The Transmedial Connection of Tabletop Role-Playing Games and Cosplay in The Wayward Wanderers Campaign

Orsolya Nagy

ABSTRACT:
The present paper focuses on the transmedial relationship between cosplay and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) in a specific case study: the analysis of The Wayward Wanderers campaign played online by an international tabletop role-playing team. The purpose of the research is to point out the diversity of cosplay storytelling in social media as well as to study its transmedial characteristics. To achieve this, it is first necessary to clarify the concept and definition of cosplay, tabletop role-playing and transmedia storytelling, and then to introduce the role-playing team as the subject of the analysis, which was founded by cosplayers. The central question of the research is how the narrative of The Wayward Wanderers campaign is retold or modified through the character portrayal and cosplay storytelling content created and published by the players on their TikTok accounts. For this research we use content and profile analysing methods: we examine in detail how much cosplay content the cosplayers created with the characters they played in the role-playing campaign, over what period the content was published, what different methods were used to create content (individual or group videos, etc.) and how they relate to the canon role-playing narrative.

KEY WORDS:
cosplay, cultural studies, fan studies, game studies, social media, tabletop role-playing games, transmediality.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2024-7-SI.98-112