Things I didn’t love so much: The point of the book was to demystify the game of Dungeons and Dragons and those that play it. Basically Shelly was trying to set out and prove that it is fun for everyone to play...*gasp* even girls. Which is nice. However, in the book girls are kind of vapid and I wouldn’t want to play with them. Apparently if you are a girly geek you are therefore completely obsessed with clothes, shopping, shoes, makeup, chocolate and any other stereotype you can think of. Apparently we also cant immerse ourselves in a game and must bring up shopping of the Chanel variety when we are playing a game set in a fantasy world where such a thing does not exist. Now I am a girly girl in that I love dressing up in skirts and dresses (when it isn’t snowing in April...really PTB? Really?), wear makeup, love shoes, etc. Though to be honest I kind of hate shopping, wish my hair would magically coif itself without me having to do it, and need a bigger closet if I am going to have more shoes. But I have an imagination and I can immerse myself into a setting without bringing up does this nail polish match my armor? In short I am fairly low maintenance because let’s face it I can’t be bothered to be high maintenance nor do I have the fundage to be so.

But maybe, just maybe I am not as girly girl as I thought. I do love horror films, am not really afraid of spiders and am not completely fashion obsessed. So I am probably not her target audience when I come to think about it. I have too much of a nerd in me. This is why, like I said, that the rogue "picks a lock with his Amex card and uses charm to avoid paying late fees" and where shopping to equip your adventure involves going to the Nordstrom and Cheesecake Factory and ultimately picking up a Balenciaga clutch and three pairs of Jimmy Choos. Really? Now I know that not everyone you play with will choose to do an accent or really get into character, but I think we can all agree (even those high maintenance girly girl types) that such things would not happen in a Lord of the Rings film. And that’s kind of where you are putting yourself. You are just doing a disservice for women and basically saying we are vapid, so no points for your House there.

Things I loved: I do love that there are some nice tips for those who have not played the game such as stats, armor classes, what the die rolls mean, etc. These are nice things for a new gamer and would be quite helpful. Plus Shelly really is funny when it comes to some of her anecdotes and commentary on the game in general. I really did like the diary entries from Astrid, her character. In fact they were some of the most amusing bits and where I wasn’t constantly wishing the author would run herself into the clue wall repeatedly.

Plus she reminded everyone that RPGs are storytelling with rules. And let’s face it most women are amazing with the storytelling. We had the backstories for each of our Barbies or My Little Ponies when we were kids (or maybe that was just me). The point is we would do well in tabletop gaming if we would just give it a chance. Hell we might even have fun.

I only wish that in dispelling the mythos and stereotypes surrounding the game, that she would dispel some of her own when it came to being a girl.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow. If you want to get into tabletop gaming, instead just ask the peeps at your local gaming shop or heck even ask me.

Part of: Standalone

Also Recommended: Try your tabletop gaming with something you really like perhaps. There are Buffy, BSG, and even Firefly and Harry Dresden RPGs. Try them out first with a genre you love and get the feel. Then head back to the Middle Ages for some D&D or perhaps another Forgotten Realm.

[Caroline Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, this book was not quite aimed at me, as I am a consummate gamer-girl and have been all my life, but when searching for RPG books at my local library I came across it and it looked so amazing funny I had to read it - and I did - in about two hours. I couldn't put it down.

I have to admit that I am all for more women gaming - especially in RPGs. As I have usually been the token female in most gaming groups I've been in, you have no idea how refreshing it is to have at least one other female - if for no other reason that we do tend to look at things differently. Of course the worst gaming group I was ever part of had one guy and six women - but I like to think that group failed because the group was divided into characters that would not (even on pain of death) work together. And the story was terrible. Nothing can save a game with a terrible story. But I digress, that is about my experiences gaming, and has nothing to do with this delightful book.

This book was wonderfully funny. I'm not a particularly girly-girl, but my sister is, and reading this book was like seeing how my sister would see gaming. Of course, my sister grew up with me, so she does see it in a less stereotypical light than the author first did, but it is good to inform people of the stereotypes that exist and then proceed to tear them down.

As for breaking stereotypes: I was the one who convinced my husband to play RPGs, and he has been playing with our gaming group for 6 years now and doesn't regret it (even though he was rather leery about RPGs at first.)

For the women gamers who are insulted by this book - remember, the book was written from the personality of the author, who says she loves to shop, gets manicures, etc... And even though I know a lot of female gamers who aren't like that, I have no problem with women who get manicures finding that they like the game. After all, what matters is what you bring to the gaming table and how much fun you have with the story.

As our group frequently goes off on tangents (usually about science or technology, as four of us are all in the tech field), I found the tangents her party went on fairly realistic - sure, they annoyed some of the group (that's inevitable even with good friends.) What matters is that a majority of the group is having fun, whether it is with the planned story, or on a impromptu side story.

From reading the range of comments on this book - I hate to say it - but perhaps gamers have as many stereotypes about non-gamers that non-gamers tend to have about us...

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always think geek girl/gaming books will be interesting, and realize mid-read that I'd rather just play the game and not sit around reading about it. That said, I get it - playing EQ2 for nearly 9 years now, I often feel compelled to explain all there is to a gaming world that most people don't get, haven't experienced, and won't be able to, for whatever reason.

I think her cause - getting more people, particularly women, exposed to D&D and Role Playing Games - is great. I grew up in the "satanic panic" era when everything D&D was evil. I find this perspective abhorrent and deeply sad. Sure, it's absorbing and yes, time consuming and sure, people can get obsessed (as they can get obsessed with anything!) - but what would you rather have your kid obsessed with? Getting laid, stoned and drunk on the weekend? Or sitting down with friends to collaborate & see if they can win a battle against orcs? Today's culture - one where celebrities play Massively Multiplayer roleplaying games, and where 3 hour Tolkien movies are not punishment - is a little more open minded. Thank god. The game fosters so many positive things: community/socialization, imagination, creativity - not to mention all of the things that come from the game experience itself - math skills, communication, problem solving, leadership, the concept of starting over from scratch...

I admire greatly the ability of dice gamers to sit around a table in person and imagine, and act and work together. In modern gaming, we have anonymity and an avatar to hide behind when we're in character and most of the "imagining" is done for us - we have to find ways to personalize that experience. To be able to do this in front of people you know is pretty impressive, to me.

For women? A friendship built by sharing creative & imaginative time with others vs. bitching and gossip, which seems more fulfilling to you?

[KP · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, funny little book that introduces people- specifically women- to DnD.

I was having a conversation with a friend about something that happened during my DnD game, and casually asked if she even knew what I was talking about. To my surprise, she said that she always wanted to play DnD, in part because of this book. Obviously, I had to check it out (after, of course, I invited her to join my game)!

It was a very cute book, very tongue-in-cheek and silly. But it was also a book that didn't seem entirely sure of what it wanted to be. It was partially a recounting of the author's game, partially a manual on how to play DnD, and partially some meandering thoughts about life and womanhood. Since I was just curious about how my friend came across wanting to play DnD, it didn't bother me, but if you are looking for something Serious, you won't find that here. If you approach this book without expectations, though, and just want to read something funny, you might enjoy this.

The author's understanding of womanhood was a bit limited- the author is a "girly girl" as it were, and looked at DnD through the lens of shopping and shoes. Nothing wrong with that, certainly! But I think it would have been interesting to also see the other two women in her group and their perspectives-- I think it would have created a more well-rounded approach to why women might play DnD. Lucy and Helena, having very different personalities from the author, and playing very different characters, would likely have very different insights, which would have been useful.

As a note, though, the author appears to be playing 3.5, so for any new players who want tips on playing 5e, be prepared to absorb only some basics rather than specifics, since certain things are completely different in 5e.

[GateGypsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

(apparently I had a different edition than the one listed in Goodreads)

This book was an interesting read. As a girl who games, I didn't need to be sold on the game at all. I was just curious what this woman had to say about it. Ultimately I came away with the idea that this book was Shelly Mazzanoble's way of saying that D&D is a game that can be enjoyed by all sorts of different types of people, even her type.

The pink-ness of the book didn't bother me. I did rather like the art. I also learned that, when wearing a deep-necked shirt or dress, I needn't wear any decorative necklace (jewelry). Since, as I said before, I am already a gamer and didn't plan on learning anything new via this game, I was a little surprised to, in fact, learn something new. I learned something new about the game, too! Apparently there are instant-adventure kits, complete with minis, pre-made characters and an adventure all ready to go. I've yet to see one, but I think that's a great idea to help people give the game a try :-)
And, as silly as it may sound, I actually liked that she included recipes and snack suggestions. We have game twice a week at our house, and more often than not, I end up feeding everyone, anyway. I always appreciate some fun food suggestions. ;-)

[Jim Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife ripped through this book. Her interest in RPGs is still tepid at best, but here's the important thing: We're speaking the same language now. She knows what a saving throw is and when I come home excited that I scored a critical hit to win the encounter when down to only 7 hit points, she knows exactly what that means and why I'm excited.

This book isn't just for girls; it's for girly girls. If you're already into the hobby, you're likely not overly "girly" and therefore don't need to be sold on it. Shelly is putting forth sexist stereotypes only as much as she herself is a sexist stereotype, which is impossible. She's just being herself. Shelly loves pink dresses, fancy purses and cute shoes, and it's the sincerity of her finding a love for our hobby while being who she is that makes her offerings worth reading.

It's worth noting that this book is published by Wizards of the Coast (the makers of the current DND edition) and Shelly is herself an employee there. DND has literally thousands of analogs ranging in style and theme from cyberpunk sci-fi to realistic modern. You won't find any mention of that fact here.

[Jes]

This book was given to me years ago by a "girly-girl" friend who had loved it, and had found something of herself in it, and that, I believe, holds great value. The book is easy to read, (written in a tone that sounds a lot like this is a long-lost Animorphs book from Rachel's point of view) with charming colorful pages with illustrations and snappy layouts printed in pink, adding to its overall tone of any number of teen girl magazines, right down to the quizzes, recipes and what to wear. There is some brief introduction to the mechanics and an appendix in the back with some quick reference, but most of the book is composed of stories and little scenarios from around the D&D table itself. As a now longtime player and not the demographic this book is aimed at, there was not anything for me in these pages, however, I imagine this book being something that a library might have for late teen "girly" or "popular" girls to confidentially pick up and read, with great excitement, about a "forbidden" topic.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lent this book by a co-worker, who with another co-worker run a game. I have had an interest in D&D before, but always though it would be hard to learn and take to much time to figure out. I enjoyed this book because it introduced the basic ideas and made the game less intimidating for me.

Shelly had a very conversational tone through the book and I forgot I was reading a non-fiction book. The book introduces some basics of the game, it talks about a game that Shelly and some other first time players play with a seasoned DM. There is also, a party where Shelly throws a party and tricks her friends into playing a game by locking her friends in the house. Another, large portion of the books is also spent breaking stereotypes and the stigma around D&D.

Though I still think D&D is a complicated game and is a world that will probably always be dominated by males, but I think this book helps make the world of D&D more approachable to girls too.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing light read about D&D from a girl's perspective who never planned to play the game...until she found herself working for the company. It's fluffy and funny and pretty insightful about the game from an outsider's perspective and how someone can find ways to enjoy the play without having to adopt the usual stereotypes.

I do think there's a bit of corporate fakery involved in this book, though. It's published by Wizards of the Coast, who also produces the D&D game and the author works for the company in a different role. Gee, I'm shocked that it would be an almost relentlessly positive depiction of the game experience! There's also plenty of tie-ins to various WotC player aides for cross-promotion.

That said, I enjoyed it. The author has a breezy, conversational style hat works for this kind of book, and she's not afraid to make fun of herself. The lists are particularly funny and everything fits together. Be very curious what girls think of this book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no real interest in expensive handbags, shoes, or fashion, nor would I ever consider myself a "girly-girl." I do, however, enjoy a good game of Dungeons & Dragons. While I prefer 4e, this book's perspective from 3.5e was what I needed to get me psyched for the new game we started.

Told with alot of wit and clear language that new players may have an easier time grasping than the jargon of a Player's Handbook, COAPTS was both informative and fun. Yes, Mazzanoble seems to stereotype women, but I believe the intent wasn't to stereotype so much as to say "Hey, even the girliest of girls can still enjoy this game...it's not just for the boys!"

My fiance bought this for me and I'm definitely keeping it as part of my library, even if just to revisit it once in awhile or to use as a tool in getting my own little all girl gamer group together.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shelly Mazzanoble has a delightful way of metaphor and brings the strange and secret world of D&D to girly-girls everywhere. I read this book primarily out of curiosity about a female's take on D&D (not that I have a shortage of female gamers in my groups) and was pleasantly surprised. Mazzanoble has a fun and engaging style of writing that leaves you chuckling. My wife (who is NOT a girly-girl) still enjoyed the book as well and felt some connection to Mazzanoble as an outsider coming into the gaming world for the first time. Mazzanoble lays out the very basics of D&D to the new player and includes comparisons to 'real-world' drama - all wrapped in a clever sense of humor. I have to say: I'd welcome a player like Mazzanoble in MY gaming group. A player with her sense of style and comic outlook would always be a plus - male or female!

[R.K. Goff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay--I don't really like these modern all-girl nearly-trite books. I really don't. I thought I was picking up an idiot's guide to D&D only with funnier writing. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the "which race should you pick" quiz that could have come out of a magazine, if any magazine would sport an article on why you should play D&D.

But I really, really liked this book. I have played D&D before, so it didn't teach me a darn thing (this goes beyond basic--you have to know nothing to learn something), but it was so much fun to read! Forget the game--it's the author that really shone through. It was cute and funny and interesting and really sweet once or twice.

I would recommend this book as a very light fun read for someone interested in the game, or anyone who does like the modern all-girl nearly-trite type books.