What are some best practices for running games for people who are completely new to TTRPGs?
What are some best practices for running games for people who are completely new to TTRPGs?
What are some best practices for running games for people who are completely new to TTRPGs?
Start simple. 🙂
I’ve had great success with Zombie Cinema and The Daughters of Verona with beginners. They look like board/card games resp., and therefore familiar. No strange maths or dice, familiar themes.
Start simple. 🙂
I’ve had great success with Zombie Cinema and The Daughters of Verona with beginners. They look like board/card games resp., and therefore familiar. No strange maths or dice, familiar themes.
I like The Black Hack, B/X D&D, or the Lamentations of the Flame Princess RPG. And run an adventure like Cult of the Reptile God, Keep on the Borderlands or some of the beginning adventures that work with Swords & Wizardry. I think Blood in the Chocolate is also a good adventure because it essentially a heist.
I like The Black Hack, B/X D&D, or the Lamentations of the Flame Princess RPG. And run an adventure like Cult of the Reptile God, Keep on the Borderlands or some of the beginning adventures that work with Swords & Wizardry. I think Blood in the Chocolate is also a good adventure because it essentially a heist.
Some good advice I’ve heard from Yoshi Creelman is to run a game in a genre that the players are into. It doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s something crunchy. Like, if they’re really into superheroes, you can pitch Champions and get them on board and they’ll slog through the rules because they love superheroes. Now, I’d probably recommend Masks or Worlds in Peril in that situation, but I think buy-in is probably more important than mechanics.
Some good advice I’ve heard from Yoshi Creelman is to run a game in a genre that the players are into. It doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s something crunchy. Like, if they’re really into superheroes, you can pitch Champions and get them on board and they’ll slog through the rules because they love superheroes. Now, I’d probably recommend Masks or Worlds in Peril in that situation, but I think buy-in is probably more important than mechanics.
I go for something fairly simple, mechanically, with easily identified genre tropes. My favorite games for non-RPGers are The Final Girl and Cheat Your Own Adventure. People instantly get the premise of those games, and they get a good sense of the connection between mechanics and fictional outcomes, which I think is super-important.
I go for something fairly simple, mechanically, with easily identified genre tropes. My favorite games for non-RPGers are The Final Girl and Cheat Your Own Adventure. People instantly get the premise of those games, and they get a good sense of the connection between mechanics and fictional outcomes, which I think is super-important.
First goal, be welcoming and encouraging and make sure anyone else experienced at the table is on the same page. No matter what you’re playing, those are the first things that are key. Too many newbies have been scared away by elitist players or those that didn’t want to ‘teach’ someone how to be a gamer.
Beyond that… run something that’s a genre they’re interested in.
First goal, be welcoming and encouraging and make sure anyone else experienced at the table is on the same page. No matter what you’re playing, those are the first things that are key. Too many newbies have been scared away by elitist players or those that didn’t want to ‘teach’ someone how to be a gamer.
Beyond that… run something that’s a genre they’re interested in.
I’ve had success with both fall of magic and fiasco. I find that people usually get the games that falls into a traditional storytelling tradition within generes that have known genre conventions. Add a bit of goodwill and encouragement and your good to go.
I’ve had success with both fall of magic and fiasco. I find that people usually get the games that falls into a traditional storytelling tradition within generes that have known genre conventions. Add a bit of goodwill and encouragement and your good to go.
Wow that terrain looks immersive as hell. I love it!
Wow that terrain looks immersive as hell. I love it!
After introducing more than a dozen brand new players to TTRPGs, I have a lot to say about this! But I’ll (try to) keep it brief…
1. Run a game you know like the back of your hand – that way you can make changes on the fly if needed, and you can spend your mental energy paying attention to your shiny new players instead of making sure you’re running things correctly. Also, knowing the system well allows you tailor the flavor as needed, even making it a different genre you know will appeal to your players as others have suggested already.
2. Create a scenario that offers a lot of different styles of play/fun to your players – will they gravitate toward the combat? The drama? The mystery and conniving? Will the enjoy immersion in a strange setting? Dangle options out there and see where they go. Part of the joy (and uniqueness) of RPGs is in their freedom, and letting your players see what that can look like is a great way for them to get engaged. (I know, I know…some systems are more geared toward certain elements than others…do with it what you can and try to set expectations accordingly so they have an idea of what they’re getting into)
3. Ask good leading questions, with added guiding suggestions if they’re feeling overwhelmed or stumped – your players won’t know what’s even possible in this world/gaming scenario, particularly if they’re used to standard games with very rigid “roll the dice, move your mice” set ups. Help them out a little bit by guiding along until they’ve found their feet (it doesn’t take long usually).
4. Finally, reward the heck out of their investment in their character/the world, however little. RPGs can be hella intimidating to new players, particularly if they don’t see themselves as “creative enough.” So when you ask for their input and they offer something (anything), help make that something awesome. Did they make up a random backstory fact? Bring it into the game or let them know a piece of information because of it that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Did they say they have a relationship with random pub-goer #2? Random pub-goer #2 better get a name and a personality real quick and then have something interesting and rewarding to say.
Have fun!
After introducing more than a dozen brand new players to TTRPGs, I have a lot to say about this! But I’ll (try to) keep it brief…
1. Run a game you know like the back of your hand – that way you can make changes on the fly if needed, and you can spend your mental energy paying attention to your shiny new players instead of making sure you’re running things correctly. Also, knowing the system well allows you tailor the flavor as needed, even making it a different genre you know will appeal to your players as others have suggested already.
2. Create a scenario that offers a lot of different styles of play/fun to your players – will they gravitate toward the combat? The drama? The mystery and conniving? Will the enjoy immersion in a strange setting? Dangle options out there and see where they go. Part of the joy (and uniqueness) of RPGs is in their freedom, and letting your players see what that can look like is a great way for them to get engaged. (I know, I know…some systems are more geared toward certain elements than others…do with it what you can and try to set expectations accordingly so they have an idea of what they’re getting into)
3. Ask good leading questions, with added guiding suggestions if they’re feeling overwhelmed or stumped – your players won’t know what’s even possible in this world/gaming scenario, particularly if they’re used to standard games with very rigid “roll the dice, move your mice” set ups. Help them out a little bit by guiding along until they’ve found their feet (it doesn’t take long usually).
4. Finally, reward the heck out of their investment in their character/the world, however little. RPGs can be hella intimidating to new players, particularly if they don’t see themselves as “creative enough.” So when you ask for their input and they offer something (anything), help make that something awesome. Did they make up a random backstory fact? Bring it into the game or let them know a piece of information because of it that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Did they say they have a relationship with random pub-goer #2? Random pub-goer #2 better get a name and a personality real quick and then have something interesting and rewarding to say.
Have fun!
Angela Murray and Heidi Schlottman do you have specific games that you like to bring to the table for first timers? The first time I played with newcomers I chose Fiasco (like Mikael Tysvær recommends) because they could choose their favorite playset and have some investment there. It went well!
Angela Murray and Heidi Schlottman do you have specific games that you like to bring to the table for first timers? The first time I played with newcomers I chose Fiasco (like Mikael Tysvær recommends) because they could choose their favorite playset and have some investment there. It went well!
Into The Odd is a great option as well: 3 stats (STR, DEX, WIL), HP, and 3 pieces of randomly generated equipment. Its very free form but has a lot of the same motions as an RPG.
Into The Odd is a great option as well: 3 stats (STR, DEX, WIL), HP, and 3 pieces of randomly generated equipment. Its very free form but has a lot of the same motions as an RPG.
Michael G. Barford I think it really depends on who I’m introducing to RPGs. When I introduced my friends’ three daughters (8, 10, and 13 at the time), I just went for DnD5.0. The numbers and choices were a little hard for them to keep track of, but the structure and traditional RPG dynamic was enough for them to get the sense of what was going on and whether they would like it or not. (They’d also heard their dad wax poetic about his halcyon days of playing D&D and how their grandfather had defended the game to other people at their church back in the Satanic Panic days of the 80’s).
Other time introducing newbies, I used Doctor Who:AITAS. They were Whovians and knew the universe even if they didn’t know RPGs.
Usually, if the person is curious about gaming, it almost doesn’t matter what you’re playing as long as the table is welcoming and encouraging. I’d avoid anything with too much crunch, but there are even exceptions to that rule, I’m sure. Most of us old timers that started when THAC0 was a thing flailed around in hostile social environments with killer GMs and still kept coming back for more. Sure, there are more distractions now that fill that nerdy itch, but give a newbie just a little taste of that excitement that happens at an RPG table during a good game and you’ll have them hooked.
Michael G. Barford I think it really depends on who I’m introducing to RPGs. When I introduced my friends’ three daughters (8, 10, and 13 at the time), I just went for DnD5.0. The numbers and choices were a little hard for them to keep track of, but the structure and traditional RPG dynamic was enough for them to get the sense of what was going on and whether they would like it or not. (They’d also heard their dad wax poetic about his halcyon days of playing D&D and how their grandfather had defended the game to other people at their church back in the Satanic Panic days of the 80’s).
Other time introducing newbies, I used Doctor Who:AITAS. They were Whovians and knew the universe even if they didn’t know RPGs.
Usually, if the person is curious about gaming, it almost doesn’t matter what you’re playing as long as the table is welcoming and encouraging. I’d avoid anything with too much crunch, but there are even exceptions to that rule, I’m sure. Most of us old timers that started when THAC0 was a thing flailed around in hostile social environments with killer GMs and still kept coming back for more. Sure, there are more distractions now that fill that nerdy itch, but give a newbie just a little taste of that excitement that happens at an RPG table during a good game and you’ll have them hooked.
Michael G. Barford I’ve always used the game I know best – D&D 5e. But I’ve done a lot with it to make it fit the new players (carving it down to bare essentials for people who I don’t think will want all the details from the get-go, playing it in alternate genres [adventures at Hogwarts was the only way I convinced someone to play!], etc). I’m sure other systems could be more easily accessible to first-timers without alterations though, I’m just not familiar enough with them to take the risk of running them for newbies…too paranoid about screwing up their first experience and turning them off to RPGs forever 😉 I do want to get more familiar with other games so I can give more options though! I agree with Angela Murray too – the mood of the table and the spirit of fun are what’s really important.
Michael G. Barford I’ve always used the game I know best – D&D 5e. But I’ve done a lot with it to make it fit the new players (carving it down to bare essentials for people who I don’t think will want all the details from the get-go, playing it in alternate genres [adventures at Hogwarts was the only way I convinced someone to play!], etc). I’m sure other systems could be more easily accessible to first-timers without alterations though, I’m just not familiar enough with them to take the risk of running them for newbies…too paranoid about screwing up their first experience and turning them off to RPGs forever 😉 I do want to get more familiar with other games so I can give more options though! I agree with Angela Murray too – the mood of the table and the spirit of fun are what’s really important.