The Loonie: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''Cannot base characters off [[The Who]]'s drummer Keith Moon.''|[[Things Mr. Welch Is No Longer Allowed to Do In An RPG]] [http://theglen.livejournal.com/131998.html #1]}}
 
[['''The Loonie]]''' is the [[Tabletop RPG]] player who plays mostly for the fun of doing silly things within the game. He typically optimizes his character for comedy rather than combat, and is more likely to pick "goofy" character races purely for the novelty (such as awakened animals, [[Dragonlance|Kender]], [[Vampire: The Masquerade|Malkavians]], and so forth). His abilities will be mainly based on their potential for wacky antics (so rogues and mages with a lot of illusion and enchantment spells are popular).
 
This player loves poking at the setting to provoke strange responses and going [[Off the Rails]] in outrageous ways. They'll use their tower shields as makeshift snowboards, and think shouting "[[Look Behind You!]]" then running away is enough to elude a [[Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?|hostile greater demon]]. They'll then try to talk the [[Game Master]] into letting them attempt a trip attack on aforementioned greater demon using a [[Banana Peel]]. They'll crack jokes and mock the [[NPC|NPCs]]s at [[Deadpan Snarker|every opportunity]], and futz with every magic item thrown their way.
 
The loonie can be [[Crazy Awesome|a fun player to have around]]; a little [[Plucky Comic Relief|comic relief]] can help to ease the tension of a long campaign. However, sometimes his constant jokes can wear thin, and he can quickly cross the line from amusing to [[The Scrappy|annoying]]. He can be especially grating to extreme [[The Roleplayer|Roleplayers]], [[Munchkin|Munchkins]]s, and other people who take the game [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys|way too seriously]]. It probably doesn't help that their lack of humor only encourages the loonie to annoy them more. [['''The Loonie]]''''s favourite [[Character Alignment]] is [[Chaotic Neutral]] (because it's the perfect excuse for doing anything), but to his detractors it will feel more like [[Chaotic Stupid]]. Basically, it all depends on how good a comedian they are.
 
Like the other archetypes, the Loonie comes in variations. Ones that know how to be eccentric ''and'' effective are [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|Bunny Ears Lawyers]]s of a sort, and when crossed with a [[Munchkin]] they'll actually act out all the weird flaws and quirks they took to get those plusses.
 
Suffice to say, the wise [[Game Master]] will be ''very'' careful about letting [['''The Loonie]]''' get his hands on any sort of large explosive device. [[Hilarity Ensues|Hilarity will ensue]] (as well as a [[Total Party Kill]], most of the time).
 
A [[Player Archetypes]] subtrope, along with [[The Real Man]], [[The Roleplayer]], and the [[Munchkin]].
 
[[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused with]] the Canadian one dollar coin. [[Rule of Funny|Unless it's funny.]]
{{examples}}
 
{{examples}}
== Anime ==
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* [[Overly Long Name|Amelia Wil Tesla Selune]] from ''[[The Slayers]].''
 
== Film[[Fan Works]] ==
* The main character of the fanfic cycle ''[[Drunkard's Walk]]'', who started out as the author's favorite roleplaying character. This is [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] by the character's code name: "Looney Toons". Actually subverted, since he only acts that way in combat, as a tactic to throw his opposition off-balance.
* Gary from ''[[The Gamers|Gamers: Dorkness Rising]]'' is this. The group is replaying an adventure they failed at in the past; this time, they've invited a girl to play with. Having done the adventure before, the rest of them are eager to begin the journey to the [[Big Bad]] before their characters are even supposed to know which way to go. When the girl takes a couple minutes to exchange pleasantries with a peasant, Gary's character, a mage, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|disintegrates the peasant with a fireball]].
 
== Anime[[Film]] ==
* Gary from ''[[The Gamers|Gamers: Dorkness Rising]]'' is this. The group is replaying an adventure they failed at in the past; this time, they've invited a girl to play with. Having done the adventure before, the rest of them are eager to begin the journey to the [[Big Bad]] before their characters are even supposed to know which way to go. When the girl takes a couple minutes to exchange pleasantries with a peasant, Gary's character, a mage, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|disintegrates the peasant with a fireball]].
{{quote|''Luster:'' How many experience for the peasant?}}
 
 
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* The ''Dungeon Masters' Guide II'' for ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'' 3.5 includes a section on player styles useful for the [[Game Master]] of any game, not just D&D. One of the styles it describes is The Outlier, which is basically this trope. "The D&D game assumes a high degree of group cohesion[...] Some players, though, get their emotional charge by subverting this dynamic. These players have the outlier trait. They revel in being different and playing by their own rules. In short, they love to play oddballs." The section goes on to explain that they often are more interested in clowning around and [[Plucky Comic Relief|failing humorously]] than actually contributing to group success.
** [[Pathfinder]] calls them "Antagonists", someone who [[Elves Versus Dwarves|plays a dwarf to pick on the elf]], or [[Flat Earth Atheist|an atheist to pick on the Cleric.]] But neither is actually an example of [[The Loonie]], unless he "picks" on the elf by painting him purple and making bawdy songs about him for no reason, and tricks the cleric into saying "Goddamnit!" at every oppourtunity.
** The 4.0 DMG refers to this player as "The Instigator", who loves to make random stuff happen.
** The Kender in ''[[Dragonlance]]'', being incorrigible [[Fearless Fool]]s, are the classic loonie bait. They are perceived this way [[In-Universe]] either way, so maybe it's not too bad. But they ''did'' acquire a frothing [[Hatedom]].
* A large part of the appeal of many parody RPGs, including ''[[Paranoia]]'' (where the whole point is to find excuses to shoot the other party members) and ''Toon'' (which actually gives you experience points for making other people laugh).
** The Xaositect faction in ''[[Planescape]]'' are people who celebrate the inherent absurdity of the universe. Naturally, many players take this as an invitation to play Xaositects as bleeding morons who taunt the enemy for fun and set off traps on purpose.
** ''[[wikipedia:Hol (role-playing game)|HoL]]'' is another tabletop that encourages [[The Loonie]].
* A large part of the appeal of many parody RPGs, including ''[[Paranoia (game)|Paranoia]]'' (where the whole point is to find excuses to shoot the other party members) and ''Toon'' (which actually gives you experience points for making other people laugh).
** ''[[wikipedia:Hol (role-playing game)|HoL]]'' is another tabletop that encourages [[The Loonie]].
** ''[[Maid RPG]]'' also encourages loonies, especially if you choose 4 or 5 Maid Qualities or make gratuitous use of the Random Events charts.
* The Malkavian vampires in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' are stereotyped as being the "loonie" [[Splat]], never mind that there are ways to play Malkavians other than as "[[Fan Nickname/Tabletop Games|Fishmalks]]" with [[Funny Schizophrenia]].
** As some wise person on RPG.net once advised, "Think [[Silence of the Lambs|Hannibal Lecter]], not [[Looney Tunes|Daffy Duck]]".
*** One ''can'' be both; think [[The Joker]].
** The [[Old World of Darkness]] had some bad luck with this. If it wasn't the Malks, it was the [[Werewolf: The Apocalypse|Ragabash auspice]]. If it wasn't the Ragabash, it was the [[Mage: The Ascension|Marauders]]. And if it wasn't the Marauders, it was the [[Changeling: The Dreaming|pooka]]. There was nothing inherently wacky about [[Wraith: The Oblivion|Wraith]], though the Haunter's Guild could be slightly unhinged.
*** So pervasive is the tendecy of playing Malks as Fourth Wall Breaking Comic Relief, that further editions of the Old World of Darkness ALREADY attempted to make it more Grimdark before the inevitable reboot. From a metagaming standpoint, they were trying to shoo out the psychotic clowns for a long time ever since they released their first edition. I don't think White Wolf likes some of the silliness in their Crapsack World, since it doesn't jibe well with the rest of the universes Urban Horror Theme.
**** Actually, it wasn't long before the hilarious fourth wall breaking Loon was instead just a delusional fool being manipulated by their psychotic elders or ancestors. This didn't actually stop any players from playing as them, but they definitely wanted to make Malkavians more serious as puppets of a sleeping Mad demi-god instead of comic relief.
** ''[[Exalted]]'' isn't immune, either. [[The Fair Folk]] are explicitly noted as being somewhat unfamiliar with the idea that actions can have consequences, since in the Wyld they can simply shape themselves back to life if killed by another raksha. As a result, it's totally in character for a raksha in Creation to stab an ally through the heart, then be surprised when he doesn't get back up.
* One ''optional flaw'' in ''[[Sen Zar]]'' means that you can not only be [[The Loonie]], but you can get ''bonus character points'' for being [[The Loonie]]:
{{quote|"TOTAL STUPIDITY: Please take it! The character is totally stupid, and is even too totally stupid to know it! He'll gladly taste unknown potions when offered them. He'll gladly charge into the midst of an onrushing horde of bad guys if properly persuaded ("Dey say what about Mom? Me am smash dem!"). He'll even volunteer to test pits and traps for your party! And sometimes not even a successful Karmic Save will shed the light of reason upon his dim, feeble mind! Note: This does not reflect upon that character's INT score, mind you. Even a total genius can act totally stupid at times. So take it, O ye mighty spellcasters! Blow up friend and foe alike, just because you're so totally stupid that the proper placement of your explosive spells is beyond the grasp of your perpetually befuddled mind! Note 2: Yeah, we know. But isn't there always someone like this in your party? And isn't it about time they got some points for it?" }}
* The FATE roleplaying system, used in games like [[Spirit of the Century]], allows players to take "aspects". Aspects are character traits and catch phrases, both positive and negative. In SotC, a player character [[Coat, Hat, Mask]] may take the aspect "Can't Turn Down A Pretty Face", so when the [[Femme Fatale]] comes calling, the GM can give the player fate points in return for having the character do something stupid ("compelling an aspect") in order to advance the plot (or just because he can). The player can also simply point out his aspect and offer to play it to the hilt, partly because he will get a fate point for it but also because the consequences can be ''hilarious''.
* Take the Show-off Drawback in ''[[All Flesh Must Be Eaten]]''. It's two extra Character Points and the excuse to whatever you feel like at the time! Also fits well with [[The Real Man]].
* The Xaositect faction in ''[[Planescape]]'' are people who celebrate the inherent absurdity of the universe. Naturally, many players take this as an invitation to play Xaositects as bleeding morons who taunt the enemy for fun and set off traps on purpose.
* Take the Show-off Drawback in [[All Flesh Must Be Eaten]]. It's two extra Character Points and the excuse to whatever you feel like at the time! Also fits well with [[The Real Man]].
 
== [[Video Games]] ==
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== [[Web Comics]] ==
* In ''[[Darths and Droids]]'', [[The Scrappy|Jar-Jar Binks]] is instead a character played by a young girl, and half the crazy things in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[Prequel|Prequels]]s are from her imagination. This has actually gotten Jar-Jar [[Rescued Fromfrom the Scrappy Heap]].
** Jar-Jar's player Sally does this whenever she is given control of a character.
** Funnily enough, as [http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0131.html the commentary in this strip] mentions, she's also one of the most sensible players in the group. Which says a lot about the rest of them.
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* Even though there are no players in ''[[Order of the Stick]],'' Elan still qualifies. Among many other feats, he once hit the self destruct rune of a castle the party was still inside, and persuaded an island of orcs to worship a hand puppet.
** Or how about the time he decided that since heavy armor penalizes sneaking, conversely ''less clothing'' would increase the bonus. Which... [[Full-Frontal Assault|leads to]] [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0025.html a few] [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0026.html strips of] [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0027.html Elan having] [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0028.html Naked Time].
* Gabe from ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'' overlaps with the thespian in trying to play an elderly mage... [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/9/5/ with Alzheimer's].
* Aubrey of ''[[Something *Positive]]'', as shown in the [[Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20131018031908/http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05032002.shtml strip].
* Igor of ''[[Dork Tower]]''. His [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] was, during a ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''-based RP, immediately saying "I kill Gandalf".
** He has also been known to attack mind flayers with ''wedgies and purple nurples''.
* Abbie from ''[[Weregeek]]'' is a roleplayer, but she definitely has a good Loonie streak. In [[Vampire: The Masquerade]] she plays an anarchist, but not a "fish Malk", and speaking of explosives, look at her [[Shadowrun]] PC [http://www.weregeek.com/2007/07/04/ Twitch]... Well, for ''her'' [http://www.weregeek.com/2008/03/28/ such things] are quite "in character"...
* In an early ''Home On The Strange'' story, Tom is frustrated with how his wife Karla is indulging in "romantic" roleplaying with the DM's characters. So, he decides to [https://web.archive.org/web/20140507154743/http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=18 have a little fun at their expense.]
* ''[[Friendship Isis Dragons]]'''s version of Pinkie Pie.
** And in the comments section, Raxon fills this role. He even has his own 'Mr. Welch' list on [http://friendshipisdragons.thecomicseries.com/comics/499 this page].
* In ''[[One Piece: Grand Line 3 Point 5]]'', Luke lives by the [[Rule of Fun]] and [[Rule of Funny]], making a perfect fit with his [[Lethal Joke Character]] Monkey D. Luffy.
 
== [[Web Original]] ==
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* Rob from ''[[Unforgotten Realms]]''.
* Bob in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YrUwDE0HG0 this] D&D parody. During the first mission, the rest of his party members visit the tavern all at once. He attempts to burn the tavern down. When it gets his turn to DM, he comes up with a rather... unorthodox final boss fight.
* [[Shadowhunter Peril|]]: Veronica Carter]], and ''how.'' Two seconds after her introduction she blows a whistle to invite all of the nearby bloodthirsty demons to come over to the Resistance, much to the outrage of May. One time she got drunk and decided to lob beer bottles at [[Omnicidal Maniac|Obli]][[Physical God|vion]] just for the hell of it. However, she's most infamous in the world of [[Shadowhunter Peril]] for completely overreacting to the most trivial of things.
** And let us not forget the time the Resistance was supposed to initiate a stealth rescue mission on Alicante and she charged at the city with a ''tank'' screaming at the top of her lungs like a loon.
* From here on All The Tropes and inspired by Mr. Welch's list below, ''[[Things I Am No Longer Allowed To Do At Hogwarts]]''.
 
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
* ''[[Things Mr. Welch Is No Longer Allowed to Do In An RPG]]'' gives a list of all the crazy stuff he is now forbidden from doing in these games. [[Live JournalLiveJournal]] has a list of the items he has listed.
* Related [https://web.archive.org/web/20080724211248/http://www.geocities.com/caliciac/runslikehell.html The Things Runs Like Hell Is No Longer Allowed to Do in the Garou Nation]. For a werewolf game.
** [http://theglen.livejournal.com/16735.html 1 - 500], [http://theglen.livejournal.com/89715.html 501 - 1000], [http://theglen.livejournal.com/131998.html 1000 - 1500], [http://theglen.livejournal.com/282764.html 1500-2000].
* RelatedAnd on that note, [httphttps://web.archive.org/web/2008072421124820121018144539/http://wwwwiki.geocitieswhite-wolf.com/caliciacexalted/runslikehellindex.html Thephp?title=Things_one_is_not_allowed_to_do_in_Exalted Things Runsone Likeis Hellnot Is No Longer Allowedallowed to Dodo in] the Garou Nation''[[Exalted]. For a werewolf game]''.
* And the great grand daddy list of these: ''[[Skippy's List|Skippys List]]''
* And on that note, [http://wiki.white-wolf.com/exalted/index.php?title=Things_one_is_not_allowed_to_do_in_Exalted Things one is not allowed to do in] ''[[Exalted]]''.
* And the [http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=27766 list of things disallowed] in ''[[Shadowrun]]'' games over on the Dumpshock Forums.
* And the great grand daddy list of these: ''[[Skippy's List|Skippys List]]''
* And the [http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=27766 list of things disallowed] in [[Shadowrun]] games over on the Dumpshock Forums.
* The artist and author Ursula Vernon will happily regale anyone who reads her livejournal with the many times she and her buddies have made their DM cry, freak out, or be driven to drinking by sheer zany antics, or figuring out uses for their powers that evidently no one else had thought of before, or in the case of Rooster, Ursula's Paladin, just by being a clutz.
 
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