My Little TTRPG: Fanfic is Magic

31 May, 2026

Introduction

As afforded to all British teachers, I have been enjoying a week off of 'half-term'. Though naturally I fell ill for its majority, there was a silver lining in the form of lots of time to do lots of nothing. Since starting a rewatch of Kripke's Supernatural (seasons 1-5), my fondness of fandom has been reignited. That fondness quickly turned into rumination. How did I engage with fiction in my adolescence? How do I now? Most importantly, what has stayed the same, and what has changed? These questions and lots of nothing-time pushed me to an essay prompt that I reckon is of some interest: are TTRPGs inherently collaborative fan fiction?

What Is Fan Fiction?

According to Hellekson and Busse¹, fan fiction can be defined by the following:

1. Most scholars define it narrowly as the transformative community-based writing that emerged in the late 60s within Star Trek, sci-fi zine culture.
2. It has a long history from medieval rewritings of literary and biblical canon all the way up to Victorian Sherlock Holmes pastiches.
3. It has been a predominantly female-led network fostered through conventions, zines, and postal networks

It should be noted that derivative writing - anything from yaoi/yuri to published Sherlockian pastiches - falls outside of the specific definition of fan fiction agreed upon by academics. Before I continue to make my point, I want to highlight that although the adjective 'derivative' is inherently pejorative, I am using it in its unadulterated, denotational way; derivative, therefore, refers to something that copies, adapts, or is influenced by pre-existing works. The fact that Hellekson and Busse do not place derivative writing as fan fiction is significant¹; it can be strongly argued that a huge amount of TTRPGs contain derivative themes, settings, and gameplay mechanics. Moreover, OSR as a play culture is arguably derivative too since it adapts some of the earliest forms of TTRPG into the systems we play today.

In which case, essay over, right? TTRPGs cannot inherently be collaborative fan fiction if the only link is that of being derivative. However, there are other things that must be considered in this line of thought.

How far does 'Taking Inspiration' go?

As I have previously written, I now GM a closed-table Dolmenwood game for six players of varying OSR experience. If you are one of said players, skip this section! There are spoilers ahead for Winter's Daughter.

Okay, are you gone? Good.

Right at the beginning of the Player's Book, our good man Gavin Norman lists his inspirational media as "inspirational fodder for all players". There are some doozies in here with the expected pieces like The Fellowship of the Ring novel by J. R. R. Tolkein or The Green Knight (the David Lowery film) all the way to the more obscure pieces of fiction that exist quite transiently within different points of the modern period - Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrless and The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany. That second 1924 novel is the one that grabs me in this specific essay.

If you have not read it yet and are interested, I would skip my synopsis, otherwise:

Once upon a time, there was a parliament of folk. The twelve masters sequestered themselves away in Narl the blacksmith's forge to drink mead and discuss matters of Erl. They decreed that magic should be returned to Erl, the Lord and ruler charging his son Alveric to do so. With all the bravery of a young, eager mortal man, he plunges beyond the fields he knows to fetch a bride: the dreamlike Lizarel, Princess of Elfland.

The two wish away back to Erl, providing the human kingdom with a half-fae heir in their son Orion. Soon though, as the stars must wink out into day, Lizarel was, too, not long for the human world. Her longing for home tore at her and she returned in a leafy, spring whirlwind. Just as Lizarel could not cope without home, Alveric could not cope without his wife. He abandons his kingdom for a wandering, hopeless quest.

As Lizarel too grows as lonesome as a mourning dove, her father - the Elf King - uses his three runes that he had reserved to defend his realm. The final of three engulfs the land of Erl into Elfland. The lovers are thus reunited in eternal bliss.

The overview above is an incredibly brief plot explanation that does not begin to touch upon all the characters, themes, and stunning prose of the 301 page novel. For anyone who has played in or (especially) refereed Winter's Daughter, the above story may ring somewhat familiar.

The journey that Alveric takes into Elfland has parallels with Sir Chyde's possible fate in entering Fairy to be with his paramour, Princess Snowfall-at-Dusk. The relationship itself of human and fairy nobility - one man and one female elf/fairy - can clearly be linked to The King of Elfland's Daughter. Even the module title Winter's Daughter is arguably inspired with the obvious use of the noun 'daughter'; if we look at it as a metaphor, the Cold Prince could very much be referenced here as Snowfall-at-Dusk's father.

On the other hand, Dunsany's King of Elfland is far more benevolent than the Cold Prince. For the happiness of his daughter, he uses the powerful runes he intended to use as defensive measures. Would the Cold Prince - the same character that locked his daughter away for her "foolish love" - do such a thing? I don't think so. However, if given the chance, would he extend Fairy into Dolmenwood? Absolutely he would.

Here, I think Gav is engaging in the creation of a pastiche as opposed to direct fan fiction. The inspiration taken is strong, but in being within Dolmenwood, the module arguably stands independently from the Dunsany's work. If not the content itself, what else about TTRPGs leans into the realm of fan fiction?

The Power of Post

Play-by-post (PbP) is a style of TTRPG play that predates the modern internet. PbP is a style of play I have never managed to break into properly, but intrigues me all the same. Something I have noted are the structural and cultural similarities that PbP has with early and modern fan fiction communities. Both early communities and PbPs emerged from participatory spaces wherein enthusiasts gather to collaboratively expand upon fictional worlds, characters, and narrative possibilities. In play-by-post games, participants contribute written posts over forums, message boards, email chains, or social media platforms, creating stories incrementally through asynchronous collaboration. This process closely resembles the serialized and community-driven storytelling practices that characterized early fan fiction culture.

Moreover, in more modern spaces wherein forums are a main driver, character roleplay is a large part of fan culture. Having played three multiplayer games of Starforged, I was startled by the similarities I found to online roleplay regarding how stories were driven. Though not inherently a PbP, Starforged shares collaborative storytelling as a core premise with some PbPs. Similar to that, it was often a core premise of the Attack on Titan forums I trawled in my tweens; then, could PbPs let me cringe and free? The jury is out on that one. As a game that can be played without a referee too, Starforged mirrored one of the defining features of fan fiction communities: an emphasis on collective norms over formal authority.

In the same way that writers developed conventions regarding character interpretation, continuity, content warnings, feedback, and collaborative etiquette, collaborative TTRPGs similarly rely on shared expectations negotiated among players. Structurally, the written nature of play-by-post gaming often encourages forms of expression commonly associated with fan fiction. Depending on the table (or, mail trail?), players may engage in character introspection or relationship-focused scenes that may be abbreviated during traditional face-to-face gaming. The asynchronous format allows participants to revise, edit, and polish their contributions before posting, resulting in prose that can resemble collaborative fiction more than spontaneous gameplay. In many cases, the distinction between role-playing and co-authorship becomes blurred, as players may contribute not only actions but narrative framing, emotional development, and thematic exploration.

Fan Fiction, but on purpose this time

So, I've argued the incidental links between fan fiction and TTRPGs, but what about when people do it on purpose?

I have previously poked fun at the sheer density of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive RPG rulebook (336 pages!), however its existence provides an interesting view into how the bounds of fandom have broadened and become more accessible. This is just one of so, so many TTRPGs that are set in pre-existing fictional worlds. Why are the majority of people going to play them? Likely, they will because they are already fans. Will TTRPG fans delve into Avatar Legends because they want to play another PBTA game? I'm doubtful. When players engage in an campaign set within an established fictional universe, they are effectively generating transformative works based on existing intellectual property. A campaign featuring Sanderson's mistborns or ATLA's bending produces stories that expand upon canonical settings in much the same way as fan fiction. Even when the game follows formal rules and mechanics, the resulting narrative often functions as a shared fan-created story.

Conclusion

Am I utterly convinced that you can say all TTRPGs are just fan fiction? No, not at all. However, much of it occupies a unique position between gaming and literary fandom - especially PbPs. Their collaborative writing practices, community-governed conventions, and frequent engagement with existing fictional worlds place them in direct conversation with the traditions of early fan fiction culture. Rather than existing as separate activities, fan fiction and play-by-post role-playing can be understood as overlapping forms of participatory storytelling. There's something a bit beautiful in offering players the ability to become active creators within worlds they love.

Either way, I am more than happy to engage in TTRPGs just as I am with fandom, though if the option arose to play in the Cosmere, I may be happy engaging in both simultaneously.

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