Tropes
The urge to laugh is inherent. Humor is observable in many primates other than humans, as well as rats and dogs. For such a fundamental function of the human psyche (and perhaps, basic brain function), the deliberate evocation of humor, or “Comedy” in a role playing context is often maddeningly elusive. The individual senses of humor in a group, hidden triggers of negative reaction, and even the slightest change or souring in mood of the players can completely derail the entire tone of a session.
A group that wants to play a Comedy campaign needs to understand the following tropes common to all subgenres.
I Do Dis Sorta Ting Aaaall Tru-Out Da Pictcha!
The first and perhaps most difficult type of Comedy campaign is one in which intrinsically ridiculous or exaggerated characters operate in situations and environments designed to provoke laughter and absurdity. Funny characters doing funny things in a funny context. The models for this mode of game are Warner Brothers Cartoons, their modern Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network equivalents such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, or Blackadder.
Uses:
Perhaps most appropriate for one-shot games, the sustained funny is hard to maintain. Whether a simple absurdest romp or a parody of a popular genre, book, or film, a dose of emotional balance (see “Dying Is Easy”, below) is required to prevent jokes becoming stale, moods changing, and fatigue setting in. However, after a long horror game, or an intense politically-tinged melodrama, one week of an outright screwball comedy might clear the palate nicely and prevent campaign fatigue.
Pitfalls:
As usual, avoid unpleasant stereotypes. A good number of the older and many of the more crass modern comedies rely on them. Vulgarity can be a rarefied taste. Make sure all players agree on what's funny and why before attempting this type of session. Long term hurt feelings can easily result.
Dying Is Easy
The second type of Comedy Campaign is by far the best represented in humorous media. Wherein funny characters live out their lives in a mix of situations ranging from the comedic to the absurd through sharp turns in genuine dramatic seriousness. Most comedy films and situation comedy television shows embody this mode. M*A*S*H and Scooby-Doo may be the very best examples, along with Adam Sandler's entire career.
Uses:
In this mode, you can have your comedic characters, their absurd situations, and their rapid fire wit. Then when the fatigue begins to set in, or even if one player is having an off night, take a turn for the serious. Golden Girl's Rose Nyland might have gotten blood tainted with HIV. M*A*S*H 4077's Colonel Henry Blake is shot down before he ever really left Korea. George Lopez finds his son Max's best friend burned down his garage, containing 27,000 dollars in pre-purchased resale product... and the boy turns out to be the neglected child of a alcoholic addict. But true to the genre, some humor can be found in the tears of a clown, and there will be jokes, emergently funny scenes and situations, and a return to good moods even as these more intense subplots are resolved or continued.
Seriousness need not be the only visit to another genre. Romance sublpots are a staple feature, and it is not uncommon for funny characters to end up in mysteries, crime dramas, or on occasion even the paranormal or supernatural (even Lucy Ricardo met Superman, who was most emphatically not Actor George Reeves in her storyline), all the while maintaining their sniping, one liners, and schtick before heading back to their home setting. Parodies of current or classic popular media are standard.
Pitfalls:
This can get into crass insensitivity incredibly quickly. If you do not trust your fellow players to handle sensitive situations with adequate sensitivity, avoid introducing potentially triggering plotlines. We can be certain that the hypothetical players of Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia were not emotionally harmed by the possibility of using something as sensitive as AIDS in a role play situation. There is a fine line between the Ghostbusters/Big Trouble In Little China axis and Two And A Half Men. Edith Bunker being sexually assaulted was miles past “too far”. Don't be offensive and cynical just for the hell of it; use the opportunity to illustrate a point, and be clear everyone is on board.
The Trouble With Tribbles
The final mode of comedy campaign is actually a bit easier to pull off than the other two. Serious characters in a funny setting with often comedic NPCs can play normally, react with as much gravitas they wish, and even be genre-aware or genre-blind to the silliness going on around them. Buckaroo Banzai is the poster child for this mode of game. It may also be where the majority of role playing groups land. In this mode, incredibly unfunny characters (Superboy, Aqauald) can co-exist with funny ones (Kid Flash, Miss Martian) with ease.
Uses:
Sustaining the comedy in this kind of game is a simple matter of letting the odd characters you see on TV or encounter in your real life become the basis of NPCs (but don't tell those real life people that unless you know they will get a kick out of it. Kenny Kramer would likely love it, Al Yeganeh probably not so much), presenting inherently weird or absurd situations and progressing comedic chains of errors (see “She Thought He Said That You Meant...”, below) without a nod or wink to the characters (although the players may be splitting their sides), and letting the PCs think they are the Expendables when they are actually in an Austin Powers film.
Needless to say, as easily as comedic characters can turn serious or visit other genres (See “Dying Is Easy”, above) special one-shot episodes of comedic bent can function in any game with the players' buy-in (Musical Buffy, anyone?). The name of this Trope is just such an episode.
Pitfalls:
This definitely requires a complete and total buy-in from the players involved. Someone who is deeply invested in a character or archetype may become disgruntled outside of the game or dissatisfied with the group if their Hero is however briefly turned into a buffoon.
There also exists a type of player who rejects the comedic elements when non-specifically comedic heroes are in play, and works to actively sabotage the humor and lightheartedness with increasingly violent, gritty, or inappropriate reactions (Red Arrow from Young Justice, for example). Your Author has seen a five-year friendship end over just such a one-shot. Be absolutely sure everyone is willing to roll with the punches and allow the nature of the comedy to suffuse the game.
Timing Is Everything
No matter which type of situation delineated above, the first and most important principle of comedy is deceptively simple. Pregnant pauses, proper beats, synchronicity of events or deliberate asynchronous near-misses, beats perfectly executed, or looks purposefully held a bit (or extremely) too long. Each can make or break a joke or set-up.
Uses:
As with any adventure, keep an eye on the pacing and flow of the game. When an opportunity for an out of character joke arises, insert it or a similar, recognizable pastiche into the action if it furthers the evening and plot (if any; games such as described in “I Do Dis Sorta Ting Aaaall Tru-Out Da Pictcha!”, above, often have the thinnest possible setting and no plot at all). Otherwise, when things seem to be getting intense or a lull arises, create an NPC or bit of business on the spot that meshes with the tone and setting of the game to keep the humor rolling.
Pitfalls:
Be careful not to kill the joke. Some players become overly amused by some particular item or phrasing and beat it into the ground. Be ready to transform or override the stale or extended unfunny into new funny. David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and Jack Benny own this mode.
When genuinely serious moments arise, keep the jokes to the PCs as in-character humorous reactions. Do not force the funny. By definition, it simply cannot be coerced. Watch for opportunities, know your players and what makes them laugh.
She Thought He Said That You Meant...
The Comedy of Errors is a time-honored device employed by Shakespeare (from whose play of the same name we take the term) and before, through becoming a staple of modern-day media. The bread and butter of situation comedies, and the entire justification for not only comedic movies, but the basis of some entire series.
Uses:
If it can be misunderstood, it will, even if it means a character must otherwise act the fool. In real life, we all mishear things, misinterpret others, and have days laden with distraction. Your characters need merely participate in these to a larger degree and maintain course. It is true that a simple moment to stop and ask, to stop and think, or to merely sleep on it will cure the chain of misunderstandings. But for the sake of the genre, they simply do not.
Pitfalls:
This can be carried too far (see “Timing Is Everything”, above), going from “funny” to “not funny anymore” to “come on already, Steve, we want to finish before sunrise”. Keep an eye on the timing, and watch for a natural point where the situation can not only be resolved, but done so humorously and perhaps heartwarmingly.
Sources:
That wraps up this installment of Tropes. Next time, we'll take a look at some Archetypical NPCs that seem to crop up repeatedly in many forms of media. Meanwhile, here's a list of some past and present published games that deal with Comedy gaming. Look them up in RPGNet's Game Index.
Ghostbusters (West End Games), Macho Women With Guns (Blacksburg Tactical Research Center), Men In Black (West End Games), Paranoia (West End Games, Mongoose Publishing), Red Dwarf (Deep7), Tales From The Floating Vagabond (Avalon Hill), Teenagers from Outerspace (R. Talsorian Games), Toon (Steve Jackson Games)
