Spelljammer Space Clowns Are A Thing In Spelljammer

WotC's Chris Perkins discusses Spelljammer's space clowns in a new video.

 

[darjr]

Circuses don't suck and in Canada we still have circuses.

We have them here. But we ‘elect’ our clowns.

 

[vecna00]

We have them here. But we ‘elect’ our clowns.

Truth. Also:

 

[Nightfly]

Thanks, this thread wasn't disturbing/terrifying enough

 

[Parmandur]

Sounds like someone who never raised toddlers...

It's darned hard to stop it from happening, though wrestling seems more usual.

 

[Parmandur]

I used to fear coming home from work when they got just that right size... "Daddy, you're home!"

That's my life right now...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I know. And many more people became familiar with Pennywise when the tv movie came out in the early 90s. I still don't think the "clowns are scary" thing was as big back then as it is now.

The Joker was invented in 1940.

Stephen King was tapping into existing fears, not inviting things out of thin air.

 

[Cergorach]

There are no clowns in Spelljammer.

And you can't convince me otherwise! ;-)

 

[Voadam]

There are no clowns in Spelljammer.

And you can't convince me otherwise! ;-)

I don't believe in spooks. I don't believe in spooks. I don't believe in spooks.

 

[Dire Bare]

We have them here. But we ‘elect’ our clowns.

@darjr wins the thread!

 

[Dire Bare]

Coulrophobia isn't, as I understand it, terribly generation-specific.

Some time ago, I was in a live-action game running at a convention, and the game was set at a circus. Three of us were cast as circus clowns, and we'd all gone all in on the costume and makeup. I, personally, did a variation on Emmet Kelley Jr. He was the archetypal "sad hobo clown" variety - not specifically scary looking.

All the players showed up a bit early, while the GMs were still setting up, so we players, having to wait, decided to do the "circus has come to town parade" thing, clowns (and me, specifically, as I was playing the head clown) in the lead. And we marched through the spacious con suite, because it was big enough to do that and we could so off costuming to all the folks there, and all.

One poor woman I didn't know was making herself a sandwich, turned and looked at me (doing my goofy clown marching thing) screamed at the top of her lungs, and dove under the table. She was severely clown-phobic, and close-up-surprise-clown set her right off the scale.

I felt horrible. Of course, I couldn't even apologize or help with her panic, because I was still in makeup and costume - looking at me was the last thing she needed. I had to slink back to game-space and hide there until game start.

I was lucky, in that, with the makeup, she had no idea who played the clown who freaked her out - so later, when I actually got to know her, she didn't hold it against me.

Did you ever come clean with that woman?

"Hey, there's been something I've been meaning to confess to you about when we met at the convention years ago . . . ."