Rhenny
Adventurer
A few other observations about playing with new players too:
I absolutely loved the students in my class that allowed themselves to become immersed in the scenarios that I unfolded. Many of them were un-jaded by rules and preconceptions so they saw the game much more as an exercise in guided imagery and interactive story telling than trying to "play the game and use the rules." I think this is because I asked them to focus on character and on the narrative portions of their character sheets rather than focusing on rules, and I explained rules only when they were necessary. Rolling the dice for them also made the game move much faster and I think it allowed them to focus more on what they were going to do rather than how the mechanics of the game work.
I realized (maybe re-realized) that this is the type of game I like to DM and play in most, a game that pushes the rules to the background so that decision making, problem solving, narration and immersion in the dynamic imagery of the situation takes the forefront. 5e is really good at this type of game.
With the classes and groups that could immerse themselves more, I found it much easier to improvise and delight them. At one moment in one of the games, one of the PCs used the pick to uncover a hidden shelf in the mine. When she found a potion vial in the shelf, she did not let the wizard inspect it. She just took a sip immediately. I felt as if I wanted to shock and amaze the group so I asked her to quickly free associate the first thing that came into her mind when I said the word "Animal". She blurted out, "cat," so I had the magic of the potion turn her into a cat. The bottle fell to the ground and started to spill out. Another PC next to her said she wanted to grab the bottle and drink some too. I rolled a dexterity check for her to see if she could reach it before the contents all leaked out, but unfortunately, she was not quick enough and she watched the liquid spill out onto the rocky, earthy ground and seep into the dirt.
Unscripted moments like those were when I felt most energized, and the class was also rapt in attention.
That day, the PC turned into a cat was an Elf Ranger, and two other members of her in-class group were out that day so she was playing the PC all by herself. When she turned into a cat, she didn't get upset. She just went with it and bounded ahead of the group chasing after the party barbarian to try to find a way out of the cave.
It was magical.
I absolutely loved the students in my class that allowed themselves to become immersed in the scenarios that I unfolded. Many of them were un-jaded by rules and preconceptions so they saw the game much more as an exercise in guided imagery and interactive story telling than trying to "play the game and use the rules." I think this is because I asked them to focus on character and on the narrative portions of their character sheets rather than focusing on rules, and I explained rules only when they were necessary. Rolling the dice for them also made the game move much faster and I think it allowed them to focus more on what they were going to do rather than how the mechanics of the game work.
I realized (maybe re-realized) that this is the type of game I like to DM and play in most, a game that pushes the rules to the background so that decision making, problem solving, narration and immersion in the dynamic imagery of the situation takes the forefront. 5e is really good at this type of game.
With the classes and groups that could immerse themselves more, I found it much easier to improvise and delight them. At one moment in one of the games, one of the PCs used the pick to uncover a hidden shelf in the mine. When she found a potion vial in the shelf, she did not let the wizard inspect it. She just took a sip immediately. I felt as if I wanted to shock and amaze the group so I asked her to quickly free associate the first thing that came into her mind when I said the word "Animal". She blurted out, "cat," so I had the magic of the potion turn her into a cat. The bottle fell to the ground and started to spill out. Another PC next to her said she wanted to grab the bottle and drink some too. I rolled a dexterity check for her to see if she could reach it before the contents all leaked out, but unfortunately, she was not quick enough and she watched the liquid spill out onto the rocky, earthy ground and seep into the dirt.
Unscripted moments like those were when I felt most energized, and the class was also rapt in attention.
That day, the PC turned into a cat was an Elf Ranger, and two other members of her in-class group were out that day so she was playing the PC all by herself. When she turned into a cat, she didn't get upset. She just went with it and bounded ahead of the group chasing after the party barbarian to try to find a way out of the cave.
It was magical.
