Science fiction fandom began in the 1930s, when readers of the pulp magazines began to write to each other. While fandom can be a very loose association, its members identify with fandom and with each other, and communicate with other fans. Fancyclopedia 3 is a collective enterprise of all of fandom. Based on the previous works by Jack Speer (Fancyclopedia), Dick Eney (Fancyclopedia 2), and Rich Brown, it is written by fans who want to contribute. User summary: Fancyclopedia 3 deals with science fiction and fantasy subjects in general - roleplaying is a tangential subject - but offers significant insight into the development of the roleplaying hobby.