Introducing A Table Full of New Players To D&D and RPGs

[JamesonCourage]

TL;DR: Need some system-less ideas on a good beginning adventure for level 1 D&D characters for 4-5 brand new RPG players.

Full Story:
Okay, so I moved to Portland, Oregon on the 1st, leaving behind my gaming group (and close friends and family). However, my best friend does move here, and I've met a lot of people through her rather quickly. They brought up me running a D&D game for them. "A new gaming group! This quickly? Awesome!" I thought.

Turns out, only my best has played before, and it was for two sessions. Nobody else has ever even played an RPG (outside of CRPGs). This has not happened to me since I introduced my group (and close friends) to gaming about twelve years ago.

Now, I won't literally be playing D&D. I'll be using my RPG (because I just can't bring myself to go back to any edition of D&D at this point). While it's normally point-buy, I wanted something simpler for brand new TTRPG players. I've pre-spent points and made D&D classes (Monk, Wizard, etc.) and D&D races (halfling, half-elf, etc.).

So, though the rules will be different, the players will be in a D&D-esque settitng. While I normally run sandbox games, one player has asked very directly for a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end (he wants some resolution, likely from his time playing CRPGs). He has said that he wants to at least start that way. I told him that I'd do that, then.

So, my explicit plan to the group (as in, I've told them this is my plan) is to start a game with a very obvious hook, run them through that mini-adventure, and then end it. At the end, I'll say "do you guys want to keep playing D&D?" After they say yes (because they will*), I'll ask them if anyone wants to keep playing these same characters. People that want to can, and others can swap out. Some may want the same character but a new class, and I'll allow retraining (and we'll come up with how and why that happened). Then we'll either start a new group (if everyone wants to swap characters, which they all won't), or we'll carry on. I'll ask if they want another adventure, or if they want to sandbox. I expect "another adventure" for these new players, but we'll see.

*I know, I know, the players always ruin the GM's assumptions. I hope I don't jinx myself by assuming they'll want to keep playing.

So, before I can comment on the adventure, I do know what two of the players are going to be playing (as in they just made characters last night).

• My best friend (who I'll call S) made a half-elf Bard. The character is "chaotic neutral" (my game doesn't have alignment, but that's how she described her character). S will be stealing from non-party members, maybe seducing people to get her way, etc. She'll also be supporting the group with spells and inspiration abilities.
• S's boyfriend (who I'll call J) made a Paladin (I know, a great fit already!). J says he'll be a straight up good guy, but will have a "out of sight, out of mind" mindset with S's shenanigans. He made a tank out of his guy (good hit points, shield and full plate, protection feats, etc.). He plans to protect the the other players in combat, and go out and party outside of it (but nothing too crazy).

Anyway, my current (really vague) thought process for an "adventure" goes something like this: the players all know one another. They are in a village at some sort of festival or something. Something happens to draw a very experienced group of adventurers away (an attack, someone asking for help, etc.), but it's obviously big enough that the players know they can't help (like a dragon attack... they could even see it fly overhead, if I go that route). Anyway, after the experienced group leaves, something goes down in-town, as bad guys take the opportunity to do bad things. I'm not sure what type of low-level bad guys I want to use (goblins, skeletons, etc.).

So, yeah. These threads never get as many responses as rule philosophy threads, but any ideas for a group of brand new players would be really cool. I'm mainly looking for adventure ideas, as I have social contract stuff handled (PCs must work in a group, must be fun for everyone, must have a reason to be with the party, etc.).

Thanks for any replies

 

[Zak S]

I think an adventure where someone important turns out to BE goblins (or dopplegangers, or whatever) might be a good intro adventure.

That way you get social interaction and/or investigation up front before combat, but on a sliding scale depending how aggressive your players are. They can also kind of work out a group dynamic ("I trust him!""I don't!").

You could also jigger it so the secretly-evil town burghers or militia or whatever actually were the ones who engineered the crisis that sent the other good guys out of town. That gives a good opportunity for a Part 2 later, if you needit.

For the actual scheme, the easiest thing is to reskin a familiar story.

Like: Die Hard? The secret goblins need time to pick a vault lock (they accidentally lost the keys/combination when they offed the real mayor) so they organize an in-town distraction. (In Die Hard it's hostages, but the baddies might not need to resort to that until they're found out.)

 

[Gilladian]

Hmmm... for new players I like to go with VERY traditional scenarios. Perhaps once the good guy adventurers are out of town, a storm hits. Or there's a building fire. Or both. People need rescuing. Other people start stealing/looting. Someone offers a group of people protection, for a sum of money. Do the PCs help rescue people or loot? Do they turn a blind eye to looters? Which looters (the hungry beggar-girl they saw earlier, or the innkeeper who would not give her a crust of bread)? Do they attack someone who can protect others, despite the cost? Or do they wait until afterwards and then do they try to bring the villain up before the authorities, or do they take their own revenge/dish out justice?

There's no real combat involved, unless the PCs start it themselves, but you could throw in some hungry giant rats bubbling out of the (flooding) sewers, if you want. And if the storm damage is bad enough, there might be 2-3 days to several weeks of hard times afterwards that could bring out more scavengers.

Oh, and I didn't say, but you could presume that the cause of the storm/fire/disaster is whatever bad guy group lured off the other adventurers.

 

[JamesonCourage]

I think an adventure where someone important turns out to BE goblins (or dopplegangers, or whatever) might be a good intro adventure.

That way you get social interaction and/or investigation up front before combat, but on a sliding scale depending how aggressive your players are. They can also kind of work out a group dynamic ("I trust him!""I don't!").

You could also jigger it so the secretly-evil town burghers or militia or whatever actually were the ones who engineered the crisis that sent the other good guys out of town. That gives a good opportunity for a Part 2 later, if you needit.

This is a more extreme take on my thought of "maybe working with the goblins," but it could really give them a feel for the D&D setting. I don't want them going all paranoid from now on, but I run that risk either way, I suppose

But, yes, it's a good setup for when they decide to keep playing. That sounds like a good suggestion to me, so thank you.

For the actual scheme, the easiest thing is to reskin a familiar story.

Like: Die Hard? The secret goblins need time to pick a vault lock (they accidentally lost the keys/combination when they offed the real mayor) so they organize an in-town distraction. (In Die Hard it's hostages, but the baddies might not need to resort to that until they're found out.)

Maybe robbing the vault of the experienced adventurers who just left? Could be something like that, indeed

 

[Zak S]

This is a more extreme take on my thought of "maybe working with the goblins," but it could really give them a feel for the D&D setting. I don't want them going all paranoid from now on, but I run that risk either way, I suppose

But, yes, it's a good setup for when they decide to keep playing. That sounds like a good suggestion to me, so thank you.

Maybe robbing the vault of the experienced adventurers who just left? Could be something like that, indeed

Sweet. Now if the adventurers live in a cool tower, the adventure writes itself from there

 

[JamesonCourage]

Hmmm... for new players I like to go with VERY traditional scenarios. Perhaps once the good guy adventurers are out of town, a storm hits. Or there's a building fire. Or both. People need rescuing. Other people start stealing/looting. Someone offers a group of people protection, for a sum of money. Do the PCs help rescue people or loot? Do they turn a blind eye to looters? Which looters (the hungry beggar-girl they saw earlier, or the innkeeper who would not give her a crust of bread)? Do they attack someone who can protect others, despite the cost? Or do they wait until afterwards and then do they try to bring the villain up before the authorities, or do they take their own revenge/dish out justice?

There's no real combat involved, unless the PCs start it themselves, but you could throw in some hungry giant rats bubbling out of the (flooding) sewers, if you want. And if the storm damage is bad enough, there might be 2-3 days to several weeks of hard times afterwards that could bring out more scavengers.

I like the feel of this (in that it doesn't focus on combat). To me, this is not a "VERY traditional" D&D scenario (which would involve combat). But, I like a lot of it. It will also let the players figure out how they want to react (and figure out the character they're playing), and learn stuff about the other PCs, too. It's well put together in that area.

Oh, and I didn't say, but you could presume that the cause of the storm/fire/disaster is whatever bad guy group lured off the other adventurers.

Yes, I like this... hmm. It's definitely something for me to think about. Thank you for the very helpful suggestions.

 

[JamesonCourage]

Sweet. Now if the adventurers live in a cool tower, the adventure writes itself from there

Haha, exactly what I was thinking! I'm thinking I should go very stereotypical when starting out with these players.

 

[DM Howard]

You can never go wrong with a wayward wizard that has triggered some sort of artifact that starts summoning undead.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Dandu]

You can never go wrong with a wayward wizard that has triggered some sort of artifact that starts summoning undead.

Industrial revolution, here we come!