Not the Fandom!

A lot of GMs have been there I know, myself included, where an idea for a roleplay comes into existance in your mind based on a preexisting universe. Then after thinking it through a bit, you scratch that idea off the list because "I don't know enough about the universe to make it good enough". A lot of worlds have way more lore than you could ever hope to know, such as Star Wars where you have absurd numbers of books, movies, shows, board games, etc. to base the universe on. Does anybody else toss ideas out the window simply because you're afraid of getting told off by some fan of the show for not knowing something?

A prime example is I was thinking of doing a Star Trek roleplay, but I don't really know that much about the universe. I don't think I'm going to scratch it off my list yet, but does anybody else have this problem?

Even though I have never done a rp settled in an alternate universe I don't think you should just throw it out. Now, back during the 1970s such an concept would be harder to make, mainly because you would have to watch the show constantly, or buy the books to keep up with how to do such an rp. Other times you would have to religiously read over whatever material you could in an setting guide, but times have changed a bit.

With the advancement of wikis you just have to research the topic and see what you can make out of it. Not only that, but one thing that gms can also pursue is that of alternate universes. Keep some of the same stuff the original had, such as general workings of society or of technology levels, but don't pay attention to important people or events. Simply work out an AU where you can say the following : 'This never happened. Okay? Just accept it. The following events DID happen.'

I once had a star wars game where the gm took such an approach. He knew star wars, sure, but didn't read any of the books or the like. He gathered us up, said that in his universe the skywalkers didn't exist, the great purge on the temple never happened, and that his jedi council didn't include anyone that was famous in the movie universe. We just accepted it and went on.

So, for that effect, you can totally pursue such an idea as long as you go with an AU standard.

Well, I've never been a GM myself- so I can't say I can relate much. However, from the point of view of a participant, similar worries could come up as well. I can list out a bunch of RPs based on shows/fandoms I knew nothing about which I still joined. (Avatar and RWBY, for example - though I've finished watching avatar by now and I'm currently watching RWBY) I've gotten corrected a few times by established fans, but it was nothing too major, since most information is the OP of the RP anyway.

Greiger said:

Not only that, but one thing that gms can also pursue is that of alternate universes. Keep some of the same stuff the original had, such as general workings of society or of technology levels, but don't pay attention to important people or events. Simply work out an AU where you can say the following : 'This never happened. Okay? Just accept it. The following events DID happen.'

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This, pretty much! I've made RPs and seen RPs where the GM wasn't an expert on the universe, but as long as you agree with your players on what goes and what hasn't happened etc, it will likely work. Also, if you have big fans joining, utilize their knowledge to improve the lore and RP, don't feel bad in case they know more than you. You're still the big cool organizer of the whole thing and have the last say :3

Truthfully though, there have been times when I've wanted to do a Star Wars or World of Warcraft RP but felt like I didn't know enough about the world to handle it haha... Which is a bit weird because I really love Star Wars and even though I'm not THE deepest fan ever, I still know a lot. Played many games around it and even read some books etc. But yeah, maybe it differs between fandom to fandom also, Star Wars is huge haha.

I can agree on the alternate universe idea (in fact, I can recommend a very informative video on the subject), but there's another way to do it. Take what you know and like, and get input from both fans and non-fans of the original. See what they like or think you should change. This gives you a world "inspired by" the original franchise, but because it was created by you and your friends, you can relate to it more and it syncs up with everyone's preferences better.