Playtron or Rennie

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

I love you too, Blue!   

[Dinobabe]

I've always called myself a rennie.  I grew up working the booth, carrying the flag at parade, and selling pickles.  I don't work any more, I pay to get in, but I still consider myself a definite rennie!

In Civil War we call ourselves "living historians". 

[robert of armstrong]

Clearly definitions differ, depending even down to the person's preference.  See I'm a playtron, but consider myself a Rennie.  See the two aren't mutually exclusive, IMO.

To me, it's like wingers, defence, goalies and centers are all types of hockey players.

Cast members, vendors/guilds and playtrons are types of Rennies.

My two cents, keep the change.

[Zardoz]

Just my two cents, but I find it a bit absurd to even feel the need to classify people into a subset or nice defined box.  All of us participate to varying degrees and place the fair at different levels on our priority list.  Titles are just ways people generalize other people.  In my opinion, it is all small-minded.  Call yourself what you want and have fun with your involvement in the fair.

If you feel threatened by someone else defining themselves by a mere word that you associate with yourself, your life leaves much to be desired.

I'm with Chris on this one.  When asked if he thought of himself more as a theologian or as a philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard said; "Once you label me, you negate me". ( I knew that college philosophy minor would be useful someday!)

I think of 'rennie' as a catch-all word to describe anybody that likes renfaires. I've used the term "my rennie friends" from time to time. But I don't mentally label myself or anyone else with it, any more than I label myself or my many sci-fi fan friends as geeks or trekkies.
About the only times I think I've ever used 'playtron', 'paytron', 'cast', 'mundanes', etc was while trying to describe the faire world to uninitiated friends.

  Don't get caught up with names and labels, thinking of yourself on/in other people's terms gives them too much control over your self image.

[Merlin]

I hope not too many people mistook my intentions by posing the question.

I wasn't concerned as much about me getting to label myself as much as I was wondering if I would be offending a large group of people by calling myself a rennie.

I also refer to a certain group as my "rennie friends".

I don't like to label myself anything to define my character or beliefs (Republican, Baptist, etc) but was just wondering how many people would really be offended by people using a title they cherished. Believe it or not.... there are some faire goers who take faire going VERY seriously. My wife was confronted for walking on the "wrong side" of me once and the "Queen" stated that "walking on that side of your man may cause others to believe you are other than a true lady and possibly his hired maiden" with which my wife replied "What makes you think I'm not?". lol

[eloquentXI]

I don't really care much for any of the titles, I mean, I'm there and I'm gonna have a good time. I adore my Rennie friends and faire-mily, whatever I wanna call them.

Jokingly, I have friends that will say, "Such a friggin Rennie" when I explain my detailed and hopeful schedule of faires I plan to make for 2010. They call me a "Rennie" in casual because they affectionately want to tease me, especially when they don't understand why I go back, weekend after weekend, spending my money, not being cast, performer, or vendor.

I just smile because they don't understand. 

In contrast to that, I've had someone who was raised on the circuit and in the life of always traveling from show to show look down her nose and very scathingly say to me, "You're not a Rennie. You don't know what being a Rennie is."

And honestly, I don't. But I choose not to. I've had an opportunity to work a shop, have helped a few during crazy busy moments. In fact, I was even told that if and when the time came, I had somewhere to stay all the way along the shows if I wanted to work through the better part of a year on the raod. I've had people try and talk me into being on cast because I know a ton of people out there and they want me to come and play.

But I chose to pay for a pass and being a 'playtron', cause it doesn't matter what you call me, whether its nice or not, I'm still gonna be getting dressed in the parking lot, passing the gates, and playing all day long the way I want to. If you don't think I'm a true "Rennie", so be it. It doesn't mean a damn bit of difference to me.

[Lady Neysa]

I don't know if these comparisons make any sense, but I've always used the term rennie generically to refer to anyone who is really into renfaires, dressing up,etc.regardless if they work a faire or circuit or they just love attending.  I think it's much the same way that some say ren-"faire" and some say "festival"- same thing to me. (but I'm sure some would say there's a difference.)   Or in real world terms, using the term Kleenex to refer to all brands of tissue, or Bandaid for a bandage, Jello for gelatin, etc.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I have had someone condescendingly ask me if I was a Rennie, and here's my answer:

"Absolutely, I'm a Rennie.  Because my name is Renee.  And some people pronounce it Wren-knee and others pronounce it Wren-nay, so I answer to both."


So that shut them up, because they couldn't think of a single reply.       to mean people.

[Sitara]

The way I have always heard it is as follows.

Paytron- pays to get in, doesn't dress up
Playtron- pays to get in, dresses up, goes 1-2 times a season
Festie- devoted playtron, goes to fest all the time, interacts, is a fixture of faire
CKC- sad food workers who hate their jobs (at least at MNRF)
Boothies- work at a booth
Dirty Gamers- work the games (I just call them gamers, they added the dirty)
Beer Wenches/Rogues- the best people in the world...not that I am biased or anything
Rennie- usually travels the circuit much like a carnie.  I shall become one once the kids are out of the house.  

[Blue66669]

Sitara, our booth calls the gamers "push monkeys". Except for the guys that work that bungee thing... those are PULL monkeys.

[Merlin]

Here's my definitions of all:


Rennie -- People who go to faire, dressed up, and participate in stuff.

"Push Monkeys" --- *see Blues definition

Jeaners -- People who wear Wranglers

Deaf Monkeys -- Those who don't dress up and pretend like they don't hear the barkers trying to lure them into shoppes

Cyclops -- Those who avoid eye contact with shoppe barkers

X-Men -- Those who sit with their arms crossed and refuse to laugh or enjoy the show

Space Invaders -- the large breasted women with incredibly tight boustiers popping out 90% of their stuff (these are my favorites)

Nearlys -- the ones who almost dress up...like a kilt but with sneakers.

WTFers -- These come as sand troopers and gorillas

Weirdos -- Usually have shaved heads and dress as wizards. (watch out for these)

Medusa's -- You want to look at them but you are a bit afraid because you're not sure how much is an act.

[Carl Heinz]

In contrast to that, I've had someone who was raised on the circuit and in the life of always traveling from show to show look down her nose and very scathingly say to me, "You're not a Rennie. You don't know what being a Rennie is."

That's really too bad because it's divisive.  Wonder what she'd have said if I'd responded that I'd been doing faire since before there was a circuit.

[Sir Michael Geare]

Carl:  She would probably be at a lost for words.

I believe that all those who have a love of faire and attend as many as possible whether paying or working can be referred to as a "Rennie".  With that said, there are many types of Rennies.  Playtrons-those who dress (no matter period appropriate or not) and pay to get in.  Participant/Actor-one who works the faire and is given a entry pass whether paid or not. This included vendors since they also work for the faire as atmosphere in addition to their individual shop keepers.

My two shillings because it is worth more than a pence LOL

[bellevivre]

my two pence:

in the world as a whole, anyone who garbs up to attend faire consistently (not for one novel weekend, etc) is a Rennie.

at an actual faire, I could see it as being accurate that those who are not actually working in some manner yet garb and are consistently present woudl be called Playtrons.

However, there's not a law anywhere that the dedicated playtron is NOT a rennie! maybe it's a matter of capitalization... i may be a wench, but I'm not a card-carrying Wench (see the distinction?)

I may be a rennie because i boothed one year at Excal, but i'm not a Rennie-sleeps-in-booth-travels-to-other-faires-to-work...

[RSLeask]

Actually, I really don't care to use either.  Even though both have been tossed around from time to time, and yes, Rennie's more the mindset of it, but even playtrons really can wind up having an affect on a paytron's experience at faire, just by being them.  However, when I'm there... I really don't feel like either.  It's not a separate mindset from me.  I'm actually more myself, who I am, when I'm at faire.  OK, so I don't really have a Scottish accent, which is what I mostly use at faire.  But there... I'm me.  And more of me comes out each time I go.

... ok, quit snickering, it wasn't meant literally.