D&D General Onboarding a newbie

[Gorck]

My daughter and I have been trying to convince her cousin to try playing D&D with us. After a bit of hemming and hawing, she finally said yes. But now I'm torn about how to get started with her character.

I've heard the best way to introduce the game to a new player is to just have them dive right in and get their feet wet. So I was planning on having her choose from one of the pre-made characters I have ready to go. That way we can just start playing immediately without having to waste time making a character first. Besides, making a character requires decision-making that she wouldn't have any frame of reference for.

But, then I thought that the best way for her to get invested in her character would be to make those decisions for herself. That way, the character would be truly hers and not just a bunch of words and numbers on a piece of paper.

So now I ask my fellow players for advice. Does anybody here have experience (good or bad) in trying to onboard a new player? Is one of the above methods better than the other, or is it a toss up?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Honestly, this might be the best week ever to ask this.

I would get the Heroes of the Borderlands set, run that and see how it goes.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So now I ask my fellow players for advice. Does anybody here have experience (good or bad) in trying to onboard a new player? Is one of the above methods better than the other, or is it a toss up?

I've onboarded a ton of people over the past 20 years, both to D&D and RPGs generally.

I don't notice any real difference between them starting with pregens or making their own character. The first character will likely be disposable, either because they didn't make it, or they didn't know what they were doing. If/when they want to play "for real," they'll make a better character they'll have more attachment to after that.

Everything else around the experience, like having it be fun but low stress, where they're not made to feel stupid or excluded, and where they feel free to ask questions, is more important for onboarding, IMO.

Another good alternative: Just give them Baldur's Gate 3 and when they come up for air, be waiting at the table with Heroes of the Borderlands, pizza and a smile.

 

[I'm A Banana]

1) Reduce options. It's OK to have pregen characters, as long as you can sum up what they're "about" in a sentence or two. That said, you might want to let them make one or two choices (even just "what's your name?") when they start - the sense of ownership gains a lot from a little thing.

2) Encourage them to be "in character," and then you'll figure out how the rules apply to whatever they do. The more you're asking "So, how does YOUR CHARACTER react?" the smoother the experience tends to be.

3) Combat takes a long time, and is one of the most complicated parts of the game, so don't feature it. Like, have a fight or two, but keep it moving and make them pretty simple. Let the newbie demonstrate what makes them cool (spellcasting, hitting hard with a weapon, etc.) and then move on.

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, I'd echo @I'm A Banana . Have a premade or three and let her choose from them. Maybe just a paragraph background for each just to get a leg up.

I'd add to the idea of "how does your character react" with "what do you want to achieve"? Maybe not phrased like that but, I think it might a good habit to get a new player started with is to have the player visualize some sort of goal before just fishing for information.

So, instead of, "Is the chest locked" start with, "I want to open the chest". Always start with goal statements. Yeesh, I'm reading this and it's not coming out right. Sorry. I don't think I'm being very clear.

One of the things I struggle with with players is players just fishing for information. Constantly. They don't think about what they are trying to achieve, but rather they will ask endless questions (most of which I'm not really prepared to answer) in order to find something to do. If we teach them to be more proactive, I believe it makes the game more fun for everyone.

 

[Clint_L]

For me, starting with my own character was amazing, and I kept that character as my main all through my 1e years. But I was an obvious D&D mark.

At school, I onboard new players all the time for the club, and they all generate their own characters. On the other hand, when it is new players who just want a taste of D&D to see if they like it, I have used premade characters, as I did for a staff one-off game, for example.

Since you asked for advice, I would say it depends on how interested your daughter is, which no one can gauge better than you. If she is just kind of humouring you, a premade character could be the way to go, as it isn't expecting her to invest too much up front. And yeah, Keep on the Borderlands is a great option, as it comes with premade characters and is designed for very short sessions.

 

[Stormonu]

I agree with others - for the most part, hide the mechanics (i.e., have the DM worry about it) and concentrate on the idea of what they'd like to play overall. Try not to describe aspects in mechanical terms, but summarize ("Do you want to play a fighter who is big and brawny [High STR & CON, two-handed weapons], one who is heavily armored [Heavy Armor & Shield] or quick and nimble [High DEX and Finesse weapons]?"). As things start to come up in the game, you can go into more detail at that time, or just before.

Also, in the case where there are choices, it'd probably be good to offer only 2-3 per occurrence, rather than the whole range. Don't be afraid to make some decisions behind the scenes for the newbie, especially if they are "no brainer" choices.

 

[Seramus]

Give them 3-4 premade options and describe those options in vivid narrative detail. Then ask if they want to change anything. Don't limit those changes to just stuff in the book.

They might say something like, "Oh, I like the big sword guy, but I wish they were a girl. And not a human, but like a faerie."

Boom. Big sword faerie lady.

Don't sweat the rules of how a faerie has a big sword, just make that first experience one of awe and wonder.

 

[Gorck]

Thanks guys, this has been very helpful. We still haven't played yet because we've been beset upon by that most fearsome enemy in all of D&D: scheduling. So far we've just been texting back and forth and I sent her a pic of the Classes chart on page 45 of the 2014 PHB (we're going to play 2024, but I thought the Classes list on page 49 of that PHB would confuse her too much with all the talk of choosing subclasses). She's leaning towards either Bard or Cleric, so I think I'll try to nudge her toward the latter since it's less complicated for a new player. I think I'll leave the choice to make a character or play a pre-generated one up to her, since the bulk of her initial hesitancy was that she didn't know how to play. In talking with her over her lifetime so far, I have noticed she tends to get easily overwhelmed, so I'm looking to ease her into playing the best I can without taking away choices she's comfortable making.

 

[aco175]

I have run things like a convention and have all pre-made PCs. The whole table could pick from several and there was a few left over. It is a trial to see if they like it and want to play more. Maybe most things are pre-made and some options like name and race can be left to choose. It might be less intimidating if everyone just plays a pre-made that is a trial PC.

I also might use highlighter on the basic attacks or make cards for the basic attacks and spells if they have them. Table cards like at a convention listing the PC's name and class lets people see the others and can use more roleplay.