Teaching D&D to new gamers ...

[Warrior Psychic]

Hey, everyone. I rarely post in ENworld, although I do read most of the threads.

I just moved to a new area and I have left my old gaming group behind, which has made me very sad. My luck in finding a new group around my new place of residence has been anything but good. Anyway, since I am desperate ... I have finally agreed to teach my friends (and my girlfriend) how to play. My girlfriend has gamed before (with Rifts) but the other people have never roleplayed in their lives. All of these people are over the age of 21.

What I am wondering is if my efforts in teaching them will end be for naught? Is it hard to teach old dogs new tricks? Is there a strategy in teaching my friends so that they will enjoy the hobby?

 

[Ed Cha]

What I am wondering is if my efforts in teaching them will end be for naught? Is it hard to teach old dogs new tricks? Is there a strategy in teaching my friends so that they will enjoy the hobby?

Just start them off right with a good, simple game. D&D with all its rules (especially 3.5) can be very confusing to new players. Also, I think adults may have a different learning pattern than children which may make it in some ways easier to teach them how to play, but more difficult to grasp the concept of make-believe as fun.

Do not provide a lengthy handout, but rather a short description of your setting. Instead, try to focus on bringing the world to life during your game sessions. You should try to appeal to each player's interests whether it be combat, puzzle-solving, mystery, romance, or heroism. It's important to try to engage them by getting their PCs involved in the world, particularly through their relationships with individual NPCs. Work with them to build a story together.

If I may, I'd like to recommend my book "World of Whitethorn 1A: The Hamlet of Thumble". It includes a basic adventure setting and a very helpful GM Tips section with articles like "Starting a New Game", "How to Keep Role-Playing from Becoming Roll-Playing", and "12 Signs of a Good GM".

 

[Zander]

I've been gaming for over 20 years and have introduced quite a few players to RPGs in that time. Here are a few tips to bear in mind:

• Rule 1: Keep things as simple as possibe
• Don't try to convert players who aren't really interested. It'll only spoil the fun of people who genuinely want to play.
• Give players pre-generated characters. Most new players want to start playing right away and don't regard PC creation as part of the game.
• If you've got minis and mini dungeons, such as Dwarven Forge, use them. New (and old) players love that. Newbies find tangibles such as minis reassuring as most other games have them.
• Never, ever kill off the PC of a new player. In fact, let the party succeed in their first quest whatever stupid things they may do, only don't let them know it.
• Guide the players in the first few sessions, giving advice and hints.
• Make sure each player's PC has something to contribute in each session. In other words, design the adventure around the PCs.

Hope that helps.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

Hey, everyone. I rarely post in ENworld, although I do read most of the threads.

I just moved to a new area and I have left my old gaming group behind, which has made me very sad. My luck in finding a new group around my new place of residence has been anything but good. Anyway, since I am desperate ... I have finally agreed to teach my friends (and my girlfriend) how to play. My girlfriend has gamed before (with Rifts) but the other people have never roleplayed in their lives. All of these people are over the age of 21.

What I am wondering is if my efforts in teaching them will end be for naught? Is it hard to teach old dogs new tricks? Is there a strategy in teaching my friends so that they will enjoy the hobby?

I'm 27 and I only really learned how to play last year, even though I'd been around gaming for a long time. I think if these people have agenuine interest in playing, they will be able to learn. For example, one of my best friends is into fantasy but not gaming. She writes fantasy and so MojoGM & I brought her in some gaming books to flip through to find monsters for her stories. She became interested in it and even though she hasnt played , she knows a lot now, about how we play, the rules and such.

Good luck & have fun!
Sheri

 

[Ed Cha]

[*]Give players pre-generated characters. Most new players want to start playing right away and don't regard PC creation as part of the game.

Yep, that's good advice there. For many of us, creating characters is half the fun, but for people new to the concept of D&D and all the 3.5 rules, it might be a harrowing experience.

I also agree with the tangibles like miniatures and not killing off their PCs.

 

[johnsemlak]

I've been gaming for over 20 years and have introduced quite a few players to RPGs in that time. Here are a few tips to bear in mind:

• Rule 1: Keep things as simple as possibe
• Don't try to convert players who aren't really interested. It'll only spoil the fun of people who genuinely want to play.
• Give players pre-generated characters. Most new players want to start playing right away and don't regard PC creation as part of the game.
• If you've got minis and mini dungeons, such as Dwarven Forge, use them. New (and old) players love that. Newbies find tangibles such as minis reassuring as most other games have them.
• Never, ever kill off the PC of a new player. In fact, let the party succeed in their first quest whatever stupid things they may do, only don't let them know it.
• Guide the players in the first few sessions, giving advice and hints.
• Make sure each player's PC has something to contribute in each session. In other words, design the adventure around the PCs.

Hope that helps.

Definitely agree with all that advice.

If you're into using prepared adventures, a decent free one for newbies is the Burning Plague, available for free at the WotC site. It's short but contains a lot of key elements such as traps, undead, a potion of poison, etc.

The Wizard's amulet from Necromancer Games, also a free download, is also good.

 

[johnsemlak]

doh! double post!