Gabbo. Gabbo! GABBO! What is a "Gabbo?" I figure it's probably some guy’s name... a guy named Gabbo. Who is Gabbo? Probably someone who can do the Hully-Gully and imitate Vin Scully. But for (relative) clarity, Gabbo was a mystery character in the Simpsons universe who turned out to be the star puppet of a new show aiming to take on Krusty's time slot. To the fictitious audience of Springfield, the ad campaign leading up to the character's first appearance was both exciting and mystifying. You might even try to add some hype to your own tabletop adventures or stories by adding a Gabbo-esque character. Before you do, though, please take a few moments with Never Say Dice this week to discuss that form of hype, as well as the pros and cons of player confusion. (We will not, however, be handing out shiny dimes or traveling back in time…much.)
Excitement, or hype, either in your game itself or just the circumstances surrounding your game can be a tricky thing. If you don’t believe that, just think about all the failed TTRPG livestream games that have happened, and take a look at how many successful ones there have been. Critical Role, even with all its surrounding controversies, has been riding a hype train for years, and the same can be said about inside the game. It's tricky, even through the use of NPCs, to show excitement within the world you're creating. That doesn’t mean you should steer completely away from hype. Players are more likely to be excited for your next session when you’ve ended on a cliffhanger or for whatever awaits them at the next level up. Characters in your stories are going to be excited for upcoming shore leave or the next festival. The best thing you can do is take a light touch and let the players handle the hype themselves... or you might end up with your own exaggerated Gabbo promotion and subsequent player confusion.
One of the most famous examples of this kind of player confusion feels almost as old as TTRPGs themselves, but in reality only started making the rounds in the mid '80s. While the real event the story is based on lasted only a moment, over the decades, the story has gained the exaggerations (and hype) one would expect. We speak of none other than The Gazebo Story (otherwise known as Eric and the Gazebo or Eric and the Dread Gazebo). You can certainly find versions of the story throughout nerd hangouts on the internet, but the short version is: due to players' unfamiliarity with the word "gazebo," and, assuming it referred to some sort of monster, proceed to attack it in various ways until, out of the GM's frustration, are eventually eaten by the lurking gazebo (or perhaps it was a lurking grue all along). While we can all have a good laugh from a distance about that situation, player confusion can often be frustrating and game-halting... or even game-breaking. If we aren’t paying attention, even the best players can make mistakes due to something we, as GMs, have failed to adequately explain or describe.
Player confusion (or GM confusion, for that matter) doesn’t have to be negative, though it can entirely depend on how you all handle the situation. In the case of the aforementioned Gazebo story, we now have an amusing anecdote shared throughout the gaming community from generation to generation, a part of our shared history. Those confused misunderstandings, verbal slips, and faux pas can become part of a shared history at your own gaming tables. At a different table, the Gazebo of the story may indeed have become a recurring villainous monster, impervious to arrow damage. An instance of being tongue-tied might lead to the inclusion of the Viscous (as opposed to Vicious) Mockery spell to your own games. “Happy accidents” like these give our close gaming communities their own private lexicons. Many of you have probably already added a Kwyjibo of your own to your stories, and that's probably embiggened the experience for everyone.
If you do decide to bring some hype or confusion in your games, try to take a light hand with it. Even if the story is full of raging barbarians, nobody wants anger around their gaming tables. Whether you include hype in (and around) your games or not, you're bound to hit player confusion at some point. Do try to minimize any embarrassment felt by the players. (Or the GM... this goes for you, too other players!) If you can, see if you can find a little gem in those happy accidents every now and then to add as inside jokes to your games. (I love inside jokes. I’d love to be a part of one someday.) This shared history brings your groups closer together... even if they are playing digitally and far apart. Besides the challenge and story aspects, that's really is what a lot of people come to the hobby for: the community... especially when they haven't felt part of a community before. A chance to fit in, even when you make mistakes. Until next week, enjoy your tables - get out there and beak break some dice! - A
Dread Gazebo stat sheet by Balatro, with art by John Sheppart. Send questions, comments, and gazebo battle plans to neversaydice20@gmail.com or tweet them @neversaydice2.
