Too much Cthulhu and Dread have come back to bite me

[Piratecat]

So, I was raised on a strict diet of Steven King, HP Lovecraft, and lots of really crappy horror novels. Call of Cthulhu gradually taught me how to scare people in a game, and I finally got good at it with Dread. I love horror; I'm far from obsessed with it, but I'm decent at it, and it resonates with me.

This has come back to bite me. Here in Boston I'm taking a storytelling class right now from the inimitable Laura Packer. It's great -- 7 sessions, reasonably priced, and it's making my brain work in new ways as I burnish the things I don't have quite right. Problem is, we tell stories in class. Second week was personal stories; I told about something that had some suspense. Third week was fairy tales; I told "The Robber Bridegroom" from Grimm, one that's darned creepy. And this fourth week was actually scary tales, so I made up something that I personally find quite scary.

And you see where this is going, right? The rest of the class is now looking at me askance, convinced that I'm dark indeed. Sigh. Stupid RPGs, I blame you! *shakes fist* Now I have to lean over to broad comedy to have a chance of convincing them to come hang out at my barbecues...

Heh. Or maybe I should tell them about my character.

Anyone else run into this, where a skill you got really good at in RPGs crossed over oddly to the real world?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Quoting myself:

...in a class on Biblical themes in literature, Prof. Hoffer was breaking down the imagery an author was using to indicate that a character was evil- every aspect of the character was linked to a particular demon/devil/evil god. I was eyes down, taking notes furiously while raising my hand to answer his queries of which devil was being alluded to in this passage or that. After about the 9th one, he called on me by name, so I looked up to see everyone in the class was looking at me. Apparently, nobody else was even raising their hands...

 

[Cor Azer]

Anyone else run into this, where a skill you got really good at in RPGs crossed over oddly to the real world?

Oddly? No, I don't think so.

Maybe some weird vocabulary knowledge, but most people know me as a collector of trivial knowledge anyway.

 

[trancejeremy]

Not exactly how your post means, but your subject line.

Deep Ones. I see them everywhere.

Even though I know they obviously don't exist, I've noticed some people really do look like them. Or hybrids, rather.

I first noticed it in college, there was this girl from Massachusetts.

But since, on the internet (the forums of a dating site specifically), I've noticed more of them. Usually from sea-related areas, like coastal towns.

 

[Voadam]

I once worked on an NIH project analyzing issues in human genetic enhancement technology. My part was researching legal issues and existing regulations but during discussions projecting possible future uses I brought up stuff from Shadowrun, Rifts, and other sci-fi games.

I find describing things as a DM overlaps a lot with teaching in general and storytelling for children. Also rules interpretation is a lot like analyzing laws. Roleplaying before a DM as well as how to tactfully bring up rules issues did not hurt as an experience skill set when I argued cases in court.

 

[Bedrockgames]

So, I was raised on a strict diet of Steven King, HP Lovecraft, and lots of really crappy horror novels. Call of Cthulhu gradually taught me how to scare people in a game, and I finally got good at it with Dread. I love horror; I'm far from obsessed with it, but I'm decent at it, and it resonates with me.

This has come back to bite me. Here in Boston I'm taking a storytelling class right now from the inimitable Laura Packer. It's great -- 7 sessions, reasonably priced, and it's making my brain work in new ways as I burnish the things I don't have quite right. Problem is, we tell stories in class. Second week was personal stories; I told about something that had some suspense. Third week was fairy tales; I told "The Robber Bridegroom" from Grimm, one that's darned creepy. And this fourth week was actually scary tales, so I made up something that I personally find quite scary.

And you see where this is going, right? The rest of the class is now looking at me askance, convinced that I'm dark indeed. Sigh. Stupid RPGs, I blame you! *shakes fist* Now I have to lean over to broad comedy to have a chance of convincing them to come hang out at my barbecues...

Heh. Or maybe I should tell them about my character.

Anyone else run into this, where a skill you got really good at in RPGs crossed over oddly to the real world?

I think there is something about growing up in boston and horror. Huge horror fan myself.

As long as the instructor isn't having trouble with your genre preference it shouldn't be an issue. Are there others in the class who lean to one genre or the other?

 

[Eccles]

I work as a prosecutor in the UK. The other week I was cycling home when my mobile rang. A colleague had just watched a video of someone attacking someone with an "old weapon" of some kind, and had to describe it to me. Apparently I'm the go-to prosecutor for naming feudal weapons.

(It was a morningstar flail, for the record. I never got to see the video and was rather disapponted!)

 

[The Red King]

I'm always the first to find a secret door or a trap.

 

[Halivar]

I'm going to watch my back around you, just in case.

 

[The Red King]

I'm going to watch my back around you, just in case.

That wont help. I'm good at hiding too.