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Roleplaying Games for Girls

Girls often have extremely vivid imaginations. Roleplaying games can provide them an outlet to express their creative urges. Four basic kinds of such games are common, including table-top, live action (LARP), text-based and computer/console roleplaying games. Each type offers different benefits (fun, social interaction) and requires its own skills, or talents (creativity, problem-solving) and equipment (dice, rule books, a computer) unique to the form chosen.

Table-top
- Table-top RPGs are full of roles and rolls.
  
  Table-top role-playing games (RPGs) are played face-to-face with a group, who work together to create exciting stories with the players in the main roles. Table-top RPGs often appeal to the girl with a love of rich storytelling, puzzle-solving and rolling many-sided dice to determine success or failure of their heroine&'s actions. Fantasy table-top games include Dungeons & Dragons, Legend of the Five Rings and the Lord of the Rings RPG. Science Fiction RPGs include Shadowrun and Star Wars RPG: Saga Edition. Attractive to the girl who loves supernatural horror are Call of Cthulhu and C.J. Carella&'s WitchCraft.
LARP
- Live Action Role-Playing can be very dramatic
  
  For the girl with a flair for the dramatic, Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) has no substitute. "LARPing," as it is called, is a lot like acting in a stage play. A girl might take on the role of a lost princess, a mysterious vampire or a wise-cracking debutante, among others. She would interact with other players in their own unique identities, and she might even dress in costume to make the act even more realistic. Organizations such as the Society for Creative Anachronism and NERO are good resources for the girl who wants to see what medieval/fantasy LARPing is all about. Mind&'s Eye Theatre, produced by White-Wolf Publishing, provides numerous rule sets for modern horror LARPs for those who wish to play monster hunters, wily witches and other enigmatic characters.
Text-based
- Writing creatively sets you on a path to adventure.
  
  Three types of text-based roleplaying include Play by Post (PBP), Play by E-mail (PBeM) and, less commonly these days, Play by Mail (PBM). In each type the player reads contributions from other participants, then shares how her character responds. PBM and PBeM players take turns usually on weekly, or daily schedules. In PBP, players post to discussion forums dedicated to the games, often multiple times a day. Strong female roles may attract girls to PBP roleplaying in Half Blood Haven: A Percy Jackson RPG; PBeM games can be found searching Engle Matrix Games online.
Computer/Console
- Technology lets girls roleplay from home.
  
  With so many advancements of computer art, animation and speed, as well as the considerable access to technology, girls are getting more and more into computer and console RPGs. The focus of these games ranges from real-time strategy and exploration of vibrant world settings to social interaction and self-expression, and can be played from the comfort of home and fuzzy slippers. Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Neverwinter Nights are examples of popular Internet RPGs, while console games PokéPark Wii: Pikachu&'s Adventure and those in the Final Fantasy series appeal to many girl gamers for their clever, vivid animation and familiar characters.

Role Playing Games