WayneLigon
Adventurer
Ezrael said:
*Sniff* Almost exactly 10 years. Brisco started in 1993. Man, I miss that show.
Why are Victorian and Western Games incompatible?
- Thread starter Achan hiArusa
- Start date
*Sniff* Almost exactly 10 years. Brisco started in 1993. Man, I miss that show.
Merova
First Post
Exploration of Setting and Mood
Hi all!
It looks like we've covered the bases on why Western and Victorian can work together, but there's been little discussion on why some feel that they don't work together. I that the aversion that some players feel towards the combination is one of mixed premise.
In exploring a Victorian setting, one expects a quiet and restrained mood to prevail. There are tight rules of polite society which constrains action. This is further emphasized when you drift into the "Gothic" subgenre. Understatement and restraint are salient thematic issues.
In exploring a Western setting, one expects wild activity and "loudness" to be the norm. There are no rules; we're in the Wild West. There further in the action genre that you drift, the more prominent this attitude becomes. Gunfights, horse chases, and brawls in the saloon are hallmarks of the genre.
So, in emulation of the setting and its mood, introducing an element of the other would dilute or disrupt the exploration. There's is nothing wrong with such a disruption; the contrast can be used to highlight specific thematic situations. However, not every player may enjoy this disruption.
For example, I've played a prissy Bostonian teacher in a Deadlands campaign. Initially, the game was low on the action and high on the "weird" investigation type of challenges. My PC worked out just fine, and made for an entertaining foil to her "rough" companions. However, once the campaign started drifting into the high action style of play, my PC quickly became a useless "damsel in distress" or "go team" sideliner. It wasn't fun; my PC was "out of place."
Another example, I've played in more than a few "Gothic" campaigns, in both Cthulhu by Gaslight and Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death settings. Whenever a player has introduced a "western-style" protagonist to the game, it's been disruptive. The quiet tension of the setting gets broken when someone grabs their six-shooters at every instance. Moreover, the boorish behavior of a "typical" Western protagonist ruins any attempt at exploration of setting through social challenge. Yes, it may be funny at first, but, after the third botched social encounter due to the "cowboy," it becomes tedious.
Well, that's my feeling on the topic. As always, YMMV.
Thanks for reading.
---Merova
Achan hiArusa said:
Hi all!
It looks like we've covered the bases on why Western and Victorian can work together, but there's been little discussion on why some feel that they don't work together. I that the aversion that some players feel towards the combination is one of mixed premise.
In exploring a Victorian setting, one expects a quiet and restrained mood to prevail. There are tight rules of polite society which constrains action. This is further emphasized when you drift into the "Gothic" subgenre. Understatement and restraint are salient thematic issues.
In exploring a Western setting, one expects wild activity and "loudness" to be the norm. There are no rules; we're in the Wild West. There further in the action genre that you drift, the more prominent this attitude becomes. Gunfights, horse chases, and brawls in the saloon are hallmarks of the genre.
So, in emulation of the setting and its mood, introducing an element of the other would dilute or disrupt the exploration. There's is nothing wrong with such a disruption; the contrast can be used to highlight specific thematic situations. However, not every player may enjoy this disruption.
For example, I've played a prissy Bostonian teacher in a Deadlands campaign. Initially, the game was low on the action and high on the "weird" investigation type of challenges. My PC worked out just fine, and made for an entertaining foil to her "rough" companions. However, once the campaign started drifting into the high action style of play, my PC quickly became a useless "damsel in distress" or "go team" sideliner. It wasn't fun; my PC was "out of place."
Another example, I've played in more than a few "Gothic" campaigns, in both Cthulhu by Gaslight and Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death settings. Whenever a player has introduced a "western-style" protagonist to the game, it's been disruptive. The quiet tension of the setting gets broken when someone grabs their six-shooters at every instance. Moreover, the boorish behavior of a "typical" Western protagonist ruins any attempt at exploration of setting through social challenge. Yes, it may be funny at first, but, after the third botched social encounter due to the "cowboy," it becomes tedious.
Well, that's my feeling on the topic. As always, YMMV.
Thanks for reading.
---Merova
RodneyThompson
Explorer
Oooh! Oooh! You know who would have been AWESOME in that role? Sam Elliot. If you've seen him in Tombstone, you'd know what I'm talking about.
Similar Threads
