"Noobs" v. Old School Players (Part 1)

For experienced players of Dungeons and Dragons there are certain things taken for granted when talking about the game, the rules, and its changes over the years.  When talking to new players, especially in an era where most new players have at least some experience with video game RPGs, it is easy to look past what they may not know.

old school/ old guy

Finishing up character creation with two of my players recently, some interesting things came to light.  I was having trouble understanding what one of the players was not understanding.  The first instance was a discussion about attack and damage modifiers.  I was explaining that you get your stat bonus, let's say Strength, on your attack rolls.  You also get to add the number in the chart for your attack rolls, but that number does not apply to damage.  When you roll damage you only add the Strength modifier.  She was asking where she should write each on the character sheet, and seemed perplexed that they could be different numbers.  I failed to realize that she had not made the connection between the multiple rolls in combat for attack and damage in the few combats we had run previously.  We backed up and sorted out that first you must roll to see if you hit successfully or not and then, if so, you most roll different dice (as determined by your weapon) to see how badly you hurt the thing. Then we were on our way.

this guy is experienced

When this same player calculated her hit points, another more experienced player at the table suggested using a pencil to track them.  I said, well you could just put the total in pen, and then track your current in pencil later.  Again the new player was confused and frustrated because she didn't see why if the number was going to be changing you wouldn't want it in pencil.  I explained in vain that the total would not change for some time, ie going up a level, so having it written permanently is fine.  I could not figure out where my explanation was lacking.  Well, as I heard my table-helper break it down, I realized I needed to explain that by total, I meant maximum.  That you could not go above that number when regaining hit points was something I assumed we were all thinking.  Oops.

So, remember... even though your players may have played Final Fantasy or World of Warcraft that doesn't mean they are going to understand everything you say to them.  Things like the different stats and attributes, as well as how they interact with other areas of the game including attacks, ability checks, skills, hit points, etc., are likely over the heads of a lot of new players.  We need to be specific and lay everything out step by step, from the beginning.  Having a few heads to put together helps as well.  

What concepts have you struggled to explain to new players? Had any funny misunderstandings at the table?  

Til Next Time,

DM Josh