Levels of Canon?

[Katarn]

Another thread prompted me to make this one.  Many people discuss whether or not the RPG is full canon, semi-canon, non-canon, Where does fanon fit in, etc.  I feel like my attempt below covers most of the bases.  There is a grey area in the RPG where official canon Harry, Bob, and Billy acknowledge something/someone- such as Davian Campbell- as existing outside the RPG- that makes them "theoretically canon".


1:Jim Canon- A Novel, Short Story, WoJ.  This comes from highest authority, and cannot be contradicted canonically (occasionally retconned by Jim)
2:Theoretical Canon- Davian Campbell, Gilgamesh. From a supplement, like the RPG, where it is written "in-universe" and canon characters comment about the material outside the RPG. (example: Bob talks about Gilgamesh in the margins such that he is canonically a Accords signatory that really "exists").  WoJ/later novels can contradict, but should currently be taken as legitimate.
3:Hypothetical Canon:- Damocles Ravenborn, <most of Baltimore material>- Possible but not confirmed canon from a supplement. It is never directly stated as factual or fictional.  WoJ/later works can affirm/deny (example: Baltimore chapter of YS- in-universe author Davian Campbell states he makes up some of the material, and some of it is factual).  Unlike Davian Campbell, who gets a affirming mention from Harry, Bob, or Billy into the "theoretical canon" category, these entries have no reason to be canon or non-canon.
---
4:Parallel Fanon: An unofficial work- usually by fans- of the Dresden Files, not associated legally, etc. It may be an RPG campaign, short story, etc.  However, it does not contradict present canon at the time of its inception (later canon from above could bump this down to 5, see below)
5:Contradictory Fanon: An unofficial work, as Parallel Fanon.  However, this work contains some contradiction with present canon, and could not co-exist with Butcher's precise universe.


Thoughts?

[sjksprocket]

 I'm pretty sure that there was collaboration between the makers of DFRPG and Jim Butcher. So I'm pretty comfortable in saying that the rpg is Jim canon, and if not, at least theoretical canon.

I think that the list is comprehensive. I can't see anything else that could fit in there.

[MijRai]

If I remember what a few of the mods said, it was not a collaboration, but it was written by people who know the setting well. As such, it is a mix of 1 and 2, with more towards two. I've only seen 2 things I would flat-out call 'wrong', and both are in Old World.

[sjksprocket]

what would those tow things be?

[Katarn]

Think of it like Star Wars media.  Dozens of writers have written new Star Wars canon.  Occasionally Lucas gives input on new material (ie cartoons and certain plot points).  However, Lucas can ignore all those writers and change canon (like he did with the entire Clone Wars- ignored 5 years of other authors' work.- In other words, 1=Lucas's movies, 2=other SW novels/other media)  Same thing goes here- 2nd level is canon, but if Jim wanted to it's well within his right to change canon, particularly if it's not his.  I threw hypothetical in because some of it is actual canon, and some isn't- open to interpretation of WoJ.  The Baltimore heading states some is "fact" and some it was made up the the in-universe author.

I thought I remember Butcher giving input to the RPG, but it wasn't a full collaboration.  Out of curiosity, what were the 2 mistakes?

[MijRai]

One is the power levels. Where they put angels and Mab and Outsiders and such seem very skewed, especially with some of the WoJ on who could take Mab in a fight. The other is He Who Walks Behind. One of his aspects in the RPG is Lord of Slowest Terror, while in Blood Rites the summoning for him says he is the right arm of the Lord of Slowest Terror, which I take as a lieutenant/enforcer position, not an actual body-part.

[Katarn]

Right- those errors would be straight-up non canon, since Jim's work supersedes other endorsed Dresden works.  (See my Star Wars example above- If Jim says Davian Campbell and Gilgamesh don't exist, then they don't- but until that time there's no reason for them NOT to exist- since Dresden/Bob/Billy's sidenotes acknowledge them in the canon universe.  Lots of Baltimore is iffy since there was the "parts of this MIGHT be true" comment, so I gave it its own category that gives it canon potential.

[Drashna]

IIRC, the first book mentions or WoJ mentions that it is an alternate timeline. Partitally written by a "earlier enlightened billy". So it's not entirely cannon (after turn coat it, IIRC).

[Serack]

oops, I posted this in the other thread you mentioned first, but I'll past it here.

Here's Iago's take on the RPG's canonality for the series.

It is not Word of Jim, but it's close.  The blacked out stuff that folks can discover in the PDFs are 4th wall breaking stuff, mainly an in joke for people who figure out how to read it. Beyond that there are elements of the text that are at least slightly inaccurate or more often incomplete because the rpg as presented is being filtered through Billy -- a version of Billy who was more clued in prior to Turn Coat, so the rpg itself is at least a little alternate universe in its conceit.  But regardless we made it as close to the spruce material as we could manage, because we wanted the setting parts of it to work as a legitimate fan guide too.

For those who might not know know, Iago (the Forum Admin/owner) is pretty much founded Evil Hat and is the main guy in charge of the RPG, although in the Walking Eye interview linked in the post mentioned by the OP he admits that he forgot to credit himself when he did the layout.