Experiences Is it okay to RP fandom as a "casual" (less knowledgeable) fan?

[yanastyboi]

Have you ever wanted to RP something fandom related, but you're also basically a hack-turd-gremlin who only knows the most surface basics of the fandom in question. So you're utterly terrified of searching for an RP in the fandom for fear you'll piss of any partner you might get because of your inadequate knowledge.

For example I love Star Wars, it's like a huge influence and why I love Space Opera as a genre. Except I'm legit like"I know the movies, I watched the cartoon (but remember little about it and really am enamored with the idea that the clones should have their own series and/or a baby sitting business spin-off because they're adorable), Ahsoka is like my badass girl warrior queen and Cad Bane is my boyfriend, and like I played the MMO but like never got far because fuck Tatooine" but like none of that is enough to RP it in my mind and I feel like I would piss anyone off just suggesting a Star Wars RP because holy shit I know nothing. But part of me really wants to RP it. I mean I have a Jedi OC I made that I've never played because like I'm a dumb-shit and I don't have the textbook knowledge other fans have.

I wouldn't mind peoples input, I've never actually tried to RP fandom because of my fear of pissing people off. I've never been textbook knowledge level fan, I always feel my knowledge is too basic and is like "well I watched the show" is that enough?

I guess the question / discussion here is:

In general do you think it's okay to "not know a lot, but be a fan of a thing" and roleplay it?
As a textbook knowledge level fan, do you think people should be reading that wiki before they even try to RP in your fandom?

Have you RP'd a fandom where you know very little?
As someone who doesn't know a lot, do you prefer to play OCs and just use the canon verse as your playground?

If you're hardcore into a fandom, do you get upset when people FAR less knowledgeable RP in your fandom?
If people are less knowledgeable, do you prefer they RP OCs and just have fun instead of ruining canon characters?

 

[Pikelzz]

I only rp in fandoms, somes i barely knows and some i could say modestely i' an expert.
I saw a lot of level and knowledges in that regard. And i think as long as you are interested in what you do, every level is okey. If you don't feel confident enough it's fine to make researches or even ask questions.

The only reason i would refuse a rp partner in a fandom is someone knowing few and refusing to learn. Like they just know a ship they love but refuse to learn about what happens around them.

As long as you don't have that attitude, you are ready to learn and have a positive attitude when people teach you about the canon, you should have the right to rp whatever you want !

 

[rae2nerdy]

In general do you think it's okay to "not know a lot, but be a fan of a thing" and roleplay it?
As someone in a few obscure fandoms. Yeah absolutely. I mean usually this is with OCs and with myself (knowledgeable fan) giving whatever insight is needed to make the roleplay work.

If you're hardcore into a fandom, do you get upset when people FAR less knowledgeable RP in your fandom?
Nope. As long as you are willing to learn whatever canon information is necessary to play in the sandbox properly I am fine with sharing my toys.

 

[Onmyoji]

I support the idea that as long as you're willing to learn more about the fandom in the process it's fine to play a fandom rp.
Sure you may need do to some research if you play within canon storyline or a well known canon character, but if you're interested in the fandom you should have fun doing that anyway, right?

Just tell your rp partner beforehand that you don't know much about the fandom or forgot stuff. I'm sure most people will be okay with that and help you refresh/acquire some info.

There may certainly be people who are not okay with it and would insist on having textbook knowledge, but, well, you don't have to rp with those people.

In one of my fandom rp, when I started it I was out of that fandom for 3 years. So I said from the beginning that I love the character I want to rp, but my knowledge of canon events is rusty. And I'm happy I didn't chicken out of this rp because of my lack of knowledge. Not only I got all my knowledge back and learnt even more stuff in the process of rp, but I also got back into the fandom and made new friends because of that.

 

[Kaerri]

A lot of it is who you're doing the RP with. I RP in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and I confess my Star Wars knowledge is so limited I don't know who those people you mentioned are. >.> But my RP partners don't care because they know I'll do spot research if needed and we all help each other with the lore.

So I'd say it's perfectly fine as long as your partners know you have limited knowledge and are willing to work with that.

 

[Idea]

1.In general, do you think it's ok to "not know a lot a lot, but be a fan of a thing" and roleplay it?

Well, the answer that comes to mind is "of course!". So long as your partner is ok with it, you're not breaking site rules, and you actually want to do it, you're allowed to roleplay anything you want. Your lack of knowledge will be a handicap, but there are plenty of ways to compensate for said handicap:

-->Learn about the info you don't know by taking some time to research
-->Roleplay using an OC that isn't very smart or for another reason has a steep lack of knowledge or awareness of lore etc..
-->Be open to being corrected, and try to take actions that are more safely within what you explicity know to be viable, or within what others do

To me, this is a lot like asking whether you can roleplay something you don't know about in general. I can certainly roleplay a mental illness even if I know nothing of it, so long as my partner is ok with it. However, it is always better (just not necessary) to try to obtain that knowledge or be open to receiving it at least.

In terms of groups, the idea will be pretty much the same. Just keep in mind that if the premise is specifically centered around something you don't understand or if the GM specifically states that knowledge of the fandom is needed, then maybe that particular roleplay is not for you. Still, whichever the case, asking is always better. Be open about the fact you don't know much about whatever fandom it is and that will not only help you parse which roleplays you might fit into despite not knowing much, but also get you assistance/guidance in your endeavor.


2.Have you RP'd a fandom where you know very little?

Yes, twice. Both of those times it was because I wanted to roleplay very specific canon characters from those fandoms (despite not even knowing those characters all that well), it was Tohou roleplay where I wanted to play Momiji Inubashiri and a Hyperdimension Neptunia roleplay where I wanted to play Yellow Heart. What I did back then was basically what I recommend you do now: I told them I wanted to join but didn't know much about it, and I did my research.


3.As someone who doesn't know a lot, do you prefer to play OCs and just use the canon verse as your playground? If people are less knowledgeable, do you prefer they RP OCs and just have fun instead of ruining canon characters?

While I would generally recommend you play OCs, I am someone who with very limited exceptions generally refuses to play canon characters or participate in roleplays where cannon characters are played, my opinion may be a little skewed. Whichever the case, I think a case can be made for both OCs and cannon characters when it coems to lack of knowledge.

On one hand, a cannon character has a whole lot of baggage- they have a defined personality (hopefully), backstory, they have culturall and physical elemnts and relationships with other characters. This makes it very hard to really know a character even if you're a complete hardcore fan. So if you're someone who just has a passing knowledge of it, being able to juggle all those factors will likely be close to impossible.

On the other hand, creating an OC in a setting you don't know can be pretty messy too. You're not aware of the whole vast cultural, technological, social implications and often even biological ones that the OC might have to deal with just by being born in a certain planet for instance. What is common sense for one setting might be the complete reverse for another. There is also the fear that one will try to "one up the author" with their OC.

In the end of the day, it's really just a matter of preference, and mine favors OCs for the same reasons I favor OCs in any other kind of roleplay.


4.If you're hardcore into a fandom, do you get upset when people FAR less knowledgeable RP in your fandom?

I will only get upset at someone not having the knowledge of something if they claim they do and are too stubborn to conceive the possibility they may be wrong. There's no reason to get upset at someone for not knowing the setting details and stuff, specially if they are willing to adapt and in particular because I tend to always go the extra mile in trying to really looking into all the information about how the whole thing operates, and even then I am still wrong plenty of times myself. Really the only person who truly deeply knows all the elements of a story- it's characters, settings, etc... Is the original creator.



Sorry if this was a bit confusing, my thoughts were kind of all over the place. Still, I hope you find this comment useful. Good luck and happy RPing!

 

[Shuusuke]

In general do you think it's okay to "not know a lot, but be a fan of a thing" and roleplay it?

Definitely, there are ways to work around that. You'd just have to accept the disadvantage and be willing to take it more slowly, in which case the more knowledgeable ones would be more inclined to help out.

As a textbook knowledge level fan, do you think people should be reading that wiki before they even try to RP in your fandom?

I think if they saw enough to like it, that's already pretty okay. If the fandom introduces some significant changes beyond what the person has seen, I'd either tell them what that is about and/or recommend they look into it.

Have you RP'd a fandom where you know very little?

I wouldn't say very little, no. I RP'ed in fandoms when I had at least seen one season of the source material, when that was all that was available. I'd still do some research on it though, to try to get some extra knowledge before the RP starts.

As someone who doesn't know a lot, do you prefer to play OCs and just use the canon verse as your playground?

I only have played/plan on playing OCs, and not knowing much about the source material would just make me even more inclined to play an OC instead of a canon character.

If you're hardcore into a fandom, do you get upset when people FAR less knowledgeable RP in your fandom?

Not at all, unless they're disrespectful towards the fandom/RP or unwilling to hear what I have to say. I'd try to help making them more knowledgeable in said fandom if anything.

If people are less knowledgeable, do you prefer they RP OCs and just have fun instead of ruining canon characters?

Said this before but I'm all on the OC side here, including regarding other players.

 

[DoomyGloom]

It's fine (see above for a heck of a lot more detail), though you may spoil stuff for yourself.

 

[Jello]

I'm a huge Phantom of the Opera fan. (using this as an example.) I have read the novel, watched both the musicals, and the musical sequel. I've watched a ton of the movie adaptations, and even read the unofficial prequel. I have absolutely no problem roleplaying with people who know very little about it. In fact, I enjoy getting to explain things about it to them because I get to ramble on about something I'm passionate about! I actually get self conscious about knowing so much about it because I don't want anyone to take my rambling as being condescending, or a know-it-all. All I ask is that they give the roleplay their all! The same as they would with something they're very passionate about.

 

[HeathertheGamer]

In general do you think it's okay to "not know a lot, but be a fan of a thing" and roleplay it?
I don't think you have to absolutely know everything about the fandom. As long as you have some basic knowledge and can RP a canon (if needed), then you should be set. I would just make my partner aware of how much I've seen so that they don't accidentally spoil something for me (or vice versa).
As a textbook knowledge level fan, do you think people should be reading that wiki before they even try to RP in your fandom?
It would be helpful to read up on the wiki to get a better idea of a character, for sure. If my own knowledge on the character/fandom is limited, I might ask my partner to just correct me on it (or just generally be open to correction).
Have you RP'd a fandom where you know very little?
I have been coerced to RP fandoms I knew little about. Needless to say, the RPs didn't last all that long because I got burnt out easily and worried too much about playing the canons correctly.
As someone who doesn't know a lot, do you prefer to play OCs and just use the canon verse as your playground?
I do like to use OCs in RP, but I feel comfortable if I truly know how to play a canon character for my partner.
If you're hardcore into a fandom, do you get upset when people FAR less knowledgeable RP in your fandom?
It honestly depends. If they only saw the first season/couple of seasons of a show, I'd appreciate if they told me so that I could not end up spoiling anything, and I'd still be glad to RP with them. If, however, they're trying to RP the fandom after watching only a couple of episodes, that's where I get particularly annoyed.
If people are less knowledgeable, do you prefer they RP OCs and just have fun instead of ruining canon characters?
I prefer for them to learn more about the fandom before getting into RPing that fandom, or being open to constructive criticism. I would extend the same courtesy of being open to criticism/being willing to learn more about the fandom.