Lore experts needed-Explain the clown phenomenon

[Jozsefirst]

Pls

[FourGreenFields]

Don't need an expert for that, it's pretty well-known.

A failed attempt at boosting morale and dealing with mental issues suffered by submariners. Then again... was it really a failure? *HONK*

[Seanie]

Honk Honk. Praise the Honkmother.

[Zothen]

Lore? Its just Goon-trash swept into SS13 and adopted into BT.

[Jozsefirst]

It thought it had far more sinister origins burried benath the surface, maybe something like the Harlequins in 40k

[QuantumFerret]

Much of the game was influenced by the dev's love for SS13. Clowns are another tribute to that fact.

[Greb]

Search up "SS13 Clown" in whatever search engine you use and click on the first few links, and prepare for some reading and sensible chuckles.

In regards to Barotrauma, it was inspired in part from SS13 (Space Station 13) and the Clown was brought over from that. Hated by everyone and completely unstoppable, you never knew if the Clown was just a dumbass newbie who is going to spend the entire round drinking all the stuff out of of vending machines and microwaving donk pockets, or if they're a veteran who could take over the entire station using nothing but a banana peel and rainbow crayons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9whQIbNmu9s

[Dbat]

Originally posted by Jozsefirst:

It thought it had far more sinister origins burried benath the surface, maybe something like the Harlequins in 40k

Nope. Clown go honk

[RollClassic]

Clown was originally a punishment role for players in SS13 who had been banned from all other jobs, along with Janitor.

Originally, clown was clumsy (hence the tier 3 assistant talent that adds clown clumsiness) and would randomly fall down while running. They also couldn't use weapons, which would either hit themselves or explode in their hands.

The job got memed to a point of absurdity by the playerbase, people would play clown just to be a menace instead of as a punishment. Clown virus was also implemented in SS13 after viruses were added, which would slowly transform you into a clown. Clown planet became a thing, basically clowns just became something more than they were originally intended to and are now their own sub culture in SS13.

This has partially carried over to Barotrauma, where you have clown powers like being immune to pressure and honking to repair things.

Personally, I preferred the mime. The silent hero.

[Fosty]

Clowns.. are.. funny

[Austism]

I've always liked clowns when they were just clowns. Now they can do 90% of the healing and repairs required with nothing but a "magic honk". I hate it. They NEED to remove those abilities as everyone might as well play Assistant now. The clown tree is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ broken and everyone else has basically become craftsmen for unique items while the assistant is the one who is best at kills, repairs, heals, etc.. all the immediate fun stuff. The only reason I have to use medicine now is for things honking can't heal like husk, and anyone can just stab a needle, no skill needed. SO NOW I AM USELESS AS DOCTOR. I hate it. Fix the clown.

[Útost Alronbem]

Official Clowns lore in a nutshell, in-game:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2665085095
Not much of a spoiler since you can get this dialogue at the very beginning of the game.

[Greb]

I just kinda prefer the Clown as a symbol and a legend, you never know who was behind the mask, could be a veteran player or a complete newbie, or something in between, a kind of dumbass jackass. The legend of the Clown was built by their antics, and everyone who stepped into those squeaky shoes contributed in some way or another.

Kinda bothers me they're being elevated to nigh godhood though, that takes away a lot of the magic really, if you know what I mean. Now they're established as being good, instead of just being potentially good, or something, and that's boring. Kind of defeats the purpose a little bit, I dunno.

Clowns were like a box of chocolates, only now the box only contains the same chocolate. Food analogy, I know...but yeah.

[Majestic Blue Falcon]

All clowns are bad and should be tossed out of the nearest airlock. They're a waste of talent points at best and a source of constant irritation at worst.