Die #7 - "Wisdom Check"

[laughing_tree]

Are you aware of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace? Cult 00s British comedy about a writer's 1980s hospital-set horror show, framed with 00s-period talking heads. Coiner of memorable phrases such as "I've met writers who use subtext and they're all cowards." Also, too close to home for almost everyone I know in this biz. We're all one bad day away from being Garth Marenghi. Chuck had his bad days a long time ago, and he's lost in his personal Darkplace. -- Kieron Gillen

Comments

[icon_uk]

I remember "Garth Marenght's Darkplace", a breakout role for Richard Ayoade IIRC (though as his character was acted atrociously and he's gone on record that it wasn't acting, he really was that uncomfortable in front of the camera, I'm never quite sure why).

I wanted to like it more than I did because, aside from the aforementioned one-liners ("I'm one of the few people you'll meet who's written more books than they've read" or "You know, my books are all essentially about "What ifs?". In Black Fang, I asked 'What if.. a rat could drive a bus?'") it didn't work as a spoof for me because even bad TV of the era tended to have some heart in it, actors performing their little socks off with conviction, and no one in GMD had that, it was bad, but it wasn't "so bad it was good" it was "So bad it was REALLY bad". Though maybe I didn't watch enough bad 80's TV in the day (HAH!) to be able to judge. (Though it gets some points for the character who managed the impressive acting feat of being the only badly dubbed and lip-synched one on screen no matter how many other people were with him.)

As for this, I think I can see what it's going for but "Shallow person is shallow, but hopes to get away with it by admitting he's shallow thus hopefully encouraging others to think he isn't" isn't exactly new is it? He's just doing it with elves.

[bazor]

I like this better than Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame series, though. Its more layered and there's more than one main character, unlike those novels where everyone serves as background chatter to the lead. Also, this world, the powers and classes, are more rich. And the deities seem like more than the paper cut-outs in Rosenberg's books.

[shakalooloo]

At the end of the day, all RPG PCs are sociopaths, knowing that only they are real people and acting as if they sympathise with the NPCs around them.

[doodleboy]

Die is the best Isekai because it acknowledges that Isekai protagonists are colonial shits.

Chuck's the worst offender, but it's all the Die protagonists to varying degrees, they did just wipe out a city.

The only thing that seems off about Chuck is that the idea of learning/empathy seems to actively make him angry. And his powers rely on him treating it like a game. The Fool's powers are kind of a game-mechanic version of being the protagonist. Of course Luke is going to make that ridiculous shot and blow up the Death Star, Luke's the hero. Of course the other Rogue Squadron shooters will fail and die, they're the NPC's who don't matter.