Running gags

[Jhaelen]

Well back in our AD&D 1e days, we played a module that had a keep blocking a path up a mountain defended by a bunch of giants and giant-kin.

One of the players exclaimed "Storm the castle!" and simply charged up the path towards the castle. So everyone just shrugged and charged along. Of course they were hit by a hail of rocks, killing the party's paladin in the process, but miraculously they actually eventually managed to slay the opposition and enter the castle.

To this day, whenever we have a situation where it is possible to plan for an encounter, there'll be a (typically long) discussion about tactics, etc. until someone is fed up and yells "Storm the castle!" This usually helps to get the action going again

 

[Hand of Evil]

"Staff Infections" has been around my groups games for 20 years. As a joke one of us created a "magical rot" that ate and leached away a wizard's staff and power, this was a plot for a number of games! Just when we start to forget about it, someone bring it back up!

 

[Hassassin]

In a previous campaign I had a multi-class barbarian with insanely good saves and a ring of evasion. One time our rogue failed to disarm a trap on the way to a chest and went down in a ball of fire. I figured I'd get her out and triggered the (apparently resetting) trap, which finished the rogue but didn't even tickle my character. Since our rogue was dead I was forced to walk twice more across the trap to loot the chest.

Thereafter I casually ignored or "disarmed" any traps, feeling invincible. The traps that also blew up the treasure were a bit annoying, as were those that took me someplace else.

When we met a shimmering multi-colored barrier that our mage called a "prismatic wall" I figured I'd see what's on the other side. I made every single one of the seven saving throws, taking only some partial Con damage. However, there was a huge golem, dragon or some such monster on the other side that I couldn't handle alone so I had to retreat through the wall. This time I was less lucky and only succeeded on the life threatening saves, taking something like 80% of the hp left in various types of damage, but staying alive.

The others wouldn't go through the wall with me after I was healed, so the mage had to waste some expensive magic on it instead.

 

[ExploderWizard]

"Focus all your firepower on that Super Star Destroyer"
Taking a line from "Return of the Jedi," this is an in-game code for our characters to always attack the biggest creature first, and that everyone should always attack the same creature and not worry about the peons.

While we as players know the source of this code, our characters certainly don't, but its just the running-gag statement our characters use to initiate usage of this particular tactic.

We have a similar thing that happens regularly with our group. Whenever we are fighting something really nasty and not sure if our attacks are really being effective, the first time we get an indication that we did a decent amount of damage someone will initiate a focus fire order by declaring (in a smooth monotone Sulu voice) " Target that explosion and fire!!!"

Since we are all pretty big Tombstone fans a running gag has emerged from game session that happened years ago.

One of the PCs in our group was a necromancer that was usually attended by a zombie servant. We wandered into a small town forgetting that we had this zombie tagging along. As expected the townsfolk had issues with us because of this.

We were cracking up as the town marshall explained to us how our zombie wasn't welcome in their town.

" No one's sayin you can't raise a zombie."
"No one's sayin you can't command a zombie."
" All I'm sayin is that you can't command a zombie in town."

[Howls of laughter from around the table]

To this day whenever a PC is conveying to the group that an NPC/group is up to no good all he has to say is: " They're commanding zombies"

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Any time the PCs eavesdrop, whether by magic, technology, or just putting their ears to the door, the first thing they hear is always the punchline to a really bad joke.

It's amazing how often they recognize the joke.

Once, when the PCs were pretty sure that they were being eavesdropped on, the first words one of them said was 'yes, it's driving me nuts!'

Another, of recent origin, is otyughs with really bad disguises. Spawned by an image in Dungeon Monsters Revisited - an otyugh wearing a helmet. 'Hello fellow human adventurerers! Do not go this way, there is a horrible monster that is very powerful! Take the left door instead!' Bobbing around like a badly used sock puppet. (This is for a kids game, so silly is okay.)

They actually did go the other way - since the monster didn't want a fight they left it alone.

The Auld Grump

 

[Pbartender]

For the last ten years, "roe beer" has made an appearance in every single game I've run or played in.

Although, "Cameler's Travellodge" is fast becoming our group's new favorite.

 

[Erdrix]

When ever a NPC survives a critical hit, the phrase "We've only made it angry," follows it.

Anytime anyone fails an animal summoning, they always summon a sick Pomeranian named Max.

 

[David Howery]

Once, when the PCs were pretty sure that they were being eavesdropped on, the first words one of them said was 'yes, it's driving me nuts!'

back in 2E days, I had a character who, for some reason, got whoppingly lucky every time he rolled to detect scrying, etc... and every time the DM told me I sensed it, I'd respond to the scryer with mental 'obscene phone calls':

'Hello, baby, my name is Beef!"
"what are you wearing?"
"I'm watching you through your bedroom window right now!"

 

[Wycen]

For several years we had a good group who'd play every weekend. One of the games was Runequest, which I'm not a fan of, so I rarely played. In one game apparenty the druid was kept from merging with her tree when the other players spread a layer of butter over the whole tree. Apparently that would keep her out until it was scrapped off.

For years I'd have to hear about this and everybody but me would laugh. I guess you had to be there.