Back when A Penny For My Thoughts was new, I played it A LOT. Every game I was in was really dark, with lots of personal trauma and hard choices. I was kinda down on the game, because it was so tuned to produce bummer scenarios.

A friend of mine played it a few times without me, and reported back all sorts of broad comedy and joyful outcomes.

Clearly, then, the problem was me. I was taking a potentially neutral emotional experience and making it into a dying in cold water game.

I’ve had similar experiences with Fiasco. Depending on the table, I’ve seen the same playset go from broad comedy to torture-porn. I find the latter is far more likely with experienced tabletop players than with people who are newer to the hobby, speaking broadly and generally.

I guess that implies (though it far from proves) that there’s a cultural issue, too, a feedback loop where something triggers us into a grimdark space, and then we make games that explore that space, which socializes us to expect (prefer?) that space.