Line #16 MisaimedFandom/TabletopGames


1	Examples of MisaimedFandom for characters in TabletopGames.
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4	* ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}'' was based on a game called "The Landlord's Game", which was meant to demonstrate [[CapitalismIsBad the evils of capitalism]]. It didn't really work; the intended message has largely gone over everyone's heads, and it remains one of the most popular board games of all time, with a mountain of different sequels and variations. This is because "The Landlord's Game" was created with two sets of rules: the standard "Monopolist" rules familiar today, and the "Anti-monopolist" rules set where in everyone was rewarded when wealth was created, not just a single player; and only the Monopolist rules survived into ''Monopoly''.
5	* The ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' supplement ''The Book of Nod'' was originally a source of stories and a prop for the setting. Imagine the author's surprise when Noddism became a cult.
6	** Ditto that for the Sabbat faction in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade''. Originally little more than [[OurOrcsAreDifferent vampiric orcs]], the Sabbat became the setting's most popular faction among players, despite (or perhaps [[EvilIsCool because of]]) the gory and sadistic supplements that described their behavior. Some of the additional depth (and sympathetic elements) the Sabbat later received may have been an attempt to move the target a little closer to where fandom was aiming. They're still liberatingly horrible by and large, but with a few legitimate points to stand for.
7	** Given the sheer number of "This is a GAME. You are NOT a vampire/werewolf/demon/mage and the Devil is NOT your unholy master. If you actually believe any of this stuff, get some help" warnings in some of the later supplements, it's fair to say that the old World of Darkness had a definite problem with misaimed fandom and/or MoralGuardians.
8	** In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', The Technocracy was originally conceived as a belligerent faction who was trying to murder creativity and wonder by deluding the masses into believing such things don't exist, which, in a universe that operates on ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, would remove their ability to do so in the real world. The problem was that their use of science to do so undermined this idea, since science and technology were profoundly liberating for the average person. Rather than clamp down on this, the writers embraced this, depicting the Technocracy as a WellIntentionedExtremist faction who wants to protect and empower the common man via science and technology (admittedly, under ''their'' terms), but have accumulated many, many skeletons in their closet to do so.
9	** ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming'' is about fairies reborn as humans. While the line was considered "interesting, but flawed" by many, a group of people known as UsefulNotes/{{Otherkin}} adored the game, mainly because they believe they ''are'' fairies reborn as humans. Their attachment to the game got so out of hand that the authors had to officially announce that they weren't Otherkin themselves.
10	* A good portion of the ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' fandom sympathize with the Coalition States. The CS is a totalitarian, Orwellian, fascist police state which is a stabilizing force for North America. It feeds many beyond its borders and is the only reliable basis of credit currency. It heavily restricts media, education, and free speech, which protects people from accidentally reading magical scrolls that summon demons. It seeks to free the entire Earth for humanity: not only themselves but also their NGR allied in Europe and Free Quebec allies up north. It is [[FantasticRacism violently racist]] against alien invaders and [[HumansAreBastards humans who summon them]] - those who refuse to leave human territory may be imprisoned or shot. The CS make their lands so safe that many aliens choose to live in underprivileged ghettos until the day they die, rather than brave the untamed wilderness. [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi Germany was probably one contributing inspiration]] for the CS, as Hitler was mentioned as one of Karl Prosek's inspirations. GodwinsLaw leads to critics only focusing on this, completely ignoring Karl's negative opinions about Hitler and the other leaders who inspired him: Caesar, Khan and Napoleon. They also act as if Nazis invented the DeathsHead and ignore its recurrent use in the American military or use by classic heroes like Ivanhoe . Problem is, not only [[EvilIsCool are they badass]], but [[StrawmanHasAPoint a lot of nonhumans in the setting do pose an imminent danger to human civilisation]], leading to many people tolerating, some ignoring, and a few even glorifying - the Coalition's atrocities.
11	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':
12	** Any time anyone at all thinks that one of the factions are "the good guys" (hint: EvilVersusEvil is one of the foundations of the setting). This is almost always directed at the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Tau]], the [[HumansAreBastards Imperium of Man]] (mostly by [[FanOfUnderdog lionizing]] the [[RedShirtArmy Imperial Guard]]) and/or the [[ManipulativeBastard Eldar]] (and occasionally [[BloodKnight Da Orks]]), probably because [[BlackAndGrayMorality their most common enemies routinely perform actions several orders of magnitude worse]] than anything the previous factions could possibly achieve.
13	** Some neo-Nazis think that the Imperium is some kind of post-neo-fascist paradise. Similarly, the Ultramarines tends to have a very large following in Neo-Nazi-circles with that perfection-angle and being übermensch and such. There are quite a few neo-nazi/alt-right types who embrace the paranoia, intolerance, fanaticism, and FantasticRacism of the setting, and project it into other games, media and real life (most infamously, appropriating the "God Emperor" title for a certain former US president). It got so bad that Games Workshop had to issue [[https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/11/19/the-imperium-is-driven-by-hate-warhammer-is-not/ an official statement]] that declared 1) the Imperium is ''not'' the 'good guy' faction and 2) people wearing hate symbols will be asked to leave stores. [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150420002332/http://www.tradyouth.org/2015/02/the-imperium-of-man/ This post from a reactionary traditionalist]] site cites the Imperium Of Man as a desirable guide for society, completely missing the point that the Imperium is a dying CrapsackWorld where rampant traditionalism has made life horrible for humanity, even if it's keeping it alive. The highly fantastical nature of the setting where only there such dogmatic policies can be tolerated is also ignored by the author. Interestingly, [[{{Irony}} the author's logo is oddly similar to Warhammer's symbol of Chaos, the Imperium's principal archenemy]].
14	** Even those who aren't coming from a reactionary or fascist standpoint will argue that the Imperium are the good guys since everyone else is just that bad, and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo violence, intolerance, and repression are needed to defend humanity]] from the horrors of the grim dark galaxy (take [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D60PWEVgJXU this video from Generation films]] for instance). While this argument is certainly more justified than ones put forth by actual neo-nazis, it often neglects to mention how [[FascistButInefficient many of the Imperium's policies are inefficient]], and [[CreateYourOwnVillain some of its enemies are its own creation]].
15	** It was a bit more justified originally with the Tau, since the original material on them kind of glossed over any of their negative aspects. CharacterDevelopment fixed that, though they still offer conversion as an alternative to extermination, which none of the other factions really do, except sometimes [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Chaos]]. Take note that said CharacterDevelopment only appeared after fans complained that they weren't [[DarkerAndEdgier grimdark]] enough, and most of their negative aspects are described [[UnreliableNarrator in quotes by Imperial characters]]. The Tau are either the best/least-worst dudes in the universe if Imperial propaganda isn't true, or merely as grey as the Imperium if it is.
16	** The Harlequin are sometimes portrayed as probably the closest thing to "the good guys" in the setting, but are underdeveloped. They are implied to be trying to reunite the Eldar race but don't really care about changing the ideologies of their allies. Some of the authors (especially Josh Reynolds) portray them as having BlueAndOrangeMorality and existing only to make sure events play out like whatever story they're doing at the time (and the metaplot) says they should. If that means steering a Chaos army into an unprepared Eldar Craftworld, so be it.
17	** Black Library writers try to give the Imperium a human face in order to make [[Literature/GauntsGhosts political officers]] sympathetic.
18	** Some claim that ''the whole setting'' was never meant to be taken as seriously as many fans do. In a fine example of this trope and/or PoesLaw, things intended as parody and BlackComedy were embraced unironically. This has been gone back and forth with each edition. The first edition was pure parody, the second [[PoesLaw took the story seriously]], the third took itself so seriously and was so dark and miserable that it became a joke (creating the [[MemeticMutation meme]] "[[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Grimdark grimdark"]] ), the fourth and fifth are LighterAndSofter with real heroes and villains, though still substantially darker than your average setting. The sixth edition went ''both'' ways with it, making the battles themselves and the people in them that much more glorious, with a heaping helping of lore that indicates that every civilization in the galaxy, and maybe the galaxy ''itself'', is [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt literally on the verge of one great, big, all-consuming orgy of madness and carnage, leaving nothing left]]. 7th edition continues with the direction 6th was going: the galaxy is being ripped apart by Chaos and the Imperium is closer to total collapse than it ever has been, but Roboute Guilliman is back and working to make the place less of a hellhole. At this point Games Workshop authors have clearly found a balance point of playing the absurd, glorious bleakness of the setting completely straight while winking at its readers. This also makes the franchise a major IndecisiveParody. For example, the Commissars were originally created as what was basically a joke; a statement that the Imperial Guard was such an ill-run shambles that they had to insert political officers whose primary duty is to shoot anyone who looks like they're about to run away, a perfect symbol of the callousness of the military state that glorifies troopers even as it tosses them into the grinder. But many writers fell in love with their cool looks and outside-the-system role and featured Commissar protagonists meant to be exceptional sorts who almost never shoot any of their BadassCrew. Nowadays you have people who will insist that most Commissars don't shoot their troops willy-nilly except as a last resort, but that is their signature ability and the entire reason they were added to the setting to begin with.
19	** If you can believe it, while they aren't as prevalent as Imperium or T'au defenders, there are people who are willing to call the ''[[OurOrcsAreDifferent ORKS]]'' the 'good guys'. Their reasoning is usually that the Orks are at least enjoying themselves, though it's almost always at the expense of others, and since they're genetically programmed to be a race of [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]] they aren't really capable of being any more moral than they already are. This even happens in-universe, with one Eldar philosopher named Uthan pointing out that as a species, the orks have won: while the Eldar and humans are fighting to survive as a species, the orks will never be fully eradicated and so are free of the angst and soul-searching that plagues the other two. Do note that said philosopher's moniker is [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "the Perverse"]].
20	* ''{{TabletopGame/Cyberpunk}}'': Trauma Team's paramedics were intended to be a commentary on the role of medicine in a society dying in the throes of late-stage capitalism. They can save the life of anyone, even the recently deceased, since they have state-of-the-art medical technology and training and firepower which allows them to extract people from places even MAX-TAC units avoid like the plague. However, they only do so for people who can afford one of their insanely expensive insurance policies, and are more than willing to gun down a dozen innocent people and step over their corpses if it gets them to their target a fraction of a second quicker than stepping around them. A significant fraction of the fandom missed the contents of the last sentence, and focused on how cool it would be to be a badass CombatMedic.
21	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has definitely met a few, however the nature of the game not having as many centralised rules or purpose has resulted in some of them being a "BrokenBase" instead:
22	** Premade campaigns are made to give aspiring [=DMs=] some time to practice, as well as having a game that can easily be thrown together and started with no hassle. This has not stopped people from interpreting them as scripts, or assuming that's what a tabletop game should be like, when in truth most premade campaigns have sections talking about how it can be adjusted to account for potential party dynamics.
23	** ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' introduced a lot of players to the game. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the [[https://screenrant.com/critical-role-dnd-mercer-effect-dungeons-dragons-expectations/ Mercer Effect]], which is where fans assume that all ''D&D'' or TTRPG games are like what's shown on ''Critical Role'', and are [[HypeBacklash disillusioned when it's not]]. The players on ''Critical Role'' are all long-time voice actors, with hundreds of credits to their names. All of them have not only worked together in the past on various projects outside of ''Critical Role'', but several pairs of the actors -- Creator/MatthewMercer and Creator/MarishaRay, as well as Creator/TravisWillingham and Creator/LauraBailey -- are married, which naturally gives them some chemistry when they play off of each other. This has resulted in a bit of a backlash from the TTRPG community from the NewbieBoom brought on by the show when these newbies don't realize that a group of players in the wild is never going to be at the same level. Even Mercer himself has spoken out against the effect that shares his name, [[ArtistDisillusionment noting that he doesn't like the effect any more than the community does]]. [[invoked]]
24	** Related, Mercer also provides a lot of advice for aspiring {{Game Master}}s. Unfortunately, a lot of people have also taken it to mean that Mercer's advice is actually a rule - that must be followed to the tee. Mercer himself has stated his advice isn't intended to be rules, nor is ''Critical Role'' intended to be a window as to how ''Dungeons and Dragons'' is "supposed" to be played.

Context MisaimedFandom / TabletopGames