Back in my 2nd edition D&D days my game group was pretty serious. Maybe not as grim as Game of Thrones but we played like there was a real sense of danger. Flash forward to now I'm in a group that's pretty light hearted and we tend to play for laughs. I enjoyed it at first but I kind of find myself wishing for the more serious days. The humor is starting to break my immersion in the game but at least I still get to play so I'm not going to complain too much. Anyway I'm kinda curious, what is your preferred style of play? Do you like it more serious or do you tend to go for laughs or do you fall somewhere in the middle?
A mystery game is fun, but if it turns out to be a mystery between clowns in a circus... Expectations aren't met.
Yeah the story can and should dictate a lot of the characters' reactions. We are playing two different APs at the moment. We are starting Book 2 of Second Darkness and so far the lack of seriousness hasn't been a real issue. But we are well into Book 3 of Carrion Crown and that's the one that's really ruining my immersion. I'm a big horror fan and I love horror themed campaigns but I'm having a hard time enjoying this as much as I should because we have made it less Lovecraft and More Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein.
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Is is like Young Frankenstein?
Lol a little bit.
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I think seriousness and humor can actually complement each other pretty well, in that each can offer a change of pace from each other when things start to go stale. They can also offer emotional release/catharsis when it's needed. So I guess, both?
In my group we are running a pretty serious game, with ambiance music and hard roleplay (we can't discuss between players, only characters). The only exceptions are very funny situations with big laugh for an half-hour, the very important tactical discussions (dragons) and the enigma.
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We used to be serious, back in our teens and early 20 s. Now my mates and I use this as a way to release stress in our weeks. For us, it's as much about catching up and having a laugh as it is about having fun.
We get a fair bit of gaming time in during those sessions, the characters are all memorable to us, as much for their humorous behaviours as their awesome power. And we laugh ourselves stupid too. It's great fun.
However, when I was DM ing, it was frustrating a little, given you'd prepped a game and players weren't focusing. Our current DM felt similar. We both sat down together one night to discuss that and worked out the mateship and pressure release was more important the group as a whole.
Ever since then, it's been far better for us all.
Cheers
We used to be serious, back in our teens and early 20 s. Now my mates and I use this as a way to release stress in our weeks. For us, it's as much about catching up and having a laugh as it is about having fun.
We get a fair bit of gaming time in during those sessions, the characters are all memorable to us, as much for their humorous behaviours as their awesome power. And we laugh ourselves stupid too. It's great fun.
However, when I was DM ing, it was frustrating a little, given you'd prepped a game and players weren't focusing. Our current DM felt similar. We both sat down together one night to discuss that and worked out the mateship and pressure release was more important the group as a whole.
Ever since then, it's been far better for us all.
Cheers
This sounds pretty much like how my group plays. We get together to hang out on the weekend and during that time some RPing happens. I think the BSing to RPing ratio has reached probably 70/30 lately so it takes a bit longer to get through stuff. I agree it can be frustrating if I show up wanting to play and get moving and everyone else wants to just hang and socialize, especially being the GM.
I don't mind comedic light hearted games, but if it's a film-noir styled dark tone (have I been playing in Ustalav too much?), I don't think there should be too much pun cracking when there's a serious situation going on. In short... If the tone of the scene is serious, keep it serious. If the tone of the scene is light, keep it light.
That said, in the terms of serious and light hearted... In either one, I like combat to be a challenge with a real threat of character death. The easy, look at an opponent and they die type of combats hold absolutely no interest to me.... Which is why I have a lot of trouble getting into APs.
I like both, situationally of course. Overall, I would say gritty with spontaneous humorous moments. Much of my enjoyment comes from the game, but without the role-playing there is nothing gratifying about the characters. They become forgettable. I have played some characters who made the other players laugh quite a bit, but it's important to me that the character takes himself seriously, since my own humor is usually dry. If it's s one-off though...
I have also sat down with a group that was all laughs and table talk, and no thank you.
However, when I was DM ing, it was frustrating a little, given you'd prepped a game and players weren't focusing.
That could be why I feel a little more frustrated with the Carrion Crown campaign. I'm DMing that one and trying to establish a good horror feel but it's hard to do when the rest of my group keeps cracking jokes. I'm a player in Second Darkness so I'm going with the flow of the other players in that one, often playing the straight man for our groups summoner. Kinda feel I should discuss it with the GM of that group now and make sure we're not throwing him off his game.
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You could always get a subwoofer or something to play a sound between 7 and 19 Hz, too low to consciously hear but still detectible by the body. This causes a notable sense of dread, since the 7 to 19 Hz range is associated with big cats, impending thunderstorms, and earthquake pre-shocks, and the human brain evolved to appreciate that.
Pipe organs can vibrate in this range, too, which is why pipe organs are so often associated with Gothic horror.
I have my setup on Bluetooth, so I can turn it on using my phone without my players asking what I'm doing. When I turn it on, I can actually watch my players quiet down within about half a minute.
I only use it sparingly, though. I don't want them to build up a tolerance for it.
I find myself preferring a more serious tone to the games, but so many people go for the light-hearted jokey tones. I don't mind that type of game style, and enjoy it from time to time. But it gets old when it is all the time.
However, when I was DM ing, it was frustrating a little, given you'd prepped a game and players weren't focusing.That could be why I feel a little more frustrated with the Carrion Crown campaign. I'm DMing that one and trying to establish a good horror feel but it's hard to do when the rest of my group keeps cracking jokes. I'm a player in Second Darkness so I'm going with the flow of the other players in that one, often playing the straight man for our groups summoner. Kinda feel I should discuss it with the GM of that group now and make sure we're not throwing him off his game.
Discussion is good. One thing that might be worth exploring is the context of the humor. Whereas a humor response can be a sign of not taking something seriously, a humor response can be a response to fear because it's something of a defense mechanism. Particularly if it's a morbid or gallows sense of humor.
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You could always get a subwoofer or something to play a sound between 7 and 19 Hz, too low to consciously hear but still detectible by the body. This causes a notable sense of dread, since the 7 to 19 Hz range is associated with big cats, impending thunderstorms, and earthquake pre-shocks, and the human brain evolved to appreciate that.
Pipe organs can vibrate in this range, too, which is why pipe organs are so often associated with Gothic horror.
I have my setup on Bluetooth, so I can turn it on using my phone without my players asking what I'm doing. When I turn it on, I can actually watch my players quiet down within about half a minute.
I only use it sparingly, though. I don't want them to build up a tolerance for it.
"How did you trick your DM?"
"Simple, over the years I've slowly built up my tolerance to 7 - 19 Hz frequencies, so I put it in both of the cups"
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However, when I was DM ing, it was frustrating a little, given you'd prepped a game and players weren't focusing.That could be why I feel a little more frustrated with the Carrion Crown campaign. I'm DMing that one and trying to establish a good horror feel but it's hard to do when the rest of my group keeps cracking jokes. I'm a player in Second Darkness so I'm going with the flow of the other players in that one, often playing the straight man for our groups summoner. Kinda feel I should discuss it with the GM of that group now and make sure we're not throwing him off his game.
I've run the first book of that one with my group of players I mentioned above. What I found set the mood was using movie scenes to help describe the setting.
Eg " you guys remember the scene from Blair witch where (insert scary moment here)"
Then we'll talk a little about the thrillers we've seen that scared the pants off us. That set the mood really nicely and let me riff of the pregame discussion for ways of describing what's going on.
When I get around to the second book, I'll be using some Penny Dreadful moments to set a similar tone and get their brains on gear.
Make sure you stick to movies that don't get light hearted, and are suitably grim/tense.
It worked pretty well.
The tone isn't as important to me as how much eveyone focuses on the game and staying in character. I really wish I could get one session in where everyone can stay in character (or at least on subject) during the game. I come to play. If I want to talk, that's why we take breaks.
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I used to have a terrible problem as GM with getting off-track.
SQUIRREL!
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I honestly don't care about other players being in-character, as long as they "act" like their class and character sheet suggests.
A good campaign to me is one which has a reasonably interesting plot (usually with a well-done villain of some sort), and creative combat/skill-based sequences. Run by a GM who can keep things moving when they start to slow down, especially if it's sandbox.
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A series of games strung together in a story arc is my preferred method of play, with a fairly equal balance of roleplaying and action. The roleplaying should be focused on the plot, not wandering around buying rope for the next dungeon crawl. That can be handwaved unless absolutely necessary, though players should still have the freedom to develop the personalities and goals of their characters.
I really miss the days when my group could get together every week, or even every two weeks. We would get into some serious roleplaying, character development, and story development. Now we're doing good to gather once a month and our sessions don't last as long as they used to (because we're old) so none of those things really take place anymore. We used to have whole sessions where it was nothing but roleplaying without a single die being cast.
I've begun a weeknight group of early 20 somethings (friends of my son) so they have a lot of enthusiasm that my primary group (we've been at this nearly 30 years) seems to have lost. Up till now these sessions have been rather short as we usually wait for all the players to arrive (some don't get off work until 8 or 9) so our sessions tend to be a bit short for their liking. We're hoping to change that by the next game. I have high hopes for putting some of the stuff I've missed back into the game.
I like an immersive experience; everyone stays in character and the world is consistent and real seeming.
So I'm a newby GM with 6 players, My group likes the game but is also in it for small time talk and laughs, which of course is nice, but the campaign is going so slowly. When the "you seen GoT?" fase is over we enter the how did I calculate an attack roll fase. And they all seem to enjoy it.
So should I
1. Let it be. I mean I'm not there to spoil their evening.
2. Let it go for a couple of weeks so that it's more obvious, than discuss it with the group.
3. Get this m¤ther by the balls, don't let bad behaviour slip in.
4. Ask advice from more experienced Dm's on the internet. :)
So I was going for 2 till I came up with 4.
Thanks
Sounds good, thanks!
I like an immersive experience; everyone stays in character and the world is consistent and real seeming.I like immersive sometimes but it is real hard to sustain with any of the commonly available RPG games.
Also, and working counter to immersion, I can finesse my PCs 16 INT by declaring ooc I need to make a Skill Check. That seems like good RP to me but it certainly is not immersive.
Wouldn't a truly immersive system require the GM to act as "translator" for all the ic activities of the players? The GM would be in a duel role of voice-over-narrator and NPC sounding board. That would be hard to sustain I think.
Your being too literal. This is a game and you still have to interact with the GM and with the rules. As Hama said you suspend your disbelief.
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Like not talking OOC except to declare actions.
Like actually reacting like your character and not like a murderbot.
E.G.
GM: There is a huge monster of smoke and fire in front of you. Something none of you have ever seen before. A feeling of dread starts getting under your skin.
Fighter: I charge it.
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I am definately a kick in the door charger.
Just had the group talk, they also thought we could more out of the game if we augment roleplaying. We agreed on a ~15 minute chat before the session and after that everything must be in character. I'm really excited ! (And of topic, just got word I have 2 gigs in a bigband coming up so now I'm double excited)
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Like not talking OOC except to declare actions.
Like actually reacting like your character and not like a murderbot.
E.G.
GM: There is a huge monster of smoke and fire in front of you. Something none of you have ever seen before. A feeling of dread starts getting under your skin.
Fighter: I charge it.I get your first point.
But as for the second point - not like a murderbot - both the game system mechanics and numerous class options/feats/builds reward the "I charge it" solution.
EDIT
That is, for PCs living in the game world (Golarion, Toril, etc.) it would be in character for them to declare "I charge it", more often than not. That's the way their world works.
Perhaps Hama's example wasn't the best chosen but his point is a good one. Your PC should have an identity beyond his stats; a background, personality, and motivation. That second point was look at the situation through the lens of your character's eyes and identity. Rather than JUST selecting a combat option at first glance why not describe the nervous sweat on your fighter's brow and have him cast a questioning look at the knowledgeable wizard who maybe knows what in the nine hells is approaching. Maybe he curses under his breath and finally charges the dangerous creature since that is what he has trained to do. BUT all that role play before hand breathes a LOT of character into your page of numbers. Perhaps the cleric is a motherly type and chastises your fighter to be careful as you bravely charge, even cringing in empathic pain as you fly straight into the flaming creature.
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I have always preferred role-playing over anything else. So as long as the players are bringing their character to life it is all good. Some characters like players are serious and some are more whimsical. I like to see a good mix of both.
I have always preferred role-playing over anything else. So as long as the players are bringing their character to life it is all good. Some characters like players are serious and some are more whimsical. I like to see a good mix of both.
Right now I have three really good role players in my group, one that always plays serious characters, one that always plays more whimsical types and one that doesn't really box himself in to playing a specific personality for every build. I have two players new to the whole tabletop RPG experience one thats kinda shy about playing in character and one that plays it real light hearted. The light hearted player and the whimsical player are the ones that really seem to throw the mood in the Carrion Crown campaign I'm running but I'm the only one that seems troubled by it so I don't think I'm going to make an issue of it because everyone else is having a good time. The same group and I have another campaign going where the more versitile role player and I switch places as DM. In that one I play a fairly serious type character but I set myself up as a straight man for our summoner played by the more whimsical player. The setup we have in that game really seems to match the campaign storyline and group dynamic better than the other so I'm not bothered by it.
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Plodding, it seems, at times. :)
There was a movie review written somewhere that entirely summed up why the new superman movie sucked... agree with it or not the point of the review was basically that movies like avengers were about serious events but that didnt stop the cast from getting in some old 80's style one liners and humor and panache...
What sucked about superman is there wasnt any time in the entire movie where he wasn't taking himself seriously. Even batman broods less than the new superman does.
I think its important for groups to have at least a lighthearted moment here and there about them even if it is a cthulhu campaign.
This sounds pretty much like how my group plays. We get together to hang out on the weekend and during that time some RPing happens. I think the BSing to RPing ratio has reached probably 70/30 lately so it takes a bit longer to get through stuff. I agree it can be frustrating if I show up wanting to play and get moving and everyone else wants to just hang and socialize, especially being the GM.
I think our group does something similar. Our present DM deals with the silliness pretty well. When I'm the GM, however, I build my games to incorporate the silliness in the first place. There are some serious places and fights, but intermixed is a lot of insane and ridiculous magical items, critical failure charts, etc. I create the game as a stress reliever, because I want it to be fun and not stressful. I know, as a player, I love the crazy things. The wackier things get the more fun I have. I guess it depends on the people, but I always make sure my players know that this game is going to get ridiculous.
Now that we have had our first real character death in Carrion Crown the group seems to have sobered up some. Our last couple of sessions have seemed to match the tone I was trying to set a lot better.
I like games to be serious with a bit of humor here and there. Yes there have been times when I have not cared too much about a game (I'm looking at you Shadowrun 3rd) and built a silly character that could be played seriously. So I usually pick a setting with some kind of quirk to it, which is really really hard for my favorite kind of games. I love super hero systems but in a game where the players are supers it's hard to establish any kind of negative vibe. That's why I use Necessary Evil for supers games.
We used to be serious, back in our teens and early 20 s. Now my mates and I use this as a way to release stress in our weeks. For us, it's as much about catching up and having a laugh as it is about having fun.
We get a fair bit of gaming time in during those sessions, the characters are all memorable to us, as much for their humorous behaviours as their awesome power. And we laugh ourselves stupid too. It's great fun.
However, when I was DM ing, it was frustrating a little, given you'd prepped a game and players weren't focusing. Our current DM felt similar. We both sat down together one night to discuss that and worked out the mateship and pressure release was more important the group as a whole.
Ever since then, it's been far better for us all.
Cheers
Sounds exactly like my group in Sydney..... Currently adventuring through Carrion Crown, lots of jokes but there have been some memorable moments.
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I don't know between funny and not, but I prefer fun heroic games instead of grim and gritty. I like Indiana Jones and Star Wars because there's heroes, villains, escapes close calls, danger and romance. While I occasionally watch your Game of Thrones or Supernatural or what not, I wouldn't want to PLAY there.
In other words more The Hobbit, less Lord of the Rings. Does that make sense?
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I don't know between funny and not, but I prefer fun heroic games instead of grim and gritty. I like Indiana Jones and Star Wars because there's heroes, villains, escapes close calls, danger and romance. While I occasionally watch your Game of Thrones or Supernatural or what not, I wouldn't want to PLAY there.
In other words more The Hobbit, less Lord of the Rings. Does that make sense?
Oh yeah I see where you're coming from. I tend to alternate. As a player I like both worlds but I don't want to spend too much time in either one. As a GM though I tend to prefer running a darker style campaign. It doesn't have to be completly devoid of humor but I don't want it too light hearted. As noted above after my Carrion Crown group suffered their first real casualty they got a little more serious. They still have their moments of humor but I've achived the mood I was after and most importantly everyone is still having fun.
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I've run both, and I much prefer the heroic gaming style. I love the reckless, daring acts, the close calls, the edge of your seat brushes with death. Man, that's fun stuff.
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I've run both, and I much prefer the heroic gaming style. I love the reckless, daring acts, the close calls, the edge of your seat brushes with death. Man, that's fun stuff.
To me, that's the whole point of playing. I want to be a heroic hero who takes crazy heroic risks. I have a house, kids, a job, and bills in real life, I game to escape from that for a while.
I will say this though, having ADD can make ignoring the asides and OT conversations incredibly difficult sometimes. I'm one of those people that takes a bit to get focused, but once I do I'm good to go. Sometimes it's really easy to get knocked out of that focus and off into la-la land.
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I'm the one who derails most of our games with useless banter.. lol. I need to stop that.