Fandom RP — Definition, examples, FAQs, and more

Fandom RP: a brief history

Fan communities were writing new stories with borrowed characters long before the phrase “fandom RP” existed. Fan fiction circulated in printed zines through the 1960s and 1970s, especially around science fiction and shows like Star Trek, and some of that writing already took a collaborative, in-character form.

As fans moved online, roleplay followed. Through the 1980s and 1990s, themed text games and chat rooms let fans gather inside a favorite setting and play it out together. Many early text games were built around specific franchises, from Star Trek to popular anime series, giving fans a place to act as characters from those worlds.

From roughly the 2000s onward, journal sites like LiveJournal, then forums, Tumblr, and Discord, became major homes for fandom roleplay. The tools kept changing, but the core idea remained the same: take a world people already love, and keep writing new stories in it.

How it's used today

Fandom RP turns up anywhere fans gather to write together. You will find it on dedicated roleplay games, on forums and play-by-post (PbP) boards, in chat servers, and on social platforms. A single game might focus on one franchise, or act as a hub where characters from many sources meet.

Etiquette tends to focus on respecting the source and other writers. Players often mark whether they are staying close to the source or running an alternate take, so partners know what to expect. Because the setting is shared and already familiar, newcomers can often jump in quickly, which is a big part of the appeal.

Types of games where the term is commonly used include:

MUSH, RP-based MUs, play-by-post games, chat roleplay, and social roleplay

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Fandom RP examples

• A new player joins a Star Trek game, applies to play a canon officer, and is asked to show they know the character before the role is approved.
• Two writers set up a scene in the Harry Potter world using original students they invented, rather than playing the famous cast.
• A multi-fandom chat lets a character from one anime meet a character from a completely different show, and the pair run the meeting as a crossover.
• A game opens an alternate universe where a well known villain never turned evil, and players explore how the story changes.

Myths and misconceptions

1. Fandom RP means copying the source word for word. Most games expect a canon character to stay believable, but the whole point is to write new scenes, choices, and events the source never showed.
2. You can only play the famous characters. Original characters who fit the setting are welcome in most fandom games, and some communities are built almost entirely around them.
3. It is just fan fiction with extra steps. Fan fiction is usually one writer’s finished piece, while fandom RP is created live and shared between players, each controlling their own character in real time.

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Fandom RP FAQs

What is fandom roleplay in text-based games?

Fandom roleplay is collaborative writing set inside an existing media franchise. Instead of building a world from scratch, players use the characters, places, and rules of a known show, book, film, or game, then write new scenes in it together.

Do you have to play a canon character in fandom RP?

No. You can play a canon character (an established figure from the source), but most games also welcome original characters who fit the setting. Some players prefer originals so they have more freedom over their story.

Can you mix different franchises in one game?

Yes. A game that brings characters from two or more franchises into the same setting is running a crossover. Multi-fandom games are common, and they let characters who would never normally meet share a scene.

Is fandom RP the same as fan fiction?

They overlap but are not the same. Fan fiction is usually one author’s finished story. Fandom RP is written live and collaboratively, with each player controlling their own character and the plot unfolding as everyone writes.

Where does fandom roleplay happen?

It happens on dedicated roleplay games, on forums and play-by-post boards, in chat servers like Discord, and on social platforms. Many franchises have long running communities across several of these places at once.