Apathy Games

Introducing a New Player – Ask His Opinions

The new player’s first session with the new group has concluded, and everyone is packing up to go home. Here’s how to finish up his first session:

• Ask Questions. This is the time to ask to the player what he thought about the game. You’ll want to know what he liked, what he didn’t like, and if he has any questions.
• Compliment him. If you’re a player, you should compliment him on what he did well, but avoid any criticism, as this is his first session. Point out any good roleplaying he did, or mention how quickly he understood the rules. Anything to make the newcomer feel good.
• Offer him a book. Now that he’s played a session he may want to read up on the game. Offer him a core rulebook to borrow, but don’t make him take it. After the second or third session, you should make reading the rules be mandatory, but not right away.
• Socialize Afterward. Just like you did before the session, it’s a good idea to wind down from the game and just hang out an talk. The newcomer should be more comfortable now, and you just did something together so you have something new to talk about. This is just good for the relationships of your players.

This concludes our first Apathy University, missed some posts? Check it out from the beginning here.

Introducing a New Player – Engage Him Gradually

You’ve done everything to get to know the new player and make him as comfortable as possible, but now the time has come to start playing. Everyone jumps in, becomes their characters, and the dice start rolling. But, of course, the new player is silent and uninvolved. What do you do?

• Let him watch. Give him a little while to watch everyone else play for a bit, even after you’ve introduced his character. He’s learning the way people play, something you can’t teach and the rules don’t describe. You don’t have to push him before he’s comfortable.
• Solicit questions Throughout the game, and especially during combat, the gamemaster should stop and ask if the newcomer has any questions. New situations are coming. Monsters that the experiences players know may confuse the newcomer. Make it clear that he can always ask for more info, but don’t wait for him to do so.
• Don’t do all the player introductions at once. He won’t remember all the characters in detail. Instead, do the introductions throughout the session. Invite the new player to write down names and notes of things he finds interesting about the other players.
• Have each player engage the newcomer at different times. Throughout the session, each player should take time to interact with the newcomer in character. This is in addition to the introductions, which may be done in or out of character. This lets the newcomer see each character’s personality, and keeps them involved throughout the game.
• Don’t ask too many questions about his character. The newcomer doesn’t know his character yet. Don’t ask for that information during the first session. He’ll divulge what he’s got in his head, and that’s enough. Too many questions will overwhelm the newcomer.

Make sure to come back next week as we conclude Apathy University: Introducing a New Player.

Introducing a New Player: Provide a Simple Tailored Objective

The object of any game is to have fun, and your new player needs a moment of that all to themselves. You’ve already taken the time to get to know the player, what kind of character they want to play, and given them an overview of the rules. Now it’s time to get the game going, but how do you hook them in and make them want more? One simple option is to give them a personal win–a chance to shine in their first session.

• The Butt Kicker: For this player, it’s a simple matter of setting up a bar fight, extra monster, or purse snatcher who needs his head bashed in. Have the character get the drop on them in a fight or lower their defenses to make them easy to hit and voila! When the final blow is being dealt, let the new player dictate what happens to the enemy. This allows them to feel that they are a part of the action and gets the creative juices flowing.
• The Talker: Give the talker a chance to show off his bargaining skills or talk the local law enforcement into letting someone off the hook. In a modern setting let them talk their way into a local night club or past a security guard into an office complex. When talking for the NPC, first play up his reluctance to give the player what he wants, and then emphasize his change of attitude, giving your new player a strong sense of success.
• The Planner: This can be the easiest to pull off, because the planner wants to make this a success, but the most difficult if the player is still shy. Just give the planner a challenge to think through. Try not to get bogged down on the mechanics of getting it done. Have them talk through the entire plan, and then offer them help by telling them how easiest to do it within the confines of the game’s mechanics. Suggest ways to utilize other players so everyone can get involved. However, don’t let the other players grab the spotlight away and steal the new players thunder.

Coming up with this little moment will let the new player walk away from their first game feeling good about what happened. Even if they later run across a challenge they had trouble with they’ll still be able to look back with fondness.

What’s the best trick you’ve used to let a new player shine? What didn’t go over so well?

Introducing a New Player – Keep the Adventure Simple and Quintessential

So the time has come to plan your adventure for the session, but you have a new player coming who may not know what’s going on. And chances are, the current adventure arc is full of complexities that the newcomer doesn’t understand and that would take hours to explain. This is a problem.

Here’s what you do: Create an adventure that goes back to the very basics of the game, but that fits in with the current arc.

The Quintessential Adventure

Every game has a few adventures that define it. D&D has the dungeon crawl into the undead tomb for a lost artifact. Shadowrun has a basic data-steal where the players break in to a building and steal important files. Whatever it is for your game, build that. Even experienced players enjoy returning to their roots occasionally.

Remove complications

No matter how nuances your campaign may have become, set that aside. Try to have just a single motivation behind the adventure, though preferably that motivation still ties in to your overall story. For example, the game of complex courtly intrigue that the players are caught in has lead to a discovery. Duke What’s-his-name’s close confidant has set off to find a powerful artifact, and hasn’t come back. The duke comes to the players and asks them to go and find his friend and the artifact if possible, and return. During the whole of the adventure, the players are far away from all the complications of the game.

As Gamemaster, you should tell the other players that you’re doing this, and why. As a player, you should work to help the new player enjoy this basic experience by setting tone, improving your descriptions, and just giving advice.

Introducing a New Player: Introduce Only the Basics of the Game

There are three parts of the game that must be introduced to a new player: the setting, what the players do, and the rules. The first two have to be discussed with the new player before they make character choices. The rules, though shouldn’t be discussed until afterward. Remember, your goal is to give them what they absolutely need to know, but not overwhelm them. There is a lot to learn.

What the Players Do

This is more fundamental to the game than either the setting or the rules, but sometimes relies on the setting for context. If possible, explain what the players do first, but if you must, it can wait until after you’ve described the setting.

Make sure the new player has an idea of what the player characters are trying to accomplish in this campaign, and how they’re going about it. In some games, this is simple. For example, in Shadowrun, you are a professional criminal doing jobs for giant corporations who want to compete illegally without getting caught. You use stealth, planning, and skill to accomplish goals and try to stay alive.

In a fantasy game, you might discuss how the players have taken it upon themselves to protect a small village from an orc invasion, and are seeking out the leader to kill him before he can attack the village.

The Setting

Keep to the very basics when describing the setting. If it’s based off of something that the newcomer will we familiar with, say so first. For example, D&D is a basic sword and sorcery fantasy setting with elves and dwarves, like Lord of the Rings. Legend of the Five Rings is based on feudal Japan. Mention some movies or shows that are similar, if there are any.

After you’ve established a baseline that the new player is familiar with, mention the important differences. For example, the Iron Kingdoms, by Privateer Press, is based on a classic fantasy setting, but it’s been moved forward to the industrial revolution. Magic has been industrialized, and steam engines power mechanikal creatures called steamjacks that do heavy labor and wage war.

You can then mention any details that are of importance to the current campaign, like a necromancer raising an army, or a dragon running for president of the United States.

Lastly, The Rules

It’s best to give the new player a character first. Then show him the core mechanic of the game by using one of his character’s skills as an example. You’ll probably want to do this a few times so that they’re comfortable with this. Go through the character sheet, explaining what things are, and letting the player ask questions. Don’t go into too much detail, he doesn’t need to know all the possible modifiers. Just make sure he understands his character sheet.

You’ll probably want to go over combat. Explaining initiative, actions, attacks, damage, and the like. Give examples and have the player make rolls. Of course, if the system is simple enough, like with Savage Worlds, you can just wait until combat happens in the game to describe these rules.

Introducing a New Player: Provide Limited Character Options

Previously we’ve discussed Conversing Before the Game Starts and Being Well Prepared. Now as our series rolls on we discuss the next step.

Alright, so you’ve discussed the basics of the setting, and it’s time to create a character for the newcomer. Whatever you do, do not just open the book to the character creation rules and say, “What do you wan to play.” He doesn’t know, and he’ll feel very stupid for not knowing.

Instead, come up with a few simple character ideas, without rules or anything written down, and present them to the newcomer. This gives him some choice, without overwhelming him. When he’s made his choice, go through the character creation rules, a step at a time, but instead of having him go through the book, ask questions about what he wants his character to be good at, and make the rules decisions for him.

For things that the player has to choose, such as hindrances, edges, feats, or special qualities, don’t give him a the full list, but pick a limited selection of easy to use options to choose from. It’s okay to say that you’re doing this. He will probably understand and approve.

Let him change his character later. This may rub some gamemasters the wrong way, but it’s the only fair way to treat a new player. The last thing you want is for the newcomer to not enjoy his character after a few sessions, especially if it’s because you didn’t give him all the options.

Pre-built Characters

This is the simplest way to give a newcomer a character. Some players, if they’re familiar with RPGs, will scoff at this idea, but it can work well if you’re new player is completely new. Instead of going through character creation with the new player, give him the choice of a set of pre-built characters. Don’t include a name or gender, but you might want to give the pre-built character a one or two line description of their background and personality. Many games come with a standard set of pre-builts specificially for this purpose.

Even if you do go this way, give the player the option to change his character, or create a new one, at a later date.

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

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.

Introducing a New Player: Be Well Prepared

The level of preparation for any given session varies. Sometimes you show up late, or forget your character sheet. Sometimes the adventure isn’t fleshed out. Maybe you haven’t considered what to do about food. These things happen, and to a certain extent are expected. But not today.

When you’re introducing a new player, you want it to look like everyone is on the ball. You want the game to run smoothly. It may be a lie, but you want the newcomer to think that all sessions are as awesome as this one. Let them find out the horrible truth once they’re already addicted. As such, whether as a player or as the Gamemaster, make sure you are prepared.

• Flesh out the adventure. As gamemaster, you’ll be busy trying to make the game fun for the new player. You want to have the adventure completely ready to go, so you don’t have to waste time on it mid-session, and so that it’s easier to modify on the fly, if the need arises.
• Know who is going to explain the game. It might be the gamemaster, but it could well be a player who is good at this sort of thing, or the player that invited the newcomer. Whoever it is should take some time before the session to consider and possibly practice explaining the game, so they aren’t fumbling around when the time comes to perform.
• Have extra dice. Either the gamemaster or a player should have a full set of dice and other gaming gear for the newcomer to use. Pencils, paper, character sheets, miniatures or tokens–make sure you have all of it.
• Show up on time. As a gamemaster, get in contact with all of your players and ask that they make an extra effort to arrive on time. You want them around for the pre-game conversation, and you don’t want the other players or yourself to start the session frustrated. If you are a player, your duty here is simple: be to the session on time, have all of your things (it’s best to keep them all in one place), and be ready to contribute whatever is needed.
• Have a food plan. You want the new player to be excited to come back. Make sure you have a plan for snacks, drinks, and meals. The gamemaster doesn’t have to provide all of this, and in fact it’s best if the players split responsibilities. But don’t require anything of the newcomer this first session. It nothing else, free food has a magical effect, and may win you a convert all on it’s own.

What other kinds of preparation should be done before a session?

Introducing a New Player: Introduction

Bringing in a new player to an established group can be a big challenge, especially if the new player has never played an RPG before, but even if not. The truth is, roleplaying is very intimidating. Even as an experienced player, joining a new group or learning a new game can be a source of fear. I recently joined a game of Legend of the Five Rings, and found myself overwhelmed by the depth of an unfamiliar setting and the nuances of a new rule system.

With a completely new player, there are a number of challenges to overcome.

• Overcoming intimidation.
• Integrating the player with a new social group.
• Making the new player comfortable with the concept of roleplaying.
• Teaching the game, both setting and rules.
• Making sure the new player has fun.

This series, Apathy Rules for Introducing a New Player, provides a set of rules and tips for game masters and players to help introduce a new player to their group. Here is an overview of the rules, with a brief description of each. A separate article for each rule will give advice for implementing it effectively.

1. Be well prepared. More than ever, you want to make sure things run smoothly. Have extra dice, paper, and pencils for the newcomer. Know your adventure, what rules will be needed, and how to explain them. And make sure you have all the snacks and drinks your players could want.
2. Converse before the game starts. Take some time to bring the newcomer into the social group without involving the game, while simultaneously getting to know some of the newcomer’s tastes.
3. Provide limited character options. The newcomer doesn’t know the game. Give him some choice, but keep his options limited to prevent intimidation.
4. Introduce only the basics of the game. Teach only the core mechanics and the basics of the setting. Too much will overwhelm the player.
5. Keep the adventure simple and quintessential. A newcomer’s first adventure should show the standard expectations of the game, and nothing more.
6. Provide a simple tailored objective. Give the newcomer a sense of success by giving him a task that he is best at achieving.
7. Engage him gradually. Allow him time to get used to the game, and slowly introduce the characters and new elements, assisting him whenever necessary. Also, at some point during the adventure, each player should interact with the newcomer in an In-Character fashion.
8. Ask him questions. After you’re finished, ask the new player what he thought of the game, and socialize for a bit more. Hopefully he just had fun.

Please come back next Tuesday for Apathy Rules of Introducing a New Player: Be Well Prepared.

Call to Action: Tell us your horror stories involving new players. Successes are okay too.