Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress

Overall score:

As a geek girl, I flaunt the fact that I play Dungeons and Dragons like other girls flaunt their latest bargain buy. I came out of the closet long ago, and now when asked what I do for fun I proudly say, “I like to role-play.” Even so, it wasn’t so long ago that I was a geek novice, barely aware of what D&D was, and too afraid to set foot in a game store. It was my memories of those days that made me glad to hear that Wizards of the Coast was producing a book just for girls like me: Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girls Guide to the Dungeons and Dragons Game, ready for release in September, 2007.

Confessions is written by Shelly Mazzanoble, a geek girl who had never played Dungeons and Dragons before she began working for Wizards. Working at geek-mecca, Shelly was soon introduced to the joys of role-playing, and soon created her very own sorcerer: Astrid Bellagio. Shelly writes Confessions to an audience of non-geek girls everywhere, educating them about the stereotypes (true and false) surrounding D&D, and persuading them that if they're looking for a new hobby, D&D would be an excellent choice.

Mazzanoble is hilarious, and gains credibility with her audience with her pop-culture references and her willingness to expose her own geekiness. She demonstrates that a girl doesn’t have to be clueless about the latest in fashion and entertainment in order to enjoy D&D; though many of her pop-culture references are a bit out of date and may pass over the heads of her target audience--young, single women. I quickly related to Mazzanoble as she told about her first gaming experiences, and I was endeared to her by her disclosure of her own personal pathos. Upon receiving her first mini, Mazzanoble announces “I shall call her Astrid,” as if she has just given birth to her first child. Mazzanoble isn’t afraid of exposing her own goofy foibles, and her frankness makes the gaming hobby seem fun rather than frightening.

Another strength of the book comes with the tables and charts Mazzanoble includes to simplify the paragraphs of game-play explanation. The charts are simple enough to make Confessions a handy tableside reference for new players, and the appendix and glossary in the back are a great addition to the player’s handbook--breaking down terms for the newbie who doesn’t even know what a hit point is. Mazzanoble’s explanation of spells and spell-casting is comprehensive and appealing; I’ve always been afraid of the core spell-casting classes, but the explanation in Confessions made them feel much less scary. She also includes a step-by-step guide to what to do when it’s your turn in combat, which made me wish I’d had Confessions by my side when I first learned to play.

Mazzanoble appeals to her audience with not only her her culture references but also the book format. She includes quizzes to determine which race and class you might most like to play that will appeal to the Seventeen reader in us all. (Though apparently I should play an elf sorcerer--a combination I’ve never considered.) She misses a hook, however, when she glosses over the wide market of painted minis, and instead tells the reader that all the minis they can choose from to represent their characters are pre-painted. I understand that Wizards has an interest in selling their own products (they don’t sell unpainted minis), but the painting aspect of the hobby is one that may appeal to girls, especially those with a background in art. In fact, some of the best painters in the industry are women; just ask Victoria Lamb or Jennifer Haley.

When it comes to capturing the experience of being a girl in geek culture, Confessions hits the nail on the head. Her description of what it’s like to be a girl walking into a game store is right on, as is her assertion that being a geek girl can make finding a date many times easier. If more girls knew how hot geek guys find a girl who knows how to throw their dice, the rest of us would have more competition. Mazzanoble also points out the wonders of gender equality in D&D (there’s no advantage to playing a male barbarian over a female; the strength bonus is the same) which was a facet I’d never considered about the game.

Despite the appeal of Mazzanoble’s voice, her jokes occasionally get in the way of the information she’s trying to communicate, and in those moments the voice leans toward annoying. One such moment occurs during the explanation of hit points; Mazzanoble goes for the joke when explaining what happens if a character falls below zero, and fails to mention the ensuing unconsciousness and death that will follow. Fortunately, these moments are sparse enough to be forgivable.

Some of Mazzanoble’s claims contradict my personal experience with gaming groups. She claims that player characters never take the evil alignment (someone should have mentioned this to my gaming group; several of us have waxed evil) and lists several “thou shalt nots” that have been completely kosher in gaming groups I’ve played in. (No flirting at the table? There goes all my fun!) She also promotes class/race stereotypes by describing each class and race based on personality traits, not mentioning that the character’s personality is derived from the player’s imagination, and is not limited by race or class.

I also found that Mazzanoble’s debunking of D&D myths were a bit too kind to gamers--most of the geeks I know really do play in bad British accents and frequent ren faires. Still, revealing to newbie girls that many of the people they will encounter in the hobby really will have bad social skills and worse hygiene wouldn’t suit Mazzanoble’s purpose, so I understand the omission. Mazzanoble wisely focuses on the social aspects of gaming and presents herself and her fellow players as average, fun people; her presentation makes the gaming concept much more accessible to her audience.

Despite the book’s flaws, I’m planning to purchase a copy for a non-gamer friend of mine, in an effort to assist her gamer husband in convincing her to play. Mazzanoble makes gaming more accessible, and is entertaining to boot. I’d recommend this book to non-gamers who are curious about what D&D is about, geek girls who want a laugh, and geek-guys who are trying to convince their significant others that this game isn’t so scary after all.

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Written by MsFish on September 03rd, 2007