Core engagement 9: Prankster

GM EYES ONLY:

In the player’s section, I told the players there are 8 core engagements (aka aesthetics of play) that are relevant to medieval fantasy role-playing games. This is not true. Apart from the 8 core engagements I mentioned earlier, it is worthwhile for the GM to recognise one more that is specifically relevant to role-playing games and not listed in the original research article; the Prankster. It was pointless to ask players to try to recognise if they are a prankster because it is not something which players will admit to. As a reminder, the different core engagements are the Prankster, Submission/Hobby, Narrative, Discovery, Expression, Fantasy, Challenge, Fellowship, and Sensory Pleasure.

The Prankster

The prankster specifically enjoys getting an emotional reaction of annoyance out of people. He wants to prank people and play a joke on them, hence the name. There are many ways in which the prankster can do this, such as by recognising what other players want in their games and do something that threatens to ruin that core engagement for the other players. Alternatively, they may recognise what preparations the GM has put in and recognise what campaign the GM wants to run and mess it up. A crafty prankster will walk on a thin line, doing just enough to annoy but not enough to really make people mad and thus get thrown out of the game.

Recognising a prankster is tricky. Sometimes hobbyists just want something interesting to happen because they are bored, especially if their desire to kill monsters and collect loot isn’t being met. The prankster is different in that what he wants is to get a rise out of his players and GM. Recognising that a player’s wants are not being met rather than a prank is being played can be important in managing the game.

If an action has no purpose or benefit to the player except to annoy someone else at the table, it’s a prank. Body language can help in recognising the prankster. There is nothing the prankster likes to see more than the shocked and annoyed expressions on the faces of players and GMs who are being pranked. For that reason, the prankster will be admiring the results of the chaos he has sown and thus be looking with anticipation at the faces of the people he is trying to play a prank on.

Keep in mind that a prank really is just a joke that is made at the expense of someone else. It is up to you if you want to tolerate pranks. Some people even appreciate the occasional prank. That person does not have to be you, but it can be if you so choose. The same advice goes for other players who are being pranked. Once you have identified there is someone who enjoys pranking other people at your table, it may be time to very calmly take a break, then have a sit down with all the players. Ask them if they tolerate pranks and remind them that a prank is just a joke made at the expense of others.

Sometimes players don’t want to be pranked, and as the GM you can override pranking actions by disallowing the action completely. Try not to override actions which provide a legitimate benefit to the PC as that may be an indication that it isn’t just a prank. Sometimes players are okay with pranks and get in on the fun as well.

If you no longer want to carry on with the game because you feel the work you put into being a GM is not being respected or for any other reason, you have that right. Try to be civil about it. Alternatively, some folks find it more useful to lie that there is a clash in schedule. If you do decide to carry on with the game, you may find it more useful to use the Dungeon Crawl campaign format as it is easier to run and the work you put it is less likely to be wasted. You may consider recycling your materials for another group of players.

Interestingly, sometimes pranksters become GMs themselves. As a GM, the prankster will try to trick and fool players into doing things with unwanted consequences or play pranks on the players in other ways. As a matter of fact, many elements in traditional medieval fantasy role-playing games are specifically placed in the game to allow the GM to prank their players: traps, mimics, animated objects, deck of many things, and especially that darn monster that looks like another monster but explodes if attacked. These campaigns can be a lot of fun for the right crowd; every time one player gets pranked, there are 4 other players at the table who are giggling at his expense. Of course, every player gets their turn to be pranked. It makes for an interesting way of running a campaign as some players really do enjoy dealing with unusual and unexpected turn of events as well as a GM who doesn’t take his campaign very seriously.