Dwarven comedy

[Tomas HVM]

I'm no expert on comedy. Still; it interest me, and I would very much like to investigate it further, as a designer.

One of the reasons is my project "Dvellen". It's been slumbering for some years now. It's all about making dwarves into a comic version of my FRPG Fabula. I reckon the dwarves have a huge comic potential, and are out to release this in my game. I'd like to make them the substance of a comic version, to be played as a independent setting of comedy in my otherwise traditional rolepaying game, but also to fascilitate the use of dwarves as a comic relief in the standard game.

I am descibing dwarves as VERY though in this gameworld (master smiths, master builders, master warriors, natural resistance to magic), and equip them with the abilities and skills to back this up. In regards to the mechanics of the game, my dwarves are the dream of a munchkin.

In regards to characterization though, they are a challenge to play. The comedy is meant to lie in to different principles: they are exceedingly afraid of certain things, and they are to be played as exaggerated human clichés.

1 - Ridicule: the THOUGH dwarves don't dare to go outdoors without helmets (prefers the whole, heavy armor in place) and they are absurdly afraid of water (to the point where crossing a broad stone bridge over a small, one-foot-deep brook presents a major challenge). This is a contrast to their thoughness, and it makes for some funny situations, but not enough to make them play as funny characters.

2 - The clash of clichés: this is the main comic principle of the game, and based on given options of how your dwarf-character is played. Example of character: The "runescribe" is a leader and magic user among the dwarves. He may be played as a academic dry stick, devoid of empathy, socially misplaced and helpless, and totally without an idea of how his leadership may affect other persons (in other respects than the material one). On the other hand; he may also be played as a power hungry and quite enthusiatic explorer of mad magic, totlly engulfed in his research, to the point where any possible moral qualms are routinely forgotten or disregarded. This kind of character meets with other clich´-characters; the overprotective and anxious dwarf cook; the dwarf warrior who is so singlemindedly brave that he forgets how very much frighful and fretful he is; the volatile and visionary dwarf stonemason (an architect and/or artist of truly obnoxious dimensions); and finally the "feewle" character-type, a second rate dwarf, unable to participate fully in dwarven community (the traditional dwarven rites are deadly to the feewle, being so weak), disregarded and discriminated, played as a servant or slave to the other characters, and very much involved in the great cause of feewle liberation (a hopeless cause, the feewle being a lazy coward, a nosebleeding hypochondriac not at all given to revolutionary practise). The main comic potential of this stuff in meant to be found in playing such characters against eachother, and in the kind of tweaked "realism" they represent (being  utterly and frail humans, in a mean dwarven disguise).

I have tested a version of this module with no clichées, experienceing that the first principle alone is not enough to make the whole game funny. I have not tested the use of these clichées.

I would like to have some comments on it.
- Do you see the potential?
- Do you reckon it is possible to present these clichées to the players in a way that makes them want to play them, and able to pull it off?
- Do you see other possibilities for comedy in dwarves?
- Do you know of other roleplaying games using dwarves like this?

[Ben O'Neal]

I am descibing dwarves as VERY though in this gameworld...
*snip*
...1 - Ridicule: the THOUGH dwarves don't dare to go outdoors without helmets...
*snip*
...This is a contrast to their thoughness...

I had to read that a few times, because I couldn't understand what "though" was. I began to doubt my own understanding of the word. Are you intending the use of the word "Tough"? That seems to fit and make more sense to me.

Also, by "feewle" do you mean "feeble"? Or am I missing something? No harm done, it was just kinda confusing me for a while there.

This is a contrast to their thoughness, and it makes for some funny situations, but not enough to make them play as funny characters.

Whilst they may not be funny on their own, such things, I find, become more funny when there is a comparitive contrast. For example, a group of travelling dwarves who are all afraid of water wouldn't be very funny, but a single dwarf travelling with some humans could be the butt of much hilarity. I remember a friend of mine playing a paladin in 3e with a really bad DEX, and his playing out of this included the paladin being afraid of stairs for fear of embarrassing himself by falling. In play, this was quite funny and provided ample amusement in many situations, but only because he was different to the other characters.


Them's my two cents for now.
-Ben

[Tomas HVM]

Pardon my french; I meant to write "tough", and it came out wrong.

"Feewle" is meant to be written with a W, as I tried to recreate the Norwegian term "skavank" in english. I tried to make a term that would sound like a type, and be somewhat funny.

Apart from that: I agree with you: distinction makes funny. I think the characters will contrast eachother, and make a funny contrast to the standard perception of a tough dwarf. I'm kind of making a strange interpretation of the tough dwarf, hoping to give the players enough funny stuff to play on, to make it last for a whole game.