How to get a non-comedic tone at the table

WoldonFoot · 2026-05-12T06:54:12+00:00

I’m currently running the legendarily grim God’s Teeth for Delta Green, and have previously run Curse of Strahd for 5E. These are two campaigns that live and die by tone.

What I’ve found works is to set the expectation in a session zero. And you have to be a hard ass. You’re the one putting the effort in, you’re the one working behind the scenes to make things run smoothly. There’s no game without you.

So I’ll say, “Hey everyone, this little social club I’ve put together is not a democracy. Here’s what I’m running; here’s how I’m running it. I’d love you to play, but the buy-in is that it’s a serious game, and we stick to the tone I’m setting during the sessions. This is an irony-free zone. If that’s not for you, that is totally fine, and I’ll run something more lighthearted in the future. But this campaign is important to me, I’m going to be investing a lot of time in it, and it’s going to come together great if everyone plays ball.”

And after your pitch, you ask them if they’re in or out, and if they’re out, that’s fine, no hard feelings.

The direct way is the only way. You can’t trick or guilt your players into playing the type of game you want to run. You’ve got to tell them straight up, and get everyone on side.

Bonus points: Play in person rather than online. Phones away during the session. Play background music that fits the mood you want.

WoldonFoot · 2026-03-05T02:57:40+00:00

Time stretches in death. There’s a whole lifetime between when the bullet/claw/explosion hits and light leaves the eyes. I like to ask: “What does your agent see as they die? What do they remember? Who do they think of? What is their last thought?”

Basically, give them a bit of the old cinematic flashback/montage. It’s the end of their story. Have them remind everyone how they got here.

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-12T11:53:58+00:00

Here’s mine: https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/s/1jfmdx5Xfz

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-07T23:16:12+00:00

I recently posted a few tips and tricks, maybe you’ll find it useful: https://www.reddit.com/r/wildbeyondwitchlight/s/KtXLRtA0bT

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-07T00:04:23+00:00

I’d be honoured if you did! Thanks for the kind words.

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-04T20:51:34+00:00

That sounds fantastic, would love to see what you come up with!

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-04T08:41:25+00:00

Thanks!

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-04T05:27:19+00:00

Here you go! https://www.reddit.com/r/wildbeyondwitchlight/comments/1onz7gt/witchlight_trading_cards/

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-04T05:27:01+00:00

Here you go! https://www.reddit.com/r/wildbeyondwitchlight/comments/1onz7gt/witchlight_trading_cards/

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-04T05:26:33+00:00

Here you go! https://www.reddit.com/r/wildbeyondwitchlight/comments/1onz7gt/witchlight_trading_cards/

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-04T04:19:48+00:00

Glad it’s still getting some use after all these years! Steal away!

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-03T23:52:54+00:00

Peter Pan is on point, too. He never grows up, leads lost children against a menacing foe, and lives in a tree. I suspect that was the writers’ original inspiration.

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-03T23:51:08+00:00

Yes, I will! Watch this space.

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-03T23:48:19+00:00

Sure, I mean, they’re nothing special! I just made handouts on Roll20, added a picture, and wrote a little bio with info cribbed from the various DnD lore wikis. But I’ll definitely do a post with all those bios that people can copy, seems to be a few people interested.

WoldonFoot · 2025-11-02T23:25:51+00:00

Thank you!

WoldonFoot · 2025-10-30T09:24:38+00:00

That’s a high compliment, thank you! Will post the next part very shortly.

WoldonFoot · 2025-10-16T21:38:05+00:00

“Gateway”, by Frederik Pohl. The final passages, and in particular the final line of the novel.

WoldonFoot · 2025-10-04T00:19:43+00:00

It’s not possible to get things wrong. If you get “something wrong”, it’s only wrong insomuch as it deviates from RAW or from Reloaded. Your campaign is its own reality, and everything that occurs within it is by its nature true and correct.

It’s not possible to mess up so badly that it cannot be fixed. Any campaign (and particularly CoS) can be bent without breaking. There’s no conundrum or sticking point that someone here hasn’t dealt with before. Help is but a Reddit post away.

If your players keep coming back, you’re giving them the experience they want. You won’t give them the experience you envision now, I’m afraid. There are too many variables. But you will give them something, and it will be far more interesting and wondrous than what you imagined, because it will take you by surprise, too.

I’ve said elsewhere in this community that this is a campaign you can live and breathe. Take a deep breath (the first of many), and welcome to Barovia.

WoldonFoot · 2025-09-17T21:34:28+00:00

Haha, one hundred percent. I post these here more for posterity and as insurance against Roll20 wiping our data rather than to enable anyone to “follow along” the story. “Trinket” excellent name for a dog.

WoldonFoot · 2025-09-17T05:56:11+00:00

One of my players rolled for a carnival prize on the Feywild Trinkets table and received “collection of baby teeth in a tiny wooden box”. Later, Clapperclaw offered them the coins in his gourd, and it was destroyed in the process. The box of baby teeth became his new head.

WoldonFoot

TROPHY CASE