Thursday, March 11, 2010

A Moment of Lightness

I thought I just post something short about the tone of games. Many of the games in recent history indulge in the doom and gloom of the world. It makes for better gameplay because I am definately not a fan of sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. But, a well paced campaign should have moments of levity. Moments of laughter and fun. There will be times when the players have just trudged through enemy territory and delved into a dungeon. When they return with their backpacks dripping with gold they will be assulted by every thief, conman and taxman in the region. But once in a while its good to have that place or moment where the players can relax. Where they can make friends that aren't adventurers. Just the local bartender who knows their favorite drink, a village that built a home just for the characters for when they come to visit. These can enhance the gloom by giving moments of kindness. Like in the movies everyone is giggles and smiles right before something really bad happens.

2 comments:

  1. Entirely right - one great example of this is An American Werewolf in London where the characters alternate between comedy and horror.

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  2. Or laughing at the mage who falls into the water until the laughing party finds himself tumbling uncontrollably through the subterranean rapids into a room with a very large white dragon.

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