Help Me, Teach Newly Recruited Girl Gamer Learn DnD

[reapersaurus]

Reapersaurus, I introduced myself to gaming that way, and I'm a girl.

Coolness!
I think that's fantastic.

So let me say two things:
1) I'm a trainer by trade. I know a bit about introducing people to something new, after doing it thousands of time, seeing what works with most people and what doesn't.
2) Having said that, if this new gamer girl is like you, Buttercup, than your way would be a very good idea.

The most important thing when teaching anybody something new is to find out what motivates, appeals, and makes sense to them.

 

[Draxus the Tainted]

Tell her all the character types and tell her which ones are easier to learn with such as the fighter, rogue, etc. Basically anything thats a non-spellcaster cause she doesn't know the spells inside and out like most people do. And then guide her through character creation based on what she picked. Let's take fighter. Ask her if she wants to use a bow or a sword and tell her what her options are after that and give her hints on what skills and feats she should use to compliment her weapon choice and character archtype. So in the end she has created her own character with your guidance and she should have a pretty good idea of what all those numbers on the sheet are for.

Oh yeah, and don't look down her shirt!!!

 

[telepox]

With only 6 days, making a character (and letting her do all of the paper work, i.e. writing) is the way to go. Guide her through every little step and explain in NON GAME TERMS what each feat, skill, piece of equipment, etc. is good for. She can see how the GAME TERMS work when the DM runs the game. All that she needs to do is get in character (pretend she is in a theatrical or something) and not worry about mechanics. I'm sure when a raging, raucious, violent, sadistic, vile orc armed with a great axe comes charging at her character she will "guess" what to do about it.

 

[FireLance]

As reapersaurus says, rules-light is the key. Allow her to make decisions so that she retains "creative control" over her character, but limit the potential choices to a few "sensible" ones.

As a first step, you might want to limit the race to human as the racial benefits (extra feat and skill) are easy to bear in mind.

Next, ask her to pick a class. I find that good classes for beginning players are fighter, paladin and sorcerer. They have few complicated class abilities, few skills (choosing skills can be overwhelming for a new player), and are effective in combat.

I use the 28-point buy system, so determining ability scores is easy. I explain the six ability scores and tell them that they have eight "bonus points" to distribute between them, but no more than two can be assigned to any attribute. An ability score assigned no bonus points is 10, one bonus point is 12 and two bonus points is 14. Mathematically, it is exactly the same as the 28-point buy system.

Next, pick feats. Allow a choice from a small list of "good" feats, e.g. Dodge, Power Attack, Point Blank Shot. Same goes for skills. Have a small list of useful skills for the class, and assume that maximum points are assigned to each skill. Sorcerers would need to choose spells known. Again, provide a small list of useful spells.

Finally, simply assign basic equipment. No need to overwhelm a beginning player with the entire list of possibilities.

Make sure the beginning player makes a contribution during the first session. Either set up situations where she will need to use her class abilities or pass her notes containing information that her character knows.

For the record, I have successfully used this method to introduce three new players to DnD. All three were women, too.

 

[Horacio]

I also prefer the rules light approach. I've used it many times and it usually worked. Of course, YMMV.

...and, of course, don't look down her shirt.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

I think you best course of action at this point would be...




to look down her shirt, just my opinion.

 

[Horacio]

I think you best course of action at this point would be...




to look down her shirt, just my opinion.

He looks down her shirt.

And found a horrible mass of tenclacles. She isn't human.

Roll Sanity, 1d10/1d100

 

[Ashtal]

Teaching a new player, male or female, is dependent on the individual, and how they learn best. Some will learn best with a manual, others if they have a guide.

Certainly, showing her the manual won't burn out her eyes. Lend her the book, stress that she doesn't have to read anything if she doesn't want to - just a get a feel for a few things, read what sounds interesting, perhaps the races & classes. Tell her she's not expected to know it all and that at the table, they will help her through.

Draw parallels to works she already knows - stress fantasy movies or books so she can get a better idea of what this will be like. And on game night, if you can't be her guide, find one of the players who will take this seriously, won't be too pushy or domineering, to help her through the process.

I was a learn from the book type, too, when I started. If she's intellectual, she's probably very used to that format. Just don't require it. I would imagine, though, that if she gets fired up when she flips through the book, she may read it anyways, leaving you less work to do. Then it will be a matter of acquainting her with how your group works, and what it's really like to play the game, not just understand the rules.

 

[Zappo]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with almost everyone here. You can stare down her shirt, as long as she doesn't notice it. To be safe, quick glances are better, though.

 

[Psyduck]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with almost everyone here. You can stare down her shirt, as long as she doesn't notice it. To be safe, quick glances are better, though.

*nods*

*nods again*

*lowers head, pauses longer, and raises head*

yep. It works for me