How Serious Do You Like Your Gaming?
- Thread starter Reynard
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Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I think Shakespeare is a good reference point for my tastes.
Even the most serious stories need moments of levity -- ask any first responder, combat veteran or other high-stress worker about the things that made them laugh -- to balance the rest out.
Different games and even different adventures have different levels of humor, but even my darkest games have their moments of humor and even the lightest stuff has deadly serious stuff mixed in.
Even the most serious stories need moments of levity -- ask any first responder, combat veteran or other high-stress worker about the things that made them laugh -- to balance the rest out.
Different games and even different adventures have different levels of humor, but even my darkest games have their moments of humor and even the lightest stuff has deadly serious stuff mixed in.
Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
At a session: The campaign is generally serious and can be emotional, though there can and will be levity between the PCs/NPCs at times, but generally no elements from either the DM or player side just there to be silly or humorous. The play varies from focused to players cracking jokes and making culture references. We generally stay in character for any character action/RP, which is say 60% of play unless we're hitting something unusual like a planning session.
Between sessions: We joke and laugh and make fun of ourselves and the other characters. We put up memes.
Between sessions: We joke and laugh and make fun of ourselves and the other characters. We put up memes.
Seriousness tends to be a lowest common denominator thing - it’s only going to be as serious as the least serious player at the table. I can roll with almost anything but I like some fourth wall winks and general humor all around. I think that’s something the D&D movie did well with - balancing a lot of humor with some of the deeper moments and I recognized the games that I want and try to play/run in that.
overgeeked
B/X Known World
I don’t think I could handle gaming without humor. Even when running horror games, there’s humor. It’s more gallows humor, of course, but it’s still there. RPGs are games. They exist for us to sit around and BS with friends and have a good time. Laughing and joking comes with the territory. If a game ever got so serious we couldn’t laugh and joke, it wouldn’t be worth playing.
payn
I don't believe in the no-win scenario
I like about 80/20 serious to comedic for campaign play. I expect to put a lot into this and want to delve into a deep RPG experience. A little comedic relief now and then is a good change of pace, but largely I want to run a good dramatic playstyle.
Now something like an evening of Fiasco is going to be probably the opposite. Screwball fun is good fun in small doses.
I do recall one time playing in a monster of the week game. The GM was dropping little easter eggs of comedy here and there in an Appalachia mayhem story. I took that lead and went full blown Fargo accent and Cohen brothers with it. The other players I think were looking for something more like Supernatural which ive never seen. I think they side eyed the GM and I a bit before giving up.
Anyways, even my slapstick play has an edge of the serious in it.
Now something like an evening of Fiasco is going to be probably the opposite. Screwball fun is good fun in small doses.
I do recall one time playing in a monster of the week game. The GM was dropping little easter eggs of comedy here and there in an Appalachia mayhem story. I took that lead and went full blown Fargo accent and Cohen brothers with it. The other players I think were looking for something more like Supernatural which ive never seen. I think they side eyed the GM and I a bit before giving up.
Anyways, even my slapstick play has an edge of the serious in it.
That is the only Computer approved kind of curiosity.
TwoSix
"Diegetics", by L. Ron Gygax
"All of my games immediately become lowbrow, potty humor; what could the reason for that possibly b...."
....................Yea, that tracks.
Theory of Games
Disaffected Game Warrior
From the moment the session begins, everyone's 100% in-character and we stay that way. If someone has a question or comment, they must raise their hand to signal out-of-character behavior. If a player drops out of character without raising their hand first, they will be politely asked to leave the session.
JK but I might try that one session just to see if it flies
When I started, we played AD&D1e and we played it like we were at some kinda regional chess tournament. It was SERIOUS. Players would get roasted and browbeat for not making optimal decisions because a TPK could've happened. And it wasn't a personal attack. It was more like a group "after-action report".
Now? 5e's a clown show where PC death is highly improbable. Go read the stories online: players trying desperately to delete their PCs (because after the first combat, the players found they didn't like the race + Class combination) but 5e plot-armor is invincible. Or there's games like Dungeon Crawl Classics: "Yeah, we're gonna give you a team of Darwin Award hopefuls to run through this meat-grinder dungeon. ReadySetGo!" It's comedy hour and that's fine.
But it's really really changed my mindset as a GM. In my youth, I was running adventures and hoping the players (1) didn't expose my lack of experience and (2) were having fun. Now? TBH I'm actively attempting to kill their PCs. I love saying "Uh oh: you need to make this save or Reynardius the Magnificent is CHUM. No healing, Resurrection only."
MGibster
Legend
These days I tend to favor games that are a bit more on the serious side. Games like Call of Cthulhu, Alien, Death in Space, Fallout, Bladerunner, Vampire, etc., etc. A little humor is fine, we're there to have a great time and it breaks the tension, but in most games I prefer if the humor is out of character. Fallout obviously has it's goofy elements but it can be quite serious as well.
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