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<blockquote data-quote="wedgeski" data-source="post: 4975250" data-attributes="member: 16212">I have introduced a brand new table-top RPG'er to 4E. She came from nothing more than a WoW background, and really got to grips with the game very quickly.We did character generation off-table around a take-away one night, with the books open in front of us, which I would suggest is much more preferable to using the Character Builder. That was a fun night, and enabled us to talk about the game in general, what Powers were, how they worked, what the game looked like, and what she should expect at the table. We barely touched on roleplaying. As far as I'm concerned that either comes naturally, by watching everyone else, or it doesn't.I don't recommend starting with the &quot;give me your concept and I'll make your character&quot; angle, either. Character gen is a convenient way of introducing all the core concepts of the game, and the player is probably going to want as much ownership over those stats as anyone else.The critical requirement for the DM of a new player is to ensure that the spotlight is never on them for longer than they want it. Do *not*, like I have seen some DM's do, think you have to be &quot;cruel to be kind&quot; and drop some heavy conversational roleplaying on them in their first session. The result in all but the most exceptional cases will be a train-wreck.New players are going to be very impressionable during those first sessions, so make the game as easy as possible for them. Missed on a Daily? Nah, let's say you hit, just this once. Don't know which Power to use? Just pick the one that sounds the coolest. Oof! Took a beating there, luckily it wasn't enough to take you out of the fight (DM hastily changes crit to non-crit).Treat the first two session of any new gamer's table-top experience like the first hour of a CRPG. It's all on-screen hints, constrained options, bad guys that fall over as soon as you set eyes on them, and NPC's more than willing to help.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="wedgeski, post: 4975250, member: 16212"] I have introduced a brand new table-top RPG'er to 4E. She came from nothing more than a WoW background, and really got to grips with the game very quickly. We did character generation off-table around a take-away one night, with the books open in front of us, which I would suggest is much more preferable to using the Character Builder. That was a fun night, and enabled us to talk about the game in general, what Powers were, how they worked, what the game looked like, and what she should expect at the table. We barely touched on roleplaying. As far as I'm concerned that either comes naturally, by watching everyone else, or it doesn't. I don't recommend starting with the "give me your concept and I'll make your character" angle, either. Character gen is a convenient way of introducing all the core concepts of the game, and the player is probably going to want as much ownership over those stats as anyone else. The critical requirement for the DM of a new player is to ensure that the spotlight is never on them for longer than they want it. Do *not*, like I have seen some DM's do, think you have to be "cruel to be kind" and drop some heavy conversational roleplaying on them in their first session. The result in all but the most exceptional cases will be a train-wreck. New players are going to be very impressionable during those first sessions, so make the game as easy as possible for them. Missed on a Daily? Nah, let's say you hit, just this once. Don't know which Power to use? Just pick the one that sounds the coolest. Oof! Took a beating there, luckily it wasn't enough to take you out of the fight (DM hastily changes crit to non-crit). Treat the first two session of any new gamer's table-top experience like the first hour of a CRPG. It's all on-screen hints, constrained options, bad guys that fall over as soon as you set eyes on them, and NPC's more than willing to help. [/QUOTE]

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