Welcome to day two of the Origins Game Fair. We’ve got more Expanded Universe coverage on tap for later today, but let’s get things kicked off with a quick morning recap of the goings on at the convention.

To the jump!

My little party had a bit of time before our first scheduled panel, so we headed down to the dealer’s area to check out the wares. One game we stopped to playtest was a game called Deception Dice. Think of it as Liar’s Dice with a bit of a twist. Before every turn, you roll a pair of dice that serve as a situation modifier that governs how the round it will be played. While not the deepest game you’re going to find at a convention like this, it’s incredibly quick and easy to pick up and has a ton of replay value if you’ve got a large enough group. Quick score, 4/5.

The first discussion panel we hit up today was called Gender Bending in Fiction featuring authors Jean Rabe, Donald J. Bingle, Kelly Swails, and Addie J. King. The overall theme was addressing gender stereotypes and the importance of building deep characters that don’t fall into antiquated cliches. Some highlights from the discussion:

• Panelists said there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what the phrase “Strong Female Character” means. Too many writers see this phrase and assume that itmeans making a female character masculine. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it becomes an issue when it becomes a cliche, which it has over the last ten or fifteen years. Look at most Hollywood summer popcorn flicks. What the phrase means is to craft female characters that have depth, that have personality. They need to be as fully realized as their male counterparts. That’s the intent behind the phrase.
• The panelists also made it a point to state that controversy when it comes to writing and subverting old gender stereotypes is inevitable, but may be a good thing. These stereotypes aren’t going to go away on their own, and fiction gets people talking. I like to think of this as almost a social responsibility by writers, to craft these characters that can push the envelope of established gender norms.
• The most successful tales with characters like this are ones that fit the plot, not plots that exist to bring attention to the character. The key is to make the character real and relatable rather than trying to push an agenda. But the good news? There are strong females in real life. If you put them on the pageand in a realistic manner, people will relate.

This was a surprisingly entertaining and insightful panel that covered far more than just the role of female characters in fiction. I’m not sure if these authors will be performing this panel or a similar one elsewhere, but if they are, I heartily encourage you to attend. These are issues that need to be discussed to progress fiction and life.