Depdns on the kind of comedy. Some comedy movies are basically just a string of gags and I agree, that doesn't really work in a game unless it is totally spontaneous.

However a lot of comedy movies are just regular stories which are just a tad more embarrasing or absurd. And that is not particularly hard to do.

Quote from: David R;304800IME it's because comedy around the gaming table is most often of unintentional. Trying to be funny is difficult. It helps if everyone is aware of what each other finds funny. I think that the GM can set up "comedic situations" but it's much harder for the players to react to it. I get the feeling that comedy is funny because of the reactions of the observers......when you're right there in the thick of things, it seems less funny.

Regards,
David R

I agree, most often, pre-planned comedy is best left to professionals, but "light-hearted" or "tongue-in-cheek" might be a little easier to handle.

Is there any game out there where the mechanics are geared toward a comic effect ?

Quote from: boulet;304834Is there any game out there where the mechanics are geared toward a comic effect ?

I'd imagine that all comedy games feature something of the sort. For instance, in Maid the PCs don't have hit points or wound levels of any kind and under the basic rules they simply cannot die: instead, they accumulate points of Stress from losing contested actions, and once that exceeds their Spirit rating, they begin to suffer from a personal Stress Explosion, the type of which is determined during chargen. Some might go on a drinking binge or a shopping spree, others could complain endlessly or start falling asleep all the time, but however the characters go about relieving the Stress, they cannot perform actions which don't in some way involve that little personality flaw until the points are all gone again. Basically, it's an excuse to freak out and act even nuttier than usual.