I've seen a fair bit of discussion around the character Thaco the Clown, from the adventure book Wild Beyond the Witchlight. Some people have some pretty strong opinions on him. You've likely noticed. We don't need to talk about them again. But what are those opinions based on, exactly? Let's find out.
Note: If you don't want to know about Thaco the Clown... You've come to the wrong place. I've edited out any potential spoilers, but the amount of information might itself be considered a spoiler, so be warned. Here is the entirety of what's written about Thaco the Clown. (Mods, please let me know if I've cited too much text.)
- an aging clown with a painted grin. He puffs on a bubble pipe and glares at you[.] - over-the-hill carnival attraction. - “a clown of few words but many talents.” Thaco [makes balloon animals.] - ["]stay away from Thaco—he’s untrustworthy.” - The [...] area [...] is guarded by Thaco the clown[.] - Burly and Thaco dislike each other, so they don’t fraternize while on guard duty. - Thaco is the longest-serving Witchlight hand[.] - no one really knows his history and scarcely any dare to ask[.] - he almost never speaks and harbors a malicious streak[.] - He paints his face with a grin and puffs on a bubble pipe. - Thaco has retired from performing and no longer stages his knife-throwing act due to an unfortunate incident that took place in the Big Top some time ago.
And here's his roleplaying notes (bonds, flaws, ideals). Spoilered just in case.
Personality Trait. “I prefer not to talk. When I must, I say as little as possible.” Ideal. “Everyone should mind their own business.” Bond. “My bubble pipe—if anyone touches it, they lose a finger.” Flaw. “I can’t stand children. They’re like roaches.”
And there you have it! That's everything the book has to say about Thaco the Clown. I like him. He's here representing the still-dangerous side of the otherwise pretty whimsical opening chapter. I think it's smart that he has a strong opinion about children, since it's somewhat suggested in the intro that one or more players might play child characters. He plays the role of a guard in this story, basically being here to break up trouble. I think that typically, such a character wouldn't get his own roleplaying notes, and it's a credit to the adventure that he does.
That's all I've got! Please be kind in the comments. And please vote in the poll about why you think this character's name is Thaco. I'm curious what people think.
I assume the idea is that he's from a prior edition of the show, just like Thac0 is from a prior edition of the game, but I doubt anyone gave it super deep thought.
I assume the idea is that he's from a prior edition of the show, just like Thac0 is from a prior edition of the game, but I doubt anyone gave it super deep thought.
That was my thinking too, until I considered his role as hired muscle. I think it can be both, though I vaguely wonder what the intention was.
You have already put more thought into this than it needed. It's just a gag. It's not that deep
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
You have already put more thought into this than it needed. It's just a gag. It's not that deep
I don't think that's fair. Thinking about the things we consume is a good habit to get into. It serves to enrich our experience with the material, to help us understand the craft, and to steer us away from uninformed, reactionary opinions.
Speaking only for myself, I didn't buy this book when it came out, so my only source of info about this character until recently was a game of telephone, originating from some unidentified content creator or other who predictably trotted out an outrage-provoking opinion for clicks. My cursory research revealed a few YouTubers all publishing outrage takes about 6 months ago (right when the book came out), with all of their channels being targeted at old-school gamers. These hot takes, with their accompanying paraphrases ("aging clown" -> "sad old clown," "hates children" -> "hates anything new," "guards an area at the carnival" -> "gatekeeper," etc), became the common knowledge upon which the conversation was being built. And how can one really think "sad old gatekeeping clown who hates everything new and is named after old-school gaming" *isn't* a targeted attack?
This thread is mostly meant as a checkpoint, for if you find yourself in the midst of a "Thaco conversation" that is built on that game of telephone. I won't tell you what to think, I just want you to have the facts.
You have already put more thought into this than it needed. It's just a gag. It's not that deep
I don't think that's fair. Thinking about the things we consume is a good habit to get into. It serves to enrich our experience with the material, to help us understand the craft, and to steer us away from uninformed, reactionary opinions.
Speaking only for myself, I didn't buy this book when it came out, so my only source of info about this character until recently was a game of telephone, originating from some unidentified content creator or other who predictably trotted out an outrage-provoking opinion for clicks. My cursory research revealed a few YouTubers all publishing outrage takes about 6 months ago (right when the book came out), with all of their channels being targeted at old-school gamers. These hot takes, with their accompanying paraphrases ("aging clown" -> "sad old clown," "hates children" -> "hates anything new," "guards an area at the carnival" -> "gatekeeper," etc), became the common knowledge upon which the conversation was being built. And how can one really think "sad old gatekeeping clown who hates everything new and is named after old-school gaming" *isn't* a targeted attack?
This thread is mostly meant as a checkpoint, for if you find yourself in the midst of a "Thaco conversation" that is built on that game of telephone. I won't tell you what to think, I just want you to have the facts.
Well, I would suggest you've also paid more attention to those "outrage-provoking" click-baity YouTube videos than they deserve, too
It's actually pretty easy to dismiss it as a targeted attack against old-school gamers when you consider the source of those accusations
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
You have already put more thought into this than it needed. It's just a gag. It's not that deep
I don't think that's fair. Thinking about the things we consume is a good habit to get into. It serves to enrich our experience with the material, to help us understand the craft, and to steer us away from uninformed, reactionary opinions.
Speaking only for myself, I didn't buy this book when it came out, so my only source of info about this character until recently was a game of telephone, originating from some unidentified content creator or other who predictably trotted out an outrage-provoking opinion for clicks. My cursory research revealed a few YouTubers all publishing outrage takes about 6 months ago (right when the book came out), with all of their channels being targeted at old-school gamers. These hot takes, with their accompanying paraphrases ("aging clown" -> "sad old clown," "hates children" -> "hates anything new," "guards an area at the carnival" -> "gatekeeper," etc), became the common knowledge upon which the conversation was being built. And how can one really think "sad old gatekeeping clown who hates everything new and is named after old-school gaming" *isn't* a targeted attack?
This thread is mostly meant as a checkpoint, for if you find yourself in the midst of a "Thaco conversation" that is built on that game of telephone. I won't tell you what to think, I just want you to have the facts.
Well, I would suggest you've also paid more attention to those "outrage-provoking" click-baity YouTube videos than they deserve, too
It's actually pretty easy to dismiss it as a targeted attack against old-school gamers when you consider the source of those accusations
I only watched part of the oldest one I could find. (Which, amusingly, was a month before the others and wasn't angry about Thaco.) I was trying to trace the origin of the game of telephone. What surprised me is that none of the channels were ones I had heard of before, and I thought I was in the loop when it came to old-school content creators. Shows what I know!
There is nothing inherrently wrong with being educated or engaged. I might suggest caution around emotionally charged and inflamatory information that might have been produced with the intent of illiciting a reaction.
I could fit into the category of people that feel like they might have been victimized by the inclusion of an NPC, that upon closer scrutiny, might bear some similarities to them. But I'm not, in the least bit offended by looking into that mirror and realising that it does not reflect my attitude towards "how this game should be played" or the gaming culture in general. I might suggest that those that don't like that reflection could take a clue from their own reaction to the factual, core information and rely less on others telling them how they should feel about it.
If spend your day looking for your car keys, you're bound to either find them, or have a new set made. We find what we want to find, or we make it up so that we have the thing we need to suit our purpose. I might suggest that the same principle is at work here.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
There is nothing inherrently wrong with being educated or engaged. I might suggest caution around emotionally charged and inflamatory information that might have been produced with the intent of illiciting a reaction.
Well said. Or, in the parlance of the times, I can't believe you just obliterated the earth with such a savage and brutal response. ;)
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I've seen a fair bit of discussion around the character Thaco the Clown, from the adventure book Wild Beyond the Witchlight. Some people have some pretty strong opinions on him. You've likely noticed. We don't need to talk about them again. But what are those opinions based on, exactly? Let's find out.
Note: If you don't want to know about Thaco the Clown... You've come to the wrong place. I've edited out any potential spoilers, but the amount of information might itself be considered a spoiler, so be warned. Here is the entirety of what's written about Thaco the Clown. (Mods, please let me know if I've cited too much text.)
And here's his roleplaying notes (bonds, flaws, ideals). Spoilered just in case.
And there you have it! That's everything the book has to say about Thaco the Clown. I like him. He's here representing the still-dangerous side of the otherwise pretty whimsical opening chapter. I think it's smart that he has a strong opinion about children, since it's somewhat suggested in the intro that one or more players might play child characters. He plays the role of a guard in this story, basically being here to break up trouble. I think that typically, such a character wouldn't get his own roleplaying notes, and it's a credit to the adventure that he does.
That's all I've got! Please be kind in the comments. And please vote in the poll about why you think this character's name is Thaco. I'm curious what people think.
I assume the idea is that he's from a prior edition of the show, just like Thac0 is from a prior edition of the game, but I doubt anyone gave it super deep thought.
Thaco: To hit. To 'it. It. He's Stephen King's It.
That was my thinking too, until I considered his role as hired muscle. I think it can be both, though I vaguely wonder what the intention was.
We all have a 30ft flying speed here, Georgie...
You have already put more thought into this than it needed. It's just a gag. It's not that deep
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I don't think that's fair. Thinking about the things we consume is a good habit to get into. It serves to enrich our experience with the material, to help us understand the craft, and to steer us away from uninformed, reactionary opinions.
Speaking only for myself, I didn't buy this book when it came out, so my only source of info about this character until recently was a game of telephone, originating from some unidentified content creator or other who predictably trotted out an outrage-provoking opinion for clicks. My cursory research revealed a few YouTubers all publishing outrage takes about 6 months ago (right when the book came out), with all of their channels being targeted at old-school gamers. These hot takes, with their accompanying paraphrases ("aging clown" -> "sad old clown," "hates children" -> "hates anything new," "guards an area at the carnival" -> "gatekeeper," etc), became the common knowledge upon which the conversation was being built. And how can one really think "sad old gatekeeping clown who hates everything new and is named after old-school gaming" *isn't* a targeted attack?
This thread is mostly meant as a checkpoint, for if you find yourself in the midst of a "Thaco conversation" that is built on that game of telephone. I won't tell you what to think, I just want you to have the facts.
Well, I would suggest you've also paid more attention to those "outrage-provoking" click-baity YouTube videos than they deserve, too
It's actually pretty easy to dismiss it as a targeted attack against old-school gamers when you consider the source of those accusations
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I only watched part of the oldest one I could find. (Which, amusingly, was a month before the others and wasn't angry about Thaco.) I was trying to trace the origin of the game of telephone. What surprised me is that none of the channels were ones I had heard of before, and I thought I was in the loop when it came to old-school content creators. Shows what I know!
There is nothing inherrently wrong with being educated or engaged. I might suggest caution around emotionally charged and inflamatory information that might have been produced with the intent of illiciting a reaction.
I could fit into the category of people that feel like they might have been victimized by the inclusion of an NPC, that upon closer scrutiny, might bear some similarities to them. But I'm not, in the least bit offended by looking into that mirror and realising that it does not reflect my attitude towards "how this game should be played" or the gaming culture in general. I might suggest that those that don't like that reflection could take a clue from their own reaction to the factual, core information and rely less on others telling them how they should feel about it.
If spend your day looking for your car keys, you're bound to either find them, or have a new set made. We find what we want to find, or we make it up so that we have the thing we need to suit our purpose. I might suggest that the same principle is at work here.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
Well said. Or, in the parlance of the times, I can't believe you just obliterated the earth with such a savage and brutal response. ;)