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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lonely Tylenol" data-source="post: 4031059" data-attributes="member: 18549">Well, if the PC abilities come with the same short descriptions as the monster statblock abilities, they can probably bypass a lot of problems.  You don't need to know all the rules.  You just need to know enough to run your character, and if a brief description of each ability appears on the character sheet, the DM can probably sidestep any follow-up questions, ad-libbing where necessary to smooth over stuff they're not allowed to reveal.The thing is, there's probably a Basic Set-like adventure with pregen characters and a short write-up that tells you everything you need to know to get through the session, and nothing more.  It'll be railroady, but it's a demo.I do something similar when I run con games in D20 Modern or with non-core D&D characters.  I put down one-sentence descriptions of powers, so that each player can quickly look over his sheet and learn what he can do before we start.  I also take extraneous information out of the character sheet, like what the breakdown of skill bonuses is.  It removes complexity so that the game can be played smoothly in the alloted time.  My pregen characters look like the ones in the back of the Pathfinder adventures, although I also provide item cards to tell people what their magic items do, how often they can use them, etc.</blockquote>