need advice: newbie dm's first session for potential new group

[misfit]

Hi,

I'm a newbie 3e DND DM who's recruited a new group consisting of :

*a couple old friends who i've role-played with in the past. They have played DND but are not 'active' players. They only play when I ask them. They don't really care about playing by the rules. They prefer to be entertained.

*a cousin and his friend who have played in the past (but I've never gamed with them). I have no idea about their style and they've been very ambiguous about what they expect. They are new to 3e but have played 1e and 2e.

*a couple of people I don't know very well, but I role-play with them in another group. They seem to know the rules and use them as long as it doen't slow things down. They have been playing many years.

If things go well for the first session then this may turn into a regular group. Any ideas how to approach a first session. I want to run an adventure that can be finished in an evening of play but other than that I'm at a loss as to where to start or what may be the best type of adventure for these folks.

Any suggestions as to how to approach this would be appreciated.

 

[Gilladian]

My suggestion would be that you grab one or two of the short simple modules that AEG or another publisher have put out (the narrow half--page books). There are a lot to choose from, and they are usually at least decently written. Your FLGS should have a selection of them.

Gilladian

 

[misfit]

Thanks for the reply Gilladian.

I thought a bit about it and decided to keep it simple and small without being too restrictive.

I think I'll come up with about six related sites (wilderness, civilized, dungeon) with each site containing no more than 3 or 4 areas or room to explore.

I'll do as you suggest and use existing adventures, but I'll use em populate the areas and for plot seeds. I'll use two or three possible plot ideas that can be resolved quickly and hope the players pursue one of them.

 

[Macbeth]

Having all those plot hooks may lead to a rather pointless adventure. I would recomend narrowing it down some. Focus on an open ended adventure that allows the PCs to turn it into whatever they want, so that your next session can be planned according to what they did with this session. Make each encounter defeatable in as many ways as possible. Prepare for roleplaying, if the PCs will accept it, but don't b e afraid to dive into combat if thats what the PCs want.
If you let the PCs shape the adventure for you, then you'll know what to do next time.

 

[Red_Spyral]

IMO, have everyone introduce themselves and their characters. That is the number one thing you should do in a new game.

 

[doghead]

I think that you have the right idea aiming to start with a short adventure that can be completed in one night.

The players can get a sence of achievement.

If its not quite right, you are not stuck with it.

My advice is to throw the players in quickly. I have a tendency to start out too slow, giving the players too many options. The game can lose momentum if the players aren't willing to pick a direction and go. This would be particularly so if you are GMing with a new group. I agree with Macbeth, keep it focused at this stage.