tkdguy Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Made you look, didn't I? But seriously, my topic is about funny fantasy. It has been listed as a sub-genre in both HERO 4E and 5E (sorry, I haven't upgraded to 6E just yet, so I don't know much about it). But to my recollection, nobody I know ever tried running such a campaign, and the few times I tried, it failed miserably. Has anyone tried a funny fantasy campaign? If so, how well did it work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Back in the 1E AD&D days I played in a game where all the PCs had names like Bud the Wiser and N'Hi of the Grape and played for laughs. You earned bonus Xps for really bad puns and failing in spectacularly funny ways. A lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." ... I imagine a campaign where all damage is STUN damage. And I'd like to try a Discworld campaign sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraven Kor Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." We certainly add in plenty of comedy, but have never tried a full on comedy campaign, in any setting. I was introduced to HERO via a Funny Champions campaign; my first ever HERO was "Acid Boy" - he was tripping so hard, his hallucinations were (sometimes) real, he could make other people trip, etc. Cosmic Power Pool on an EGO roll His teammates (the other players) were: "Laundry Man" who had the power of clean laundry - Flash from blinding whites, soap bubble shield, invisible stain stick, etc. and "The Scotch Tape Avenger" who had incredible telekinetic powers, which only worked on Scotch Magic Brand Tape. Swinging, entangles, and attacks that ripped out hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I ran a 2nd ed D&D game in which the PCs worked for mafia boss "Don Minos," who had them deliver packages to various locations (dungeons, swamps, etc). The PCs had to get the package there undamaged and in time or they wouldn't get paid (30 minutes hot and fresh, or it's free!). I also played in a GURPS Diskworld campaign, which was mostly played for laughs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." A long time ago, I ran a Monsters! Monsters! game. Lucius Alexander Irrelevant palindromedary tagline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrosshairCollie Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I was in one game that tried it, but it ultimately didn't work because the group didn't have a lot of 'humorous interests' in common ... in other words, we didn't all find the same things funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I was in one game that tried it' date=' but it ultimately didn't work because the group didn't have a lot of 'humorous interests' in common ... in other words, we didn't all find the same things funny.[/quote'] That seems to be the main problem with trying to run a comedic campaign. I've seen people play their characters for laughs, but sometimes their attempts came across as just weird or downright offensive. I'm just as guilty; I even lost credibility as a GM by trying to run a humorous campaign. Thanks for all your input, guys. I really enjoyed reading your replies, so please post more ideas and stories if you have them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ockham's Spoon Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I've tried a few comedy campaigns, but I find they always slide from witty to zany to surreal and any thought of plot or character gets completely derailed. A little comedy can enhance a campaign, but a campaign focused on comedy loses everything else. Its the difference between adding salt to your food and having salt be the main course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Hawk Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I played in a comedy Champions campaign. Most of the comedy was in names and situations (Main plotline had The Clonemaster kidnapping Ron Revolta and the Osmonoids (Dummy and Marie) to make copies of them for his evil plot, the climatic battle occured at The Clonemaster's Hideout and Discoteque, we worked for The League of Unusual Individuals under the Deputy Undersecretary of the Metahuman Department...) Bad guys were not merely knocked back and stunned, they were knocked back and got a disco ball stuck on thier head, 50 Ron Revolta clones were dressed in white disco suits and one in a leather jacket, Dummy Osmonoid had a 2d6 flash attack based on smiling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I like slapstick in my RPGs (and I always build in silliness into all my characters) but I know a number of people who do not agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I also run a regular Lucha Libre Hero game at local cons, which is played for laughs... although the characters themselves take everything with complete seriousness and gravitas. F'rinstance, when a gang of midgets dressed in cheap rat pajamas runs into the room, one of the Luchas will cross their arms over their chest and gravely announce, "Look out! We're being attacked by a swarm of giant rats!" We often make fun of the "cheap special effects" in the game (rubber vampire bats suspended on wires, sets stolen from other movies, that sort of stuff). Players get points for coming up with ridiculously convoluted scientific gobbledygook explanations for anything that happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." There are a few rpgs that are meant to be played for laughs, but I haven't convinced anyone to try them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Has anyone here tried S J Games' Toons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I looked through the book, but I wasn't interested at the time. Maybe I should have bought it, but I doubt I would have gotten players. I have the Stuperpowers! rpg, but I can't get anyone interested in it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." ... "Stuperpowers"? :intrigued: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." ... "Stuperpowers"? :intrigued: link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Has anyone here tried S J Games' Toons? In the mid-eighties, my friends and I occasionally tried something different. Usually, we played a Hero Games title (Champions, Danger International, Fantasy Hero) but every few weeks we'd try a "beer-and-pretzels" game like Teenagers from Outer Space, Toon, The Real Ghostbusters game, etc. When Running a comedy campaign, make sure you know what kind of stuff your players think is funny. As long as you know that, you're good-to-go. Most comedy campaigns get old after one or two sessions, so be prepared to switch off with a not-comedy game between the comedy sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Don't forget Paranoia. As if the Computer would ever let you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Has anyone here tried S J Games' Toons? I've played it once or twice. I found the system a little bit complex for what it was trying to do. I actually like Teenagers From Outer Space better for that sort of play -- simpler stats, simpler dice mechanics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Humorous games I've played include Paranoia, Tales From the Floating Vagabond, and Lucha Hero. Strangely, I can't recall any fantasy-genre rpg's that were intended to be humorous. There were one or two unintentionally hilarious fantasy rpg's (You know what I'm talking about!) so maybe those would count.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowsoul Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I've never played in a comedic campaign. One of the encounters in my old Blackpowder Fantasy campaign was played for laughs though - A deranged squid-man captured the PCs, took them down to his undersea lab and tried to experiment on them. The squid-man was pathalogically incapable of empathising with his test subjects and when they escaped he made various offers such as 'I'll try to remember to feed you once a day if you get back on the operating table now'. The two players who turned up that night seemed to enjoy it. I still have the write-up somewhere. I also briefly toyed with the idea of a home-brewed comedy RPG called 'Maidens and Minarets'. It would have tried to answer the question of how all those kidnapped fairytale princesses passed the time until they were rescued. Missions would have involved; spring cleaning a haunted castle, trying to make sure that the mighty knight with bad breath didn't make it through the Labyrinth of a Thousand Terrors and finding out if the Trolls in the basement would like a nice cup of tea. I think a more experienced gamer convinced me that no good would come of asking male roleplayers to pretend to be princesses. And in my experience lady roleplayers tend to want to distance themselves from that kind of gender stereotype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted March 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Interesting ideas, Shadowsoul! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narf the Mouse Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." I've never played in a comedic campaign. One of the encounters in my old Blackpowder Fantasy campaign was played for laughs though - A deranged squid-man captured the PCs, took them down to his undersea lab and tried to experiment on them. The squid-man was pathalogically incapable of empathising with his test subjects and when they escaped he made various offers such as 'I'll try to remember to feed you once a day if you get back on the operating table now'. The two players who turned up that night seemed to enjoy it. I still have the write-up somewhere. I also briefly toyed with the idea of a home-brewed comedy RPG called 'Maidens and Minarets'. It would have tried to answer the question of how all those kidnapped fairytale princesses passed the time until they were rescued. Missions would have involved; spring cleaning a haunted castle, trying to make sure that the mighty knight with bad breath didn't make it through the Labyrinth of a Thousand Terrors and finding out if the Trolls in the basement would like a nice cup of tea. I think a more experienced gamer convinced me that no good would come of asking male roleplayers to pretend to be princesses. And in my experience lady roleplayers tend to want to distance themselves from that kind of gender stereotype. Your female players need to read the Enchanted Forest series, by Patricia C. Wrede. It'll improve their opinion of princesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Onassiss Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Re: "The orcs stole your underwear again..." Another potential resource for humorous fantasy: Diana Wynne Jones' Tough Guide to Fantasyland. "PRINCESSES come in two main kinds: 1) Wimps. 2) Spirited and willful. A spirited Princess will be detectable by the scattering of freckles across the bridge of her somewhat tiptilted nose [OMT] ..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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