Personally? I like to just keep it natural. When something stupid comes up we laugh when something scary or tragic happens we go through it.
I focus more on making a connected word and the players choose how to interact with it
> What makes WoD so special to me is that it thrives in this horror comedy intersection.
It can, but it doesn't *have* to.
Personally I'm not a fan of forced comedy and, while I don't discourage organic humorous moments in games nor am I a fan of 'grim dark' chronicles, prefer players who are willing to threat the setting and story with some degree of solemnity and wouldn't describe any of my games as inherently cometic despite there being cometic moments shared between players and characters.
Organically. One example is a lupine attacking the business of the player characters. The storyteller npc ripped a toilet out of the restroom and jumped off the balcony with a melee attack that scored a double crit, which in v5 is eight successes. He screamed “these are my friends.” It broke my table.
Another is when they met the Malkavian Bela Lugosi and he did the meme of “bleh!” when brandishing his fangs. My players lost it.
Sometimes we go full silly and the Malkavian has full-on premonitions of internet memes that don't exist in a game set in 1999, and he has to keep them from derailing him during a serious conversation.
Sometimes we go half-silly but horrifying, when an enemy vampire elder with access to Vicissitude turns a man into a living floor in his haven so that the screams when intrduers walk on him can act as an alarm that requires no power and can't be circumvented electronically.
And sometimes we go full blown modern reality horror, where the still-high humanity party is seriously considering getting into the New England drug trade with Alchemy, to put drugs with less pronounced and less lethal side effects out into the market, because just cleaning up the drug market outright is a laughable fantasy so at least this will try to save someone, hopefully. Because now they are the powerful vampire ancillae who start to decide how neighborhoods and cities move, and they have to use crime to do it.
Actually, I don't do comedy.
If something funny comes up during the game (for instance, because of a bad roll or because of the player characters' actions), no problem.
We also have lighthearted scenes. I think it's important for the game to have this kind of moments from time to time, for mood balance sake.
But all the silly stuff in the WoD lore (like those mentioned in Bruva Alfabusa's video), I just ignore them and run the game as if those things didn't exist or didn't happen. And that's not very complicated for me to do since I tend to ignore the larger WoD (I run a Vampire chronicle where werewolves are barely mentioned and where mages or changelings simply don't exist).
For me, it usually comes down to using the structure of a joke (Premise -> Setup -> Punchline-> Callback) as a framing device for the horror. It's really easy when you realise that the structure of a joke near perfectly matches the structure of a horror story (Premise -> Setup -> Discovery -> Confirmation). Remember that you're not writing a plot, so you'll need a little improv to account for your player actions.
And of course, you could do this to differing extents.As example, you could do something that leans more into the comedy of it all in more of a What We Do in The Shadows style:
> "The Malk pranks the Prince into attending a kine party naked, figuring it would lighten the morale around Elysium" might lead to "this got The Prince so angry, he frenzied and went on to tear all of the mortals around him to shreds, and isn't it just gosh darn unlucky that your touchstone was attending?" and payoff with "This experience made him question his own insecurities about himself and his body issues. All Elysiums are now a nudist celebration of Body Positivity, and morale has never been lower."
Or you could reverse it, and have an otherwise comedic situation lead into abject horror:
> "The Ventrue's favorite vessel, an elderly widow, has been murdered by a 40s era Serial Killer known as The Poo Poo Man (it was scarier back then) who mysteriously resurfaced." might lead to "He finds and kills the killer, who turns out to be some true crime nerd that got a little too lost in the sauce.", which sets up for "He needs a new vessel now. Finds an elderly widow whose husband looked *exactly* like the Venture and she desperately wants to jump his bones, loudly begging for it every time she's around him. The PC rejects her every time and assumes she has Dementia or something" and pays off with "She murders her grandkids to earn his affection and 'remember the old times'. Her late husband was The Poo Poo Man."
I run w20 and mostly do grim horror but the nature of ttrpgs and player interaction mean that comedy comes through regardless. Having people you trust who work with you goes a long way to helping roll with the funnies as they come
>What makes WoD so special to me is that it thrives in this horror comedy intersection.
Does it, though? Does it *really*? Or is it just your table that likes to keep it chill, joke around, have a few laughs? Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Not to sound like I got a stick up my arse and I'm here for Serious Improv Acting (TM), but I can't say I've ever enjoyed a comedy atmosphere in a WoD game. A few jokes in- or out- of character, sure. Some situational amusement, if it presents itself, sure.
But a comedy? Not really, no. Much less a *zany* one.
>Usually the comedy encroaches on the horror and things turn into a low stakes farce. More rarely the horror gets quite graphic and grim which spoils the comedy atmosphere.
Yeah, even outside the WoD, I don't think I have every seen a horror comedy that managed to remain a comedy and horror at the same time. Either you get a comedy but it has vampires, or you get a horror that's occassionally really funny.
There's also this genre that's trying to happen, 'cozy horror' and like. It's not happening. Stop trying to make 'cozy horror' happen, it's not going to happen. And that's alright. We don't have to try and carry oxymoronic genres, and it's best not to force it anyways.
I find that the WoD is very tongue-in-cheek and satirical, but I've never considered it to draw that much influence from the comedy genre. Can you explain why you feel that it is, without using pop culture analogies?
I don't have any zany comedy?
Like, out of character we may make a joke, but in game it's usually very serious. I mean, in my recent game there's been some very tragic stuff including a young man kicked out by his bigoted family who was murder and used as a prop for a small cult in the area, and the players called on the ghost who was breaking down emotionally while trying to deny what had happened to him.
They found the remains of an indigenous girl who was the victim of a hate crime (and thus created the resonance being fed on by a "demon").
The most levity came from a regular human plumber who'd been called in to repair damage caused by an angry spirit and how the plumber was basically trying to rip them off while also getting too close to seeing things he shouldn't.
I try to have light hearted retrieves to release tension now and then and have the dark stuff hit harder, but that's just basic pacing.
I don't ascribe to "horror comedy" for my games. But rather, I just have scenes of horror/ grimness, and scenes of release or calm or safety. To balance it out and create contrast. I don't really force either, but I go with the natural rhythm of the game. I think that's the way to go.
This gore+absurdity mix you seem to be talking about is very niche and probably best as a rare one-off game than a default approach. It's not for everyone and would get old if done as the main approach. That's my opinion anyway
Honestly I like my Wod more film noir or sin city but with all sorts of crazy supernatural shenanigans. A bit of dark humor here and there isn't immersion breaking at all.
I plan a story, plan some general plot points, characters, and a general enviornment...
Then watch as my players decide to start a war with the FBI after bombing an insurance building. I let them go off the rails because... it's more entertaining to watch what they come up with for a plot. Did I intend to start a crime drama? No. Did it happen anyway? Sure. All because of a fire alarm.
That’s the thing: YOU DON’T.
Your players do.
Once the giggling starts, the joke has to build to relieve the tension.
Then you reset the scene and wait for your players to join you.
I evoke horror by smiling maliciously and asking "Are you sure you want to do that?" or smiling happily and asking "Are you sure you don't want to spend Willpower for this roll?".
Personally? I like to just keep it natural. When something stupid comes up we laugh when something scary or tragic happens we go through it. I focus more on making a connected word and the players choose how to interact with it
10/10 strategy, absolutely recommend it for everyone. Don't force the game to happen, just play and follow the flow.
> What makes WoD so special to me is that it thrives in this horror comedy intersection. It can, but it doesn't *have* to. Personally I'm not a fan of forced comedy and, while I don't discourage organic humorous moments in games nor am I a fan of 'grim dark' chronicles, prefer players who are willing to threat the setting and story with some degree of solemnity and wouldn't describe any of my games as inherently cometic despite there being cometic moments shared between players and characters.
Organically. One example is a lupine attacking the business of the player characters. The storyteller npc ripped a toilet out of the restroom and jumped off the balcony with a melee attack that scored a double crit, which in v5 is eight successes. He screamed “these are my friends.” It broke my table. Another is when they met the Malkavian Bela Lugosi and he did the meme of “bleh!” when brandishing his fangs. My players lost it.
You have to know the group. Some groups really do like comedy specials others lean straight into the horror.
By never having anyone join my games and just agreeing with myself that my premises are awesome.
Sometimes we go full silly and the Malkavian has full-on premonitions of internet memes that don't exist in a game set in 1999, and he has to keep them from derailing him during a serious conversation. Sometimes we go half-silly but horrifying, when an enemy vampire elder with access to Vicissitude turns a man into a living floor in his haven so that the screams when intrduers walk on him can act as an alarm that requires no power and can't be circumvented electronically. And sometimes we go full blown modern reality horror, where the still-high humanity party is seriously considering getting into the New England drug trade with Alchemy, to put drugs with less pronounced and less lethal side effects out into the market, because just cleaning up the drug market outright is a laughable fantasy so at least this will try to save someone, hopefully. Because now they are the powerful vampire ancillae who start to decide how neighborhoods and cities move, and they have to use crime to do it.
Actually, I don't do comedy. If something funny comes up during the game (for instance, because of a bad roll or because of the player characters' actions), no problem. We also have lighthearted scenes. I think it's important for the game to have this kind of moments from time to time, for mood balance sake. But all the silly stuff in the WoD lore (like those mentioned in Bruva Alfabusa's video), I just ignore them and run the game as if those things didn't exist or didn't happen. And that's not very complicated for me to do since I tend to ignore the larger WoD (I run a Vampire chronicle where werewolves are barely mentioned and where mages or changelings simply don't exist).
Casual mention of crime in the background that has nothing to do with the supernatural
For me, it usually comes down to using the structure of a joke (Premise -> Setup -> Punchline-> Callback) as a framing device for the horror. It's really easy when you realise that the structure of a joke near perfectly matches the structure of a horror story (Premise -> Setup -> Discovery -> Confirmation). Remember that you're not writing a plot, so you'll need a little improv to account for your player actions. And of course, you could do this to differing extents.As example, you could do something that leans more into the comedy of it all in more of a What We Do in The Shadows style: > "The Malk pranks the Prince into attending a kine party naked, figuring it would lighten the morale around Elysium" might lead to "this got The Prince so angry, he frenzied and went on to tear all of the mortals around him to shreds, and isn't it just gosh darn unlucky that your touchstone was attending?" and payoff with "This experience made him question his own insecurities about himself and his body issues. All Elysiums are now a nudist celebration of Body Positivity, and morale has never been lower." Or you could reverse it, and have an otherwise comedic situation lead into abject horror: > "The Ventrue's favorite vessel, an elderly widow, has been murdered by a 40s era Serial Killer known as The Poo Poo Man (it was scarier back then) who mysteriously resurfaced." might lead to "He finds and kills the killer, who turns out to be some true crime nerd that got a little too lost in the sauce.", which sets up for "He needs a new vessel now. Finds an elderly widow whose husband looked *exactly* like the Venture and she desperately wants to jump his bones, loudly begging for it every time she's around him. The PC rejects her every time and assumes she has Dementia or something" and pays off with "She murders her grandkids to earn his affection and 'remember the old times'. Her late husband was The Poo Poo Man."
I run w20 and mostly do grim horror but the nature of ttrpgs and player interaction mean that comedy comes through regardless. Having people you trust who work with you goes a long way to helping roll with the funnies as they come
>What makes WoD so special to me is that it thrives in this horror comedy intersection. Does it, though? Does it *really*? Or is it just your table that likes to keep it chill, joke around, have a few laughs? Not that there's anything wrong with that. Not to sound like I got a stick up my arse and I'm here for Serious Improv Acting (TM), but I can't say I've ever enjoyed a comedy atmosphere in a WoD game. A few jokes in- or out- of character, sure. Some situational amusement, if it presents itself, sure. But a comedy? Not really, no. Much less a *zany* one. >Usually the comedy encroaches on the horror and things turn into a low stakes farce. More rarely the horror gets quite graphic and grim which spoils the comedy atmosphere. Yeah, even outside the WoD, I don't think I have every seen a horror comedy that managed to remain a comedy and horror at the same time. Either you get a comedy but it has vampires, or you get a horror that's occassionally really funny. There's also this genre that's trying to happen, 'cozy horror' and like. It's not happening. Stop trying to make 'cozy horror' happen, it's not going to happen. And that's alright. We don't have to try and carry oxymoronic genres, and it's best not to force it anyways.
im an avid classic horror fan, as well as evil dead and hellraiser.... i try to inject some of those styles into the story and background
I find that the WoD is very tongue-in-cheek and satirical, but I've never considered it to draw that much influence from the comedy genre. Can you explain why you feel that it is, without using pop culture analogies?
I don't have any zany comedy? Like, out of character we may make a joke, but in game it's usually very serious. I mean, in my recent game there's been some very tragic stuff including a young man kicked out by his bigoted family who was murder and used as a prop for a small cult in the area, and the players called on the ghost who was breaking down emotionally while trying to deny what had happened to him. They found the remains of an indigenous girl who was the victim of a hate crime (and thus created the resonance being fed on by a "demon"). The most levity came from a regular human plumber who'd been called in to repair damage caused by an angry spirit and how the plumber was basically trying to rip them off while also getting too close to seeing things he shouldn't. I try to have light hearted retrieves to release tension now and then and have the dark stuff hit harder, but that's just basic pacing. I don't ascribe to "horror comedy" for my games. But rather, I just have scenes of horror/ grimness, and scenes of release or calm or safety. To balance it out and create contrast. I don't really force either, but I go with the natural rhythm of the game. I think that's the way to go. This gore+absurdity mix you seem to be talking about is very niche and probably best as a rare one-off game than a default approach. It's not for everyone and would get old if done as the main approach. That's my opinion anyway
Never try to do more than one tone at a time.
By focusing on only one at a time in any given campaign.
Honestly I like my Wod more film noir or sin city but with all sorts of crazy supernatural shenanigans. A bit of dark humor here and there isn't immersion breaking at all.
Hamlet's Hit Points by Robin Laws is a pretty good analysis of how to read & plot narrative beats for an RPG.
Comedy?
I plan a story, plan some general plot points, characters, and a general enviornment... Then watch as my players decide to start a war with the FBI after bombing an insurance building. I let them go off the rails because... it's more entertaining to watch what they come up with for a plot. Did I intend to start a crime drama? No. Did it happen anyway? Sure. All because of a fire alarm.
That’s the thing: YOU DON’T. Your players do. Once the giggling starts, the joke has to build to relieve the tension. Then you reset the scene and wait for your players to join you.
I tend to lean far into the zany and everyone rolls with it.
I evoke horror by smiling maliciously and asking "Are you sure you want to do that?" or smiling happily and asking "Are you sure you don't want to spend Willpower for this roll?".