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<blockquote data-quote="Stormonu" data-source="post: 7988762" data-attributes="member: 52734">The problem I often found myself in trouble with other games (Pendragon, Doctor Who) was combat.&nbsp; D&amp;D expects a very heroic level of action where you're supposed to jump in with both feet at every opportunity and come out alive and only slightly scuffed.Games where combat is more gritty or isn't the focus - lingering wounds, opponents that can't be overcome by clubbing them with weapons or spells, intrigue-based games - require some initial telegraphing how the players should respond to threats.If its expected that the system is going to have a different feel, I agree with the posters above in performing an introductory episode where they players can learn both how things work and participate in the activity. If combat in the game is deadly and the players should avoid it or is going to be significantly different?&nbsp; Run a combat of player-run NPC &quot;mooks&quot;/town guard against a bog-standard opponent and let the players learn how combat works while getting hammered.&nbsp; The player's regular characters can stumble onto the aftermath once the enemy has moved on. (examples: players play a criminal group divvying up the loot when the town guard or a rival gang busts in;&nbsp; marauders ambush the locals and the local militia needs to drive them off;&nbsp; A monster makes mince-meat of those who got in its way/summoned it).You can do similar things with other aspects of the game.&nbsp; If it is going to introduce mechanics or a style of play different than what the players are used to, set that up as a session 0 encounter and walk the players through it.&nbsp; It helps set expectations, sets the mood and lets players see the new mechanics in action.&nbsp; It's usually far better than leaving players to do a dry read-through to puzzle out information they'll need to know.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Stormonu, post: 7988762, member: 52734"] The problem I often found myself in trouble with other games (Pendragon, Doctor Who) was combat. D&D expects a very heroic level of action where you're supposed to jump in with both feet at every opportunity and come out alive and only slightly scuffed. Games where combat is more gritty or isn't the focus - lingering wounds, opponents that can't be overcome by clubbing them with weapons or spells, intrigue-based games - require some initial telegraphing how the players should respond to threats. If its expected that the system is going to have a different feel, I agree with the posters above in performing an introductory episode where they players can learn both how things work and participate in the activity. If combat in the game is deadly and the players should avoid it or is going to be significantly different? Run a combat of player-run NPC "mooks"/town guard against a bog-standard opponent and let the players learn how combat works while getting hammered. The player's regular characters can stumble onto the aftermath once the enemy has moved on. (examples: players play a criminal group divvying up the loot when the town guard or a rival gang busts in; marauders ambush the locals and the local militia needs to drive them off; A monster makes mince-meat of those who got in its way/summoned it). You can do similar things with other aspects of the game. If it is going to introduce mechanics or a style of play different than what the players are used to, set that up as a session 0 encounter and walk the players through it. It helps set expectations, sets the mood and lets players see the new mechanics in action. It's usually far better than leaving players to do a dry read-through to puzzle out information they'll need to know. [/QUOTE]

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