Introduction to Pern Fandom
Pern fandom encompasses all the fan clubs based upon Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern ® book series. The basic goal of all clubs is to let their members 'play' Pern. There are two main types of clubs, distinguished by the speed at which they play Pern. At one end of the spectrum are the fiction writing clubs, whose members write stories (referred to as fanfic) which are published in newsletters a few times a year. At the other end are the online role-playing games (MUSHes and MOOs, collectively called MU*s), whose members interact in 'real time.' Occupying a murky in-between state are role-play by email clubs (called PBEMs), whose members interact more actively than the fanfic clubs but slower than online games. Some clubs pursue multiple activities, though the MU*s typically don't.
Each club will be set in a particular time in Pern's history, and is usually named after the location on Pern around which they base their activities. These locations may be a place existing in Anne's books, but are more often newly created ones to avoid potential trademark violations. Clubs are most often named for Weyrs, but will include both Holds and Crafthalls in their territories. In both the fanfic clubs and MU*s members usually create characters (personas) to write about or role-play. If you don't wish to write or role-play, clubs can usually use an extra hand in administration or with artwork, and fanfic clubs can use editors and help publishing newsletters. There used to be a short list of basic rules laid down by Anne McCaffrey which all clubs must follow, but I believe that's no longer enforced, so each club operates only under its own set of rules.
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last update: 8/13/2004