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Fan Service in RPGs
There is an aspect of gaming that has receieved little attention, yet I believe it can be found in the history any RPG group that has been together for any length of time. Fan service has appeared in almost every medium in one form or another, whether it was called an “easter egg,” “outside reference,” or whatever else. RPGs are no exception.
In fantasy RPGs, perhaps the most commonly encountered (and certainly the most infamous) fan services are something relating to LotR, or Monty Python. Another famous example of fan service which has cropped up more recently are the Sword-Chucks (I believe another reference was made in one of the bigger card games, but I cannot find it.)
My first personal experience with a fan service in an RPG was in a DnD game, where our party had landed on a island occupied by vampires with a striking similarity to those in the Blood Omen series. As we explored, we began meeting several characters who were obviously based on primary characters from that same series. This did nothing to enhance the story by itself, but it made everyone at the table who had any experience with that series to suddenly find the game more enjoyable, if just because of those outside ties.
When including a fan service in your game, becareful that you are not accidentally falling prey to GMPC or the Pet NPC problems - and that your players don’t think that is what’s happening either.
How have you taken advantage of fan services in your game? When’ve you seen it done well, and what pitfalls have you seen attached to it?
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