Is Being a Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fan Necessary to Fit in with a D&D Group?

[cybertalus]

I'm curious about this because I don't really consider myself to be a fantasy/sci-fi fan in general. I happen to enjoy (and consider myself a fan of) certain specific works in those genres (Babylon 5, Harry Potter, and the "Proteus" stories of Charles Sheffield to name a few examples), but I'm not into the whole "fandom scene" (anime, horror films, comic books, collectibles, novel lines based on movies and shows, etc.).

Because of my lack of interest in typical "gamer topics" and because the things that do interest me (literature, psychology, dramas, independent films, and some areas of history, philosophy, and folklore/mythology) tend to be the kinds of things which make other people's eyes glaze over with boredom, I often feel like I'm the odd one out in gaming groups because I don't have much in the way of common non-game topics to discuss with the other people in the group.

So I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts or experiences on this. I'd especially like to hear from anyone else who's been the lone "non-fan" in a gaming group where everyone else was a fantasy/sci-fi fan.

 

[morrolan]

I'm probably a lot like you in that regard, though I'm not sure if I quite qualify as a non-fan. My fandom is limited to horror and comics, and maybe a few TV shows. But anime is not my big thing, and I'd rather watch cheese making documentaries than read forgotten realms or star trek novels. I don't have as broad a background in Sci-Fi and Fantasy as many people here. I'm an English major and share some of the interests you mentioned. But I try not to segregate by genre so much, and would rather be the epicurean; enjoy the best from many different genres.

And I think along with those fandom oriented gamers are a good number who enjoy history and mythology, philosophy etc. My early love for those topics helped lead me into gaming in the first place. And most sci-fi or fantasy draws heavily from those subjects too.

But when it comes down to it, all you need is to be able to enjoy the game with your group. Share old war stories; you all have at least one thing in common. And trade interests. Let 'em tell you what are the best comics out there, and you can recommend a great independent film.

 

[diaglo]

what is anime?

seriously, much of the "gamer" topics are not true for all gamers.

i don't do Card Games, like Tragic the Slathering.
i don't do anime
i don't do comics after 1974.
i don't watch TV
i don't do furries


i read a lot for entertainment. i go to and sponsor the museum in town. i go to plays, opera, dance, .....yadda, yadda, yadda....

i still play RPGs. in some regards there is no correlation.

it is purely based on age, socio-economics, and lifestyle....

gamers are just like everybody else.

all you need to roleplay is a good imagination and a willingness to have fun.

 

[Robbert Raets]

There's a lot of people out there who are fantasy or science-fiction fans, but don't consider themselves to be. It's just that their fanaticism is as pale as Dracula compared to the 'real' fanboys and geeks.... :\

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

I like D&D and other RPGS.

I love fantasy / adventure movies, but I don't read a lot of fantasy (mostly I just never have time to sit back and read any more and fiction reading has never been my thing). I like certain comics, but I am not a big comic book person/collector. I don't like most anime. I never have time for computer & PS2 games.

I like ancient history (egypt, rome, etc.) and science. I watch the Discovery channel a lot & the news. I don't watch a ton of other TV but when I do, most of it is not fantasy related. I do like B5 and some other shows like it. I'm not really into Star Trek. I like it but I am not tremendously into it. I like British comedy. I love MST3K.

I collect fantasy stuff (dragons, faeries, unicorns etc.). I like a lot of non fantasy things, like I'm a huge Disney fan.

I don't think that fantasy / sci fi has to really go with RPGS. Although I do think it's probably rare to find a fan of RPGS who HATES fantasy/sci fi.

 

[cybertalus]

i don't do Card Games, like Tragic the Slathering.

But Diaglo, if I can be blunt here, you do share one thing in common with some of the types of fans I'm talking about in that you (humorously or not, it's hard to tell sometimes via messageboards) refer to things you don't like in a way that's sort of a put down.

Whether this is the intent or not, my interpretation when I see people doing that is that they're being dismissive of that thing which doesn't interest them, and that further they're likely to be equally as dismissive of anything else which doesn't interest them. Therefore they're not someone I'm going to try to discuss Virginia Woolf or Thoreau or the metaphysical implications of Bob Dylan lyrics with because I don't want to meet their scorn.

all you need to roleplay is a good imagination and a willingness to have fun.

On this I agree wholeheartedly. It's not playing the game though that's my area of concern, it's fitting in with a gaming group on a social level. It's having something to discuss that is of interest to the other players as well as myself before the game starts or when the DM steps outside for a smoke or whatever.

One phrase I see come up a lot on these boards is "I'd never game with someone I wouldn't want to spend an evening with doing something else." Seems like a reasonable standard to me. A problem I see is when there is so little in common aside from gaming that spending an evening doing something else wouldn't be an enjoyable evening.

(And just in case anyone from my current group is reading this.... I haven't known y'all long enough to know if this will be the case with y'all or not. Consider this preventative troubleshooting.)

 

[cybertalus]

There's a lot of people out there who are fantasy or science-fiction fans, but don't consider themselves to be. It's just that their fanaticism is as pale as Dracula compared to the 'real' fanboys and geeks.... :\

Any advice then for what a "pale fanatic" can do when surrounded by the more serious fans?

For one thing my expereince has been that the serious fans don't always take it well when you've tried their favorite fannish thing and it's not your liking, no matter how diplomatically you phrase your disinterest.

 

[cybertalus]

I don't think that fantasy / sci fi has to really go with RPGS. Although I do think it's probably rare to find a fan of RPGS who HATES fantasy/sci fi.

Good point. It's got me wondering if I've missed out on an important something before: gamers are likely to discuss sci-fi and fantasy by default because it's a topic they're most likely to have in common, not necessarily because it's the only one. Or, put another way, discussing sci-fi/fantasy with a gamer is like discussing the weather with a stranger: it's a way to get interaction started with something presumably both sides can discuss.

 

[morrolan]

Therefore they're not someone I'm going to try to discuss Virginia Woolf or Thoreau or the metaphysical implications of Bob Dylan lyrics with because I don't want to meet their scorn.

Anytime you want to discuss the metaphysical implications of Dylan lyrics, I am right there. I was pondering Isis this morning on the way to school. And hey, tell me Bob hadn't been through a dungeon crawl before he wrote that song:

[with some edits]
...
A man in the corner approached me for a match.
I knew right away he was not ordinary.
He said, "Are you lookin' for somethin' easy to catch?"
I said, "I got no money." He said, "That ain't necessary."

We set out that night for the cold in the North.
I gave him my blanket, he gave me his word.
I said, "Where are we goin'?" He said we'd be back by the fourth.
I said, "That's the best news that I've ever heard."

I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold,
I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace.
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless.
...
We came to the pyramids all embedded in ice.
He said, "There's a body I'm tryin' to find.
If I carry it out it'll bring a good price."
'Twas then that I knew what he had on his mind.

The wind it was howlin' and the snow was outrageous.
We chopped through the night and we chopped through the dawn.
When he died I was hopin' that it wasn't contagious,
But I made up my mind that I had to go on.

I broke into the tomb, but the casket was empty.
There was no jewels, no nothin', I felt I'd been had.
When I saw that my partner was just bein' friendly,
When I took up his offer I must-a been mad.

I picked up his body and I dragged him inside,
Threw him down in the hole and I put back the cover.
I said a quick prayer and I felt satisfied.
Then I rode back to find Isis just to tell her I love her....

 

[diaglo]

But Diaglo, if I can be blunt here, you do share one thing in common with some of the types of fans I'm talking about in that you (humorously or not, it's hard to tell sometimes via messageboards) refer to things you don't like in a way that's sort of a put down.

edi2: of course you can be blunt. i wouldn't have it any other way.

1.) which is my point. gamers are just like everyone else. fans of sport X...fans of Brand Y...fans of music....etc....

we shouldn't be concerned about trying to jump on a high horse. we are on par with the rest of fandom...

Whether this is the intent or not, my interpretation when I see people doing that is that they're being dismissive of that thing which doesn't interest them, and that further they're likely to be equally as dismissive of anything else which doesn't interest them. Therefore they're not someone I'm going to try to discuss Virginia Woolf or Thoreau or the metaphysical implications of Bob Dylan lyrics with because I don't want to meet their scorn.

i'll discuss Virginia Woolf, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson....

Thomas Paine...

i am The Original NonConformist ...but in the big picture see point 1.

edit: besides trying to put people into boxes is just another form of being dismissive.

One phrase I see come up a lot on these boards is "I'd never game with someone I wouldn't want to spend an evening with doing something else." Seems like a reasonable standard to me. A problem I see is when there is so little in common aside from gaming that spending an evening doing something else wouldn't be an enjoyable evening.

and like any stereotype there are exceptions....

i often hook up with gamers i don't know. heck all of my current group i met on the internet.

i guess i'm just a Swinger at heart still