F. Douglas WallOne thing that I've wanted to do for a very long time is write an article about using comedy in #ttrpg games, because I think it's very under-developed. There are low brow goofy slapstick type games, and examples beyond this are strikingly rare. #paranoia is such a great counter-example that it is the exception that proves the rule.
Terry@fdouglaswall Another example: GURPS Discworld (1998), in its GM advice on running a game with #Discworld-style humour, discourages slapstick - noting that on the Discworld, if people are hurt, it *hurts* (and hence suggesting that a "realistic" system like GURPS - rather than something like Toon - could be a good fit). Now, Modiphius is preparing to kickstart a new Discworld RPG in Oct and explains its approach (sounding rather different from GURPS) in this interview: https://www.gamesradar.com/tabletop-gaming/exclusive-the-discworld-rpg-gleefully-ignores-modifiers-to-dice-and-anything-crunchy-in-favor-of-puns/
@stochasticpath I have all of the #gurps Discworld books and enjoy them immensely. That's where I got my rule of "Take something seriously." I'm aware of the new Modiphius game and am very cautiously optimistic about it. But I am concerned that it says that it's largely intended for one-shot play rather than campaign, which might have something to do with their mechanics not really enabling character growth, or that they designed the game to be too silly to play for extended periods.
@stochasticpath If there is any flaw, it's that, while they do include lots of things that Terry made up to be funny, as well as things that the game writers made up to be funny, there's very little about how to make things up to be funny on your own.
Maybe I'm neurodivergent or just really pedantic, but something that lays out how to build a joke instead of just saying "You know, make something funny" feels like it would be really useful.