Comedy

Unless your game was forged in the withered heart of an ice troll, moments of comedy should be cherished.  Comedy are those moments in a game, where the weight of purpose falls away, allows the players to float above their wounds, their sorrows, and usually laugh harder than they would in real life. 

Why is comedy important? 

Comedy allows to  temporarily mask the game in the ridiculous, a different form of heightened reality.  It can arise in many forms.  Players will often utilize comedy to roleplay themselves out of tense moments, or to add a sparkle of awkward to a vigorous combat.  These occurrences lighten the mood, and laughter is the surest sign that someone is experiencing happiness. 

A quote book:
Every game should have a quote book.  This is an archive of every humorous thing someone  has said, including the GM.  Allow anyone to be able to say, "That's going in the quote book!" 

Here are some of my own examples.

"She's is my girlfriend, she just doesn't know she's my girlfriend!" Said by a player whose former lover had amnesia.

"Don't talk to me like I'm  five years old, I control reality!"  Said by...me.

"We have to go down deeper into the deep deepness."  Said during an exploration of the underdark.

"Baseballbat, baseballbat, deagle, deagle, great sword, shotgun, grenade, knife....etc."  One of my players in a vampire larp describing his gear every time anyone new came into game.   

"Bankers don't dodge well."  Said by a ventrue vampire character after being targeted by a swarm of shadow tendrils. 

"I eat the poop."  Said by a player who played just the most awful rancid goblin you  ever laid eyes on.  Gods bless his foul mouth.  

These are the moments we remember.  Sometimes we don't even remember the tense moments, but we always remember the comedy.  So you may know that comedy cannot be forced, or it won't work.  But you  can increase its likelihood with a  few techniques.

Accents- Accents are an incredible way to get yourself into a character.  I know what you're saying, "I can't do accents."  Everyone can do accents, with varying degrees of skill.  The best way to work on accents is to listen to them.  Watch lord of the rings, pick out distinct dialects to mimic.  Practice, practice, practice, even if its bad.  Hyperbole the accent to its worst form and have fun!  Also, there are many helpful youtube videos out there around accent work, if that is your bag.

Physical comedy-  Physical comedy is the art of falling down, into, or through something.    You can help this happen by changing the physical locations of the game.  Have the players play somewhere muddy, or have them suddenly have to scale buildings up to a rooftop chase.  Force them through livestock pens after being doused in adhesive, and see what happens.  Have them run through residential areas in pursuit, and describe just the weird things they come across.  Force them to stop by sheer ridiculousness to see a man in a rubber chicken suit eating icecream while watching jeopardy.  Have them interrupt a baron's naughty encounter, that'll start some comedy. 

Drugs and alchohol- NO, I'm not saying do a ton of drugs and drink like George Orwell.  I'm saying your characters can.  Players roleplaying drunk is some of the best memories I have had gaming.  It also helps shy players get out of their shells as their inhibitions go down in game (weird, I know).  Gassing the pc's with hallucinogens is also a great idea.  See who rises to the occasion.  Above all things, don't use comedy as a punishment though.  Allow your players to choose to roleplay.  Make sure that none of your players have strong anti-drug and alcohol sentiments as well.  Make sure to practice safe roleplaying, or you'll get space crabs.

Crazy NPC's- This is another good way of getting your players into a state of comedy.  If they have to chase a crazy alchemist cause he is trying to cure everyone of  foot warts and he's riding through town on a flaming carriage singing while he lobs alchemical elixirs at people that forces everyone also to sing their feelings, you're on the right track. 

These are some techniques to lighten the mood of your game.  Of course as in all things there are a million more.  Please don't hesitate to comment if you think of one that you love.