When people don't pick up your references

[Dr.Epic]

Basically, do you ever play a game of D&D (or really and RPG) and you throw in a pop culture reference and nobody else gets it? I usually do this because I take roleplaying about as seriously as Adventure Time. Like my last session my PCs had to kill an empress who turned out to be a little girl. (Hopefully they're get the reference with the giant earth elemental with "Big, good, strong hands.") And later they had to kill a bunch of high priestesses and during my turn when I was looking up spells I would mumble "What kind of magic spell to use?"

[Axinian]

Yeah it's annoying when that happens. Really the best way to avoid this is to find out what your players are into before hand, then make references specifically made to get a laugh out of them.

For example, talking with my players revealed their like for Highlander, so I made Highlander jokes more than others (I almost called my campaign Pathfinder 2: the Quickening).

[Morph Bark]

To be honest, I've read The Neverending Story, and when you mentioned an empress turning out to be a little girl, I thought you meant Padme Amidala. A reference can always fall oddly, even if your players have read/watched what you mean to reference. (Plus, that one wasn't really a strong reference. Your references are probably too subtle.)

[herrhauptmann]

Well the out of turn mumbling just sounds like you talking to yourself, so they were probably less observant of that.

For the other one, well one of hte things I always remember out of that is "To the winch wench!" So aside from the Empress being a child dressed in white (perhaps with golden eyes), what else did you throw in there to say that it was her? Because the whole "Childlike empress" is a single line out of a very long movie (never even seen a copy of the book, so I can't comment on that) which I bet most of your players haven't seen in over 10 years.

[OracleofWuffing]

Wait, what? People are supposed to understand the references?

Last time I talk about the dragon that got turned into a painting.

[Dr.Epic]

Yeah it's annoying when that happens. Really the best way to avoid this is to find out what your players are into before hand, then make references specifically made to get a laugh out of them.

For example, talking with my players revealed their like for Highlander, so I made Highlander jokes more than others (I almost called my campaign Pathfinder 2: the Quickening).

They did get one reference a few weeks ago. They were in a dungeon and I said they got the map (arms up). Then they just had to get the master key.

To be honest, I've read The Neverending Story, and when you mentioned an empress turning out to be a little girl, I thought you meant Padme Amidala. A reference can always fall oddly, even if your players have read/watched what you mean to reference. (Plus, that one wasn't really a strong reference. Your references are probably too subtle.)

I said she was "a childlike empress." That's a direct quote.

[Jack Zander]

I said she was "a childlike empress." That's a direct quote.

It may be a direct quote, but its still not a very strong or memorable one. Maybe if you had a character that was riding a white furred dragon or you mentioned something about two married gnomes and a treant the reference would have been a bit stronger.

[sonofzeal]

Hopefully they're get the reference with the giant earth elemental with "Big, good, strong hands."

Man, that scene always makes me cry. Almost as heartbreaking as the one with Artax, in the swamp...

[Dr.Epic]

Man, that scene always makes me cry. Almost as heartbreaking as the one with Artax, in the swamp...

Yeah, that scene like so much of the movie pulled at your heart strings. Though I think the saddest thing with the movie is what happened to the characters in the third film. What did they do to you Rockbiter? You were one of my favorite characters. Also, if the PCs ever enter a swamp I'm thinking of having a tombstone that reads "Artax".

[valadil]

Some people just aren't into references. They don't really do anything for me so I disregard them even if I do pick up on the reference. Trying harder is just going to frustrate them and disappoint you.

[Jack Zander]

Some people just aren't into references. They don't really do anything for me so I disregard them even if I do pick up on the reference. Trying harder is just going to frustrate them and disappoint you.

On the other hand, if you throw all that at your players and they still don't understand the reference, you now have an entire plot for a campaign done for you, and they'll think it was your original idea!

[Dr.Epic]

On the other hand, if you throw all that at your players and they still don't understand the reference, you now have an entire plot for a campaign done for you, and they'll think it was your original idea!

The evil empire built a giant hurt ball that can completely destroy a planet and the evil Garth Vader is the father of the main fighter of the group. Completely original.

[Jack Zander]

The evil empire built a giant hurt ball that can completely destroy a planet and the evil Garth Vader is the father of the main fighter of the group. Completely original.

And if all of your players have been living under a rock for the past 40 years, it is totally original to them! Don't even bother changing the names. Allow them to experience the greatness of the Star Wars trilogy firsthand!

[Starscream]

Happens to me all the time, but it's my own damn fault because I love obscure references and mostly include them solely to amuse myself.

For instance, in my current campaign I have had:

* A villain based on Dr. Insano from the Spoony Experiment.
* A monk inspired by Goemon from Lupin III (and I even made an attempt at translating his catchphrase into something more appropriate even though I don't speak Japanese: "matta tsumaranaimono panchi shimatta").
* An NPC based on a supporting character from Discworld.
* Another villain based on a one-shot character from Blackadder (and although he hasn't appeared yet, the local king is basically Brian Blessed).
* Given my players the choice of one of the magic items from the old D&D cartoon (they wisely chose Presto's hat).
* The entire overarching plot is very loosely inspired by a Doctor Who story.

Yeah, I'm pathetically nerdy even by D&D player standards. Pity me.

[Starbuck_II]

Yeah, that scene like so much of the movie pulled at your heart strings. Though I think the saddest thing with the movie is what happened to the characters in the third film. What did they do to you Rockbiter? You were one of my favorite characters. Also, if the PCs ever enter a swamp I'm thinking of having a tombstone that reads "Artax".

Don't tell about third one I'm watching it tomorrow.

[Starscream]

Don't tell about third one I'm watching it tomorrow.

Then it's not too late! You can still be spared!

Run. Run as fast and as far as you can from that movie. It will not only be bad, it may retroactively ruin the first one for you. for the sake of your childhood memories, RUN!

[sonofzeal]

Don't tell about third one I'm watching it tomorrow.

Please. For the sake of all our childhoods, don't.

If you still feel the urge, read this instead.

[Starscream]

Please. For the sake of all our childhoods, don't.

If you still feel the urge, read this instead.

Or watch this. It's only 20 minutes long, and WAY less painful.

[sonofzeal]

Or watch this. It's only 20 minutes long, and WAY less painful.

Than watching the movie, yes. But it still exposes you to painfully high quantities of it. With the HeadInjuryTheatre review, at least you're only bearing witness to someone else's pain, not sharing it with them.

[Zaydos]

I quoted the description of Cthulhu from The Call of Cthulhu and named the creature R'lyeh... They didn't get it.

They'd already met the Duke of Arkham without blinking.

My next group was better about references, but I only mainly put them up with Tolkien and Lovecraft because when I mentioned Arioch and Tzeentch it just got blank stares.

[Narren]

I've grown up with all of my players and known most of them over 20 years. It's literally impossible for me to make a reference they won't get. They usually finish it before I'm even done.

[Dr.Epic]

Or watch this. It's only 20 minutes long, and WAY less painful.

Yeah, I never saw it, but this is how I knew about it. Neverending Story III makes Neverending Story II look like Neverending Story I. I'll just say this much to let you know what you're in for:

Spoiler

Show

Jack Black plays a high school bully that's the villain of the film. Yeap, you know how in the first film the antagonist was a vague meta-physical force that destroyed all stories and was original and interesting? Well this time the antagonist is the star of Kung Fu Panda...and he's supposed to be in high school.

[Cartigan]

I've seen the Neverending Story a couple times and I still don't get "Empress turning into a little girl." Try more obvious gaming references like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "Dead Ale Wives" or "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle."

[Xuincherguixe]

I tend not to worry about it myself. Though I also have a habit of making subtle jokes too. The smart players will pick up on them.

[Pentachoron]

Spoiler

Show

Jack Black plays a high school bully that's the villain of the film. Yeap, you know how in the first film the antagonist was a vague meta-physical force that destroyed all stories and was original and interesting? Well this time the antagonist is the star of Kung Fu Panda...and he's supposed to be in high school.

Now I HAVE to see it.

[Silus]

Not getting pop culture references does not bother me all that much. makes my job a bit easier as a DM. It's when people are not genre savvy enough that it starts to irk me.

Horror campaign:
1. Directly quote at least two Creepypasta stories.
2. Take major elements almost directly from the movie/story 1408
3. Shadows oozing from the walls like in Fable 3.
4. The hallway with the blood oozing from the ceiling from F.E.A.R.
5. The Carcosa Codex and directly quoting from The King in Yellow.
6. Mentions of Arkham and the Miskatonic University.
7. Mention of Herbert West.

All but two people got these references (out of 5 people). Those that got most of the references (minus the hallway, the Pasta and the shadows) were rightly scared. The other two were all "....huh?" and "I READ THE FLOATING BOOK WITH THE YELLOW SIGN ON THE FRONT!"

[Rankar]

I am far and away the most genre savvy of all my friends. Any time someone throws out a quote I either know it or have the movie/book/whatever on my list of things to become more savvy about.

If another GM throws out a reference, I might chuckle but I won't tell other people because it ruins the fun and means having to explain more than its worth because they still have a blank look on their faces.

Explaining stuff makes it less awesome. Its also a lot of fun to wake up later that night and have everything click together in your head "We were fighting Ironman and I didn't get it! Danget!"*





*This didn't actually happen to me, but it did happen to a player.

[Eldan]

At least the second movie had still elements from the book, even if it got them totally wrong. You'd think an evil witch with an army of insectoid digging robots couldn't be that hard to get right, but they managed it.

On the subject of Neverending story references: the PCs once had to secure the poison of an insect swarm with a hive mind, because it was a vital ingredient in a special teleport spell that got around magical barriers and allowed transport for practically endless distances.

Oh, and the Rockbiter? Totally not an Earth elemental. Either a Galeb Dhur or an old man of the mountain.

And I probably wouldn't get your references either. It's my favourite book, but I had it in German. "Childlike" doesn't click with me, really.

[sonofzeal]

A couple years ago, I was in a campaign trying to stop Yuan-Ti from reviving their dead god and conquering the world. We failed... meaning in the next campaign, there were Snakes on a [Material] Plane.

Now I HAVE to see it.

Don't. The Luck Dragon is downgraded from "mystical mentor" to "Scooby Do", the Rockbiter wears a wifebeater and rides around singing 60's rock, Bastian is played by the "Free Willie" kid, he never actually does anything in the course of the whole movie, there's not a single actor in common with the original, there's no continuity with the original, there's no connection with the book, they don't even use the awesome theme song, the plot doesn't make any sense even by the merit of kiddy fantasy movies, and Jack Black is the only guy in the entire movie who might actually be able to act... but his script is still as bad as everyone else's.

[Cartigan]

Not getting pop culture references does not bother me all that much. makes my job a bit easier as a DM. It's when people are not genre savvy enough that it starts to irk me.

Horror campaign:
1. Directly quote at least two Creepypasta stories.

I think I have heard of creepypasta before...

2. Take major elements almost directly from the movie/story 1408

Never heard of it.

3. Shadows oozing from the walls like in Fable 3.

Never played it.

4. The hallway with the blood oozing from the ceiling from F.E.A.R.

Never played it.

5. The Carcosa Codex and directly quoting from The King in Yellow.

Heard of it, never read it.

6. Mentions of Arkham and the Miskatonic University.

These are related to the Lovecraft universe, right?

7. Mention of Herbert West.

Who?


I would have gotten zero of these references and STILL would have read/touched/set fire to the Yellow Book. Horror game or not. Your references require playing specific sets of game and reading specific books and comics and then you get mad that not everyone has done all of that for those specific things?