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10:21, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Interest in comedy system?

Posted by vads
vads
member, 8 posts
Wed 20 Jan 2021
at 23:50
  • msg #1

Interest in comedy system?

Something like toon or paranoia.   Is anyone playing or wants to run it?
Beolvine
member, 32 posts
Thu 21 Jan 2021
at 00:31
  • msg #2

Interest in comedy system?

I might be interested in playing Teenagers from Outer Space, but not GMing.
LordIce
member, 261 posts
Superheroes, D&D, Zombies
Best DM in the world
Thu 21 Jan 2021
at 00:53
  • msg #3

Interest in comedy system?

I've tried on several occasions to run a comedy game. Unfortunately, people are initially very excited, but drop off quickly.
steelsmiter
member, 2123 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Thu 21 Jan 2021
at 15:45
  • msg #4

Interest in comedy system?

I had similar experiences to LordIce, though I can't say for sure what caused the decline owing to the fact that my situation involved a PBTA game that I wrote. Could have been unfamiliarity with the system as much as it was the fact that the genre lends itself to Dojikko/Cuckoolanders.
truemane
member, 2150 posts
Firing magic missles at
the darkness!
Fri 22 Jan 2021
at 16:39
  • msg #5

Interest in comedy system?

Comedy-specific games are really hard to run. They're hard in tabletop and I would say almost impossible in PbP. Comedy needs pacing. Jokes need a set-up then a pay-off. The way PbP is paced makes that almost impossible to do, especially when you have 3 to 6 players, and all of them trying to give punchline after punchline with no set-up. In my experience, it devolves into farce very quickly unless you have a very strong scenario, very strong characters, and a very strong story to keep everything moving.
dr_B
member, 1 post
Sun 2 May 2021
at 08:08
  • msg #6

Interest in comedy system?

In reply to vads (msg # 1):

Would LOVE to play Paranoia, if a willing GM is found!
Alyse
member, 736 posts
Pretty, witty, and gay
[married since 2011!]
Sun 2 May 2021
at 09:17
  • msg #7

Interest in comedy system?

I have seen both Maid (plus its spinoffs) and Ghostbusters work well in play-by-post. Toon seems like it would be tricky due to its more slapstick nature. Paranoia is actually funnier when played straight. In my mind, the primary problem with comedic roleplaying is that most people are not as witty or entertaining as they believe themselves. No game disintegrates faster than one which attempts to be comedic but fails.
Alyse
member, 737 posts
Pretty, witty, and gay
[married since 2011!]
Sun 2 May 2021
at 09:43
  • msg #8

Interest in comedy system?

In reply to truemane (msg # 5):

Farce is a viable comedic genre, and tends to work better online. Deliberate absurdities. Exaggerated characters. Ridiculous situations. Unlikely miscommunications. Spaceballs is farce. So is Teenagers From Outer Space. Maid certainly can be, as can Paranoia. Blackadder and most Monty Python films are definitely farce. So, embrace the farcical! It comes with a fine tradition...


Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not some farcical aquatic ceremony."

Eur512
member, 864 posts
Mon 3 May 2021
at 02:05
  • msg #9

Interest in comedy system?

I once tried a game based on a zoo with "realistic, but still cartoon" animals, like the Madagascar series, Back to the Barnyard, and others.

It's hard.  It is much harder than a conventional game because to stay in the theme of Funny Cartoon, players really have to suppress their instincts.

In any other game, the idea is to Solve The Problem.

But the whole concept of cartoon humor is that the early attempts to solve the problem MUST fail, in funny ways.  The problem can only be solved by complete accident, or unexpected event.

I would be willing to give it a go as a player.
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