Introducing a New Player – Converse Before the Game Starts

Last week we covered how you should be well prepared. Today we move on to when your new player is present and what to do before the game.

The first challenge when a new player arrives is getting them acquainted and comfortable with this new social group. This can be intimidating by itself, and will add to the newcomer being overwhelmed by the game.

While chances are the newcomer knows one or more of the players, they won’t be familiar with this particular set of people. The best thing you can do is to socialize with this player before starting the game. This also allows the gamemaster an opportunity to discover what kind of player the newcomer might be. Obviously, this won’t really be known until after a few sessions have gone by, but it’s a good idea to get a head start. Beyond the natural conversations that will ensue, here are a few tips for the pre-game socialization.

• Offer them a drink. Assuming your group is comprised of adults, start the socialization off with drinks. This has been the magic bullet of choice for most of human history when it come to getting people to relax. Plus, it paints the gaming group as more sophisticated than the iconic image of sweaty nerds in a basement.
• Take your time. Give the conversation time at least an hour. It may cut into your session, but this time is important, and if everyone is having fun, then it’s alright. That’s why you play, anyway.
• Avoid discussing the game. Yes, everyone is there to play, but at this point the newcomer is already dealing with getting to know new people. Don’t add the complexities of the game to this initial conversation.
• Talk about books, movies, and TV shows. You want to find out what the player likes, and this is where it will come out. When they mention a movie they like that is even remotely like the game you’re going to play, ask what their favorite parts were. This might give you some clues as to what type of player they might be, and what kind of character they might like playing.
• Don’t just talk to the newcomer. You’re not interrogating the new player. Instead, have a natural conversation including all the players. You’ll naturally break off into smaller groups of conversation.
• Avoid inside jokes. This holds true for the whole session. You don’t want to exclude the new player by spending half your time laughing at things the newcomer can’t understand.

After a while, it will be time to start introducing the character to the game. Depending on how you’ve arranged to do this, you should probably have the newcomer and whoever is teaching them separate from the group to do that, while the rest of the group continues to talk.

Join us next Tuesday while we continue Apathy University‘s series on Introducing a New Player.