17:3 Gender Ratio in my friend's school's Warhammer Club

[N1SB]

So I mentioned my friend Timperial Guard, my go-to guy when I read Games Workshop's financial reports and I don't understand enough about the costs of plastic mould injection, who also happens to be the best painter in our meta, the bastard.  He's actually a teacher, a top one, head of the Design & Technology department in his school.

 

He also runs his school's Warhammer Club, because the reward for good work is MORE work.  He was telling me about this year's students, went like this.

 

"I got 20 students in the Warhammer Club this year, guess the gender mix."

 

It was not a political point, and I knew from past conversations with him there were differences between gender and sexuality that teachers have to be very careful about, so I kinda waded slowly into this particular pool, but being me I came off awkward like a cat intruding on your bathtime, "Uh...are you talking about LGBTQ..."

 

"No," he replied, emphasising it wasn't that, just simply, "Boys, girls.  20 kids.  Guess."

 

"20 dudes."  I knew it was a trick question, and that was the obvious and obviously wrong answer, but just moving the convo forward.

 

"No, 17 and 3."

 

"Oh," I exclaimed, "that's not bad!"  I like my female fellow Hobbyists, they're usually the better painters in my meta.  "17 boys, 3 girls, nice."

 

"No," Tim corrected my dumb butt for a 3rd time in a row, "17 girls, 3 boys."

 

17 Sororitas: 3 Fraters!!!

 

If your reaction is, "wait, wut," that was MY reaction as well.  I received the Stupefied status effect irl, like Emperor's Children in HH 3.0 hit with a Truth Bomb.

 

"Oh," Tim scoffed, "they don't even play.  They showed up and asked, 'Warhammer's just sitting with friends, painting, chatting, listening to music, right?'"

 

He explained, these 17 girls would sit in the classroom, talk amongst themselves, listen to the soundtrack from Kpop Demon Hunters X on loop, and paint.  They paint whatever they like, however they like, and the 3 boys take their miniatures and actually play 40k with them.  But they have these random Marines painted as Rainbow Warriors vs. the Strawberry Cupcake Chapter.

 

Then I thought of something, "Tim...we haven't played a 40k game since 9th edition."  I myself played as recently as our Warhammer Store's 10th ed Crusade Campaign, WE have played Aeronautica Imperialis, Blood Bowl, Warcry together, he plays Legiones Imperialis WEEKLY with our mutual friend who I haven't seen since forever, Legiones Louis, but "painting, chatting, listening to music and NOT playing (40k)...that's YOU, dude!"

 

He did the look up like when you scan the heavens for records from your memory, found a big gap since his last 40k game, and conceded the point.

 

But 17 girls, 3 boys.  Not bad.  Painting while listening to Kpop Demon Hunters X over, and over...and not playing.  Actually, I hate that Soda Pop song.

 

17:3

[Scribe]

Funny I was just wondering about this the other day.

 

My primary nerd domains are, in no order.

 

40K, WHFB, 30K, as one does.

MtG.

RPGs.

PC Gaming.

 

At any given time any of those could be 100%, 0%, or a mix of my hobby time and attention.

 

Only 1, has been 100% male over my entire life, and that's including private groups, clubs, travel to tournaments.

 

I've literally never seen a woman playing a GW game.

[sitnam]

2 hours ago, Scribe said:

I've literally never seen a woman playing a GW game.

Oddly enough, my most played GW game is Warcry. About 2/3 of the people I have played against have been women(Store manager and her sister in law). Mind you I am not an avid player either, 95% focused on hobby

[Captain Idaho]

Whilst he could be sincerely relaying that information to you truthfully and I'll take his information in good faith, going by his account he's an unusual outlier by a long way.

 

I have kids, my friends have kids, I work with kids and I coach kids... girls ain't playing warhammer better than 100 to 1.

 

That number is rough and not to be literally attributed to my soul, but it isn't far off the mark.