Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games - Jennifer Grouling Cover [100]
A Typology of Fans
When confronted with the dual nature fans as consumers and producers, Hills (2002) asks if the contradiction can ever be resolved. He says that “the best we can hope for is a theoretical approach to fandom which can tolerate contradiction without seeking to close it down prematurely” (p. 29). In this vein, I propose a series of traits to help define a typology of fandom audiences. These traits are to be used as sliding scales rather than binaries. They have been developed initially with the gamer fan in mind, but I believe they may be applicable to other fans as well. Further research is needed in order to determine which traits might be more dominant in TRPG fans, but I believe we can safely say that there will be fans at all positions along the spectrum.
The first trait is the fan as producer versus the fan as consumer. As Hills (2002) notes, most fans are both producers and consumers, yet, I argue that they are most likely to fall on one end of this scale more clearly than another. Fans who consume focus on very actively reading or watching their fandom. Thus, the word “consumer” may be a misnomer in that it evokes the idea of passivity. A consumer is actually quite active; however, that activity involves quickly moving through a variety of texts rather than using a text as a springboard for other activities. Furthermore, consumer often has a negative connotation, often because of the binaries set up in fandom studies. However, I argue that those who approach their fandom with a more consumerist perspective are not less creative than productive fans, they simply interact with their object of fandom in a different way. Within the TRPG community, a consumer fan would be the kind to buy all the rule books, have a great deal of knowledge about the different types of monsters in the game, remember all the different specialty equipment that might be acquired, and study all the traits that might eventually be added to a character. This alone may take a great deal of time and skill; however, the fan who memorizes rules may be less willing to shift them or produce their own rules. The TRPG consumer may run out and grab the next new module to play through it with a gaming group. This fan may or may not also be productive as well; however, their focus is more on consumption of goods related to their fandom. A productive fan is less interested in the details of the gaming product and more interested in the way they can use that product for their own creative ends. These fans may be more interested in creative additions to their characters, such the gnome in the Sorpraedor campaign who wanted a talking bunny for a hat, than with beating the next quest. In the TRPG, the productive fan will be most interested in the story and character creation that comes from the gaming session rather than the details of the rules from the books.
Another trait is whether a fan is more loyal or more open. By this, I intend to distinguish between fans who are particularly loyal to a text and its canon and those who have broader interests. Nick, for example, would be a loyal fan of D&D. He played D&D for years, through multiple editions, and is likely to continue playing D&D over other choices. Mary, however, would be an open fan. For her the TRPG was the vehicle for her productive creativity, and it did not matter whether that TRPG was D&D or whether it was a part of a different system in a different setting. It may seem that loyal fans are more likely