She Kills Monsters

In She Kills Monsters, Tilly is one of the most popular and respected players in her Dungeons and Dragons community and a rare female Dungeon Master. An essential skill of the Dungeon Master is effective world-building, and Tilly creates a realm in which she feels liberated from the social expectations and confinements of the real world. In her module, female characters are fierce fighters who defy assumptions about their incompetence and passivity. In Tilly’s world, “[E]veryone is gay” (41) and accepted without having to explain or defend their sexual orientation. Tilly names her world, “New Landia” to reflect her vision of a world different from her own—a place where society does not stigmatize or pathologize her sexual orientation and gender identity.

One of the pleasures of Dungeons and Dragons for Tilly and her peers is how the game grants them infinite possibilities for their identities and actions. Characters can disrupt assumptions about gender and sexuality, which makes it especially appealing for LGBTQ+ players. The knowledge that fans of the game value the flexibility of character builds prompted the 5th edition of the Dungeons and Dragons handbook to include an update encouraging further identity exploration. The addition states, “You can play a male or female character without gaining any special benefits or hindrances […] You don’t need to be confined to binary notions of sex and gender […] Likewise, your character’s sexual orientation is for you to decide” (Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook, 5th edition, 2014, Page 121).