The comic effect of EFU

[Burning Soul]

 
I'm playing a dead serious PC right now and i'm offended by this whole thread.
 
Edit: For clarification, i'm being serious. People need to get over themselves if they seriously get upset because people are daring to goof off while playing a videogame, ostensibly during their time off.
 
There is a place for serious drama as there is a place for comedy. And I can't help but feel like the community is getting a little too snooty for itself if this mentality is being seriously endorsed by so many people.
 
If you have a problem with how a character acts - bust their chops. treat it IC. "We can't depend on X or take him questing, he's terrible at his job/he offended my religious sensibilities/he annoys the hell out of me."

[Howlando]

As there appears to be some confusion, allow me to clarify.

Humor is fine. Comedy is fine. Silliness is fine. I'm a big of ridiculousness and silliness and try to build plenty of it into EFU.

But there's a difference between this stuff when it's done tastefully and on the other hand when players (rarely) break the fourth wall of EFU and try for the kind of humor and comedy during more serious situations that just breaks people's immersion and leaves DMs feeling like our efforts to spin a dark tale isn't being treated seriously.

I don't think this is elitist, but simply being respectful of other players and DMs.

[dig_dug]

Perhaps I missed the OP, with all the other posts!  Sorry DMs.

[Mira]

For the people who are obviously not catching on- DM's, every time you witness someone ruining immersion with meta references and otherwise inane commentary during serious situations, simply deduct 1000 XP from that person and tell them why. Eventually they will either figure it out and stop being a moron, or leave. Huzzah!

[Caster13]

Example of good, setting appropriate comedy:

The Prince of Thopsee Shee.

That bastard >_>

[Howlando]

Examples of bad "humor" -

- During big events, meta-jokes about lag
- During big events, snide references about when a DM screws up and leaves a NPC on immortal or something
- During big events, completely failing to take a very major scary NPC seriously and generally disrespect DM efforts to give some NPCs grandeur
- During big events, jabbering away with unnecessary, snide commentary when DMs are trying to convey some dialogue that moves a plot along
- During big events, meta-jokes about crashes
- Insertion of RL memes, tiresome references to the real world, breaking the fourth-wall in general, etc.

... surely we all can agree that these kinds of things are best avoided?

As other Dms have said, as we notice and have time to address we'll happily enforce these things.

*big events being events in which dozens of PCs are crammed together in one area

[Pigadig]

Personally I've found that the snide meta-commentary usually only starts to appear when people are absolutely lost and have no idea what is going on anymore. Which isn't really that common, but if you don't understand the situation, it's usually hard to RP a response.

[Ironside]

Yikes.  I know I've been guilty of this in the past, will personally try to dial it back as I see it now that it's on the mind, good thread.

[The Old Hack]

I have certainly been guilty of inappropriate comments myself at times, whether due to frustration, tiredness or just general silliness. I am trying to keep it in check during large events and hope I do better nowadays. I am fully in support of dialing back inappropriate humour -- it is just that I feel it is going overboard to try to declare some sort of moratorium on all humour in EfU.

[Evaenir]

How about just telling someone through a PM/tell message in NWN that you just don't appreciate that? It's as simple as that sometimes, before to let it escalate to this height. If he continues, alright, but I don't think the player thought ''oh I'm so going to ruin the rp experience! OMGLMFAOBBQ!'' (That xp penalty thing just sounds like the result for waiting too long and not ''trying'' to tell it)

Anyway, the example of ''bad humour'' here has been summarized in several posts : don't make a joke about something your charcter cannot feel/know/ignore : lag, game of thrones, being emotionless in front of that giant red dragon...otherwise it is more about some commentaries about how humour should be done that isn't appreciated. (Which brings me back to my first paragraph.)

The heir of Clan Aberdenn, the king of dwarves reclaiming the crown...what a CLASH OF KINGS!

[9lives]

The long lost art of reading comprehension.

[Evaenir]

Some points are pushed to the extreme in what has just been said, I do not think anybody plays here just for the game itself, or anybody (or most people) had in mind to do any damage to what is built here. But yes, there's the notion of respecting others' preferences.

(By the way, let's say it once and for all, what was considered elitist was to avoid humour when you're not necessarily *insert an humorist you like*.)

[Big Orc Man]

I feel like some folks are kind of missing the idea we're trying to portray here.

Funny characters are great.  Comedic characters are great.

Excessive OOC winks, use of real-world memes, or generally out-of-character actions (like, for example, being unfazed and giggly when a dracolich is chasing you) kill the immersion for folks.

That's really all we're saying.  So long as the humor is IC for the character, and not an OOC mockery, by all means, have at it!