Intro Adventures & New Players

          I always enjoyed adventures in the beginning of campaigns where characters from disparate backgrounds find themselves sharing a common goal or up against the same foe.  This requires a bit of role-playing on the part of the players, careful planning on the part of the DM, and just the right touch of paprika for it to be exciting and satisfying at the table.  A great example of this in fiction is the anime pictured here:

                                                   (make sure it's this one and not the one with the red cover)

         A fledgling DM, or one who is introducing new players, might want to stick with the tried and true, "You already know each other. Figure out how together."  Possibly even, "You are an adventuring party based out of [insert town name from adventure], and have been working together for some time."  That being said, there can be something fun and interesting about watching a party come together and having the players showcase how their characters become a party.
        
       I encountered a bit of a snag when I tried this with the "introductory friends' wives group" I have mentioned in previous posts.  After we ran an adventure with pregens, the two males and three females all made their own characters. 

        The opening of the campaign saw two of the PCs venturing to the outskirts of town at night.  As the priest guard and her gnome wizard charge were foraging for a valuable spellcasting component.  Another of my new players was playing a half-elf rogue, thus hiding in a tree.  I had worked it out with her before hand so we could keep it a secret from the other two players, creating a dramatic moment at the table.  The moment never came.

        As I shot sidelong glances at the rogue player, and raised an eye brow, and waited expectantly- the player just continued to observe while the other players foraged all around her tree and up and down the nearby brush.  Later her explanation was that she was outnumbered and didn't want to pick a fight.  Reasonable.  Good logical thinking and role playing, really.


So, the lessons here are:

1.  Be aware of the social situation and social risks being taken by new players when handing them the reigns.

2. Sometimes new players feel overwhelmed by the vast number of possible choices, actions, and outcomes the game presents.

It is OK, to guide them, possibly explaining some options or asking, "What does your character do?"


Well, what do you do?




-DM Josh