GM Tips: Clowns of Funland
Clowns of Funland is perhaps my favorite One-Shot RPG. I've both played and run the adventure and had a blast each time. Plus, there is a classic horror twist at the end. Here are some tips:
1. Funland is a great game to play around Holloween and a great option to play with friends who don't usually play tabletop RPGs. One of my favorite sessions was with some casual and non-gamers.
2. This One-Shot offers an excellent opportunity for role-playing, team-work, and character immersion. The characters start with strong bonds and a common cause, that will only get stronger as the game progresses. While momentum is important, give them those little moments to interact with each other and the NPCs.
3. There is a bit of a debate in horror gaming as to how serious players should be. Some GMs prefer to limit the number of jokes, wise-cracks, etc. While this adventure has some scary and serious elements, keep things light, and have fun with it!
4. Playing characters who are not heroes wielding magic blades and slinging fireballs might be an adjustment for your players. Like most horror movies, the villains have the advantage. It can be incredibly fun playing an underdog but its rarely fun playing a victim. Don't be too punishing and reward creativity. In the end, the underdog should triumph...at least until the epilogue.
5. In the beginning, limit the character's resources. The game Resident Evil successfully builds tension by forcing you to count your bullets. Do the same thing here. One, maybe two characters might have a firearm depending on their background. Even if they have a gun, their ammo should be limited. In one playtest, we let the characters have firearms, and predictably when the clowns appeared, they jumped right to asking, "Can we roll initiative?"
6. This one is I'm repeating for each each Mini-Quest. Don't limit yourself to just the dialogue included. I put written dialogue in my adventures to give you sense of how conversations should go, and to make sure NPCs are not forgotten. Try not read it verbatim off the page - make it your own.
7. Convince one of the players to take on the role of Brea's pregnant sister (without the other players knowing about the pregnancy). Once it becomes known that the clowns are after the baby, this character will become the person everyone tries to protect. It has led to some great role-playing and moments of self-sacrifice. The look on that player's face when Mister Smiley hands their character the bouquet of roses and the "It's a Boy" card is priceless. It also makes the twist ending much more impactful.
8. Immerse yourself in the clowns. Try to memorize Mister Smiley's lines so you can get up from your chair and walk around acting out the scene. Try some different voices, tussle your hair. Basically, have fun with it.
9. If you don't have much time to prep, events are more important than locations. You can always read the location descriptions, but you should know the events so you can pace them properly. It's not a hard adventure to GM, but being prepared is always beneficial.
10. Don't worry if the characters don't visit all of the park locations. I toyed with the idea of forcing the characters to visit each of the Pan statues, but in the end, abandoned the idea for the sake of pacing.
11. Print out some celebrities ahead of time for the players to pick from for their characters. Stick to celebrities who star in horror movies and avoid those who star in action movies. As I mentioned in a previous post, we let someone pick, Samuel L Jackson, to play their character, and the clowns were running from him by the end of it.
12. Print out the maps and visual aids.
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