EU and fluff

Discussion of the Open Database, its mission, how to recruit editors and contributors, any on-going problems, and any other matters relating to Starfleet Jedi's resident wiki.
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GStone
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EU and fluff

Post by GStone » Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:00 pm

How much of the EU would be going into the wiki? For Wars, there are many people that prefer the movies+EU universe (whether they try to use it in movies only universe debates or not). Info from the unofficial compendium and starwars.com would be useful, if EU comes into the database.

Trek's EU might be harder to get. But, isn't memory beta the wiki for Trek EU? I don't remember if it is or not.

As to fluff of various franchises, I've always known it to be apocryphal, but I thought I had heard that there were some franchises that use the word 'fluff' for canon information.

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l33telboi
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Re: EU and fluff

Post by l33telboi » Sun Dec 30, 2007 4:13 pm

GStone wrote:As to fluff of various franchises, I've always known it to be apocryphal, but I thought I had heard that there were some franchises that use the word 'fluff' for canon information.
The word "Fluff" seems to usually be attributed to verses where the main source of information is a game. It's understandibly very hard to get a grasp of what a verse is really like just from a game, be it an RTS, FPS or RPG. So usually the fluff is stuff that explains how things are, sans the rules and regulations needed to make a game a game.

That's why novels in cases like these are looked to for realistic information on what's what.

I know that 40K people regularly look to novels for canon information, for example.

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Post by Cpl Kendall » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:45 pm

Fluff in WH40K refers to any information that is not required for the games. IE: novels, the Firewarrior game and the art books. There's more but I can't remember it all. It's all canon as far I know (I don't believe they have an actual canon policy beyond older fluff overridden by new stuff) so using the novels is fine. In fact there are statements that the novels are how the universe is intended to be.

Edit:

Here is a list of sources that are considered canon for WH40K:

1. Rulebook
2. Codex
3. White Dwarf Magazine
4. Black Library Novel
5. Games Workshop website
6. Background Books
7. GW licensed Comics and Graphic Novels
8. GW licensed computer games based in the Warhammer 40,000 universe
9. Collectable Card games licensed by GW.

Can't find anything else. Searchs fo a canon policy on the GW site, the Wiki, Wikipedia and Google turn up squat for relevant information.

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Mith
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Re: EU and fluff

Post by Mith » Thu Jan 01, 2009 3:58 am

GStone wrote:How much of the EU would be going into the wiki? For Wars, there are many people that prefer the movies+EU universe (whether they try to use it in movies only universe debates or not). Info from the unofficial compendium and starwars.com would be useful, if EU comes into the database.

Trek's EU might be harder to get. But, isn't memory beta the wiki for Trek EU? I don't remember if it is or not.

As to fluff of various franchises, I've always known it to be apocryphal, but I thought I had heard that there were some franchises that use the word 'fluff' for canon information.
I would say that just divide the issue up like they do on the SW website; have the movie information and then have the EU information in different sections. Not only does it present information regarding both universes, but it also mirrors the method that the SW.com site does, which I think would give a more neutral image rather than overly dismissing the EU to begin with.

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Post by Mike DiCenso » Thu Jan 01, 2009 4:12 am

That works for me. Given that there is no solid canon policy for the SFJ forum, the same probably could be said to hold true for the Database. So have a distinction noted, as well as articles addressing offical canon policies for the various franchises listed is probably the way to go.
-Mike

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