D&D 4E Preparing my first D&D4E session

[Pabloj]

Greetings! I don´t know if there is any thread with the same topic. If so, please feel free to direct me there and close this one (this forum needs search tool )


I finally got my books this weekend (I´m in Uruguay, South America), so the time has come: I´m preparing my group´s first D&D 4e adventure. They have all played 3.x and some of them started playing back with AD&D. They are all pretty open minded and have quite an optimistic view on 4e, so I won’t have to worry about game trolling or something like that.


I have some questions and doubts. Maybe you can help me out:


[FONT=&quot][/FONT] What adventure should I run?


I really want to have a one session adventure that presents all the new cool stuff about 4E: tactical combat that includes different kinds of monsters (solos, skirmishers, minions) and preferably in different environments that present a challenge in themselves. I would also like to present the skill challenge rules, especially something like the sample negotiation in the books. It would also be cool if I get a chance to show Rituals and how they work. Bottom line: I want a really good overview on what´s new and shiny about 4E. Can I go with the GameDay 2008 adventure (haven´t read it yet), the KotSF (haven´t read it yet; can it be run in a single session?) or should I prepare my own adventure?

What about characters?


I was going to premake the characters as to speed up thing and get into playing right away. Also, most of my group doesn´t understand English, so I would have to translate lots of things.


I was wondering if creating the chars above level 1. I mean, making them level 2 to have a utility power or level 3 or 4 to have even more power´s options (and allowing me to create some multiclass concepts I know my players like). What do you think?

Gaming Aids?


Are there any cheat sheets or gaming aids that I can use to help me and my group? Maybe a summary of combat or any other gaming aids? (If they are in Spanish, that would be even better). If not, what sort of gaming aid should I prepare before hand? I found this nice combat crib sheet, so I guess there might be other cool resources out there: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=228749&page=1


Thanks for your answers!


Pablo

 

[Danceofmasks]

1) There aren't many options for adventures as yet, and nothing stands out so far as single session intros go.
If I have to make a suggestion, I'd go with kobold hall (in the DMG), since you already have it.

2) The characters already have at-wills, utility, encounter, and daily at level 1. Depending on how adaptable your players are, higher level is fine, but to showcase mechanics, 1st level is ok.
I like 5th level 'cos there's an extra option of each type of power, as well as having (or expecting to having) magical equipment that works well for the character.

3) Battlegrid and miniatures is a must. Well, not exactly a must, but it's what makes 4th edition cool. I'm a great fan of a pane of glass over a table. Very easy to slide the map (pre-drawn or whatever) underneath it, and whiteboard markers can be used on it.
Also, especially if the players don't have PHBs they can understand, you might want to print out spanish versions of their powers for them. Power cards are nice to have .. turning them over when used is much easier than flipping through a book.

 

[ebertran]

I started with the small adventure in the dungeon master's book... the Kobold Hall... from there, on to Keep on the Shadowfell....

There are a bunch of utilites out there... type "D&D 4th edition utilities" in google.. you'll see...



I use a combat tracker I had lying around from 3.5, I use power cards I found here, a crib combat sheet I found somewhere as well, and condition cards at dnd4.com

Do a search, you'll find stuff.

Una pregunta... sos de Nacional o Peñarol?

 

[logopolis]

Pabloj, I'm also setting up a 4E playtest for some friends. Most of the players are 3E veterans, so I'm mostly concerned with showing how 4E is different from 3E.

1) I flipped through some of the published adventures at my local gaming shop, but none of them seemed suitable. I'm writing my own adventure starting the DMG sample town that contains a few fights, some skill challenges (some diplomacy and some wilderness stuff) and few traps and puzzles to show off the new mechanics.

2) I'd suggest starting at level 1. From what I've read, a 1st level character in 4E has HP and powers comparable to a 4th-5th level character in 3E. I find it's best not to over-complicate the first game.

3) I like Danceofmasks' idea for adventure resources. For a combat map, I use a pad of 1-inch grid ledger paper that I can draw on. I don't have many miniatures, so I save those for the PCs and I use cardboard squares for monsters.

 

[Pabloj]

Thanks for the quick answers!

I havenpt realised there is a sample encounter in the GMG (im still going through the PHB). I´ll check it out.

ebertran, soy de Nacional. Sos uruguayo?

As for char level, 1 seems a bit low because not having utility powers, but lvl 5 seems a bit too much for a presentation adventure.

I game GameDay2008 adventure and map, maybe I can adapt it.

 

[Khime]

There are a bunch of utilites out there... type "D&D 4th edition utilities" in google.. you'll see...

Ironically, if you google for "D&D 4th edition utilities" and include the quotes around the phrase, the only match is this thread.