Playing Dungeons & Dragons and similar tabletop role-playing games for the first time is a bewildering but never-to-be-forgotten experience. Whether it’s also a good experience is up to you, the Game Master.
So how do we stack the odds in the beginner’s favor? I have some tricks.
Adding a Beginner to an Existing Group
When introducing a beginner into an existing gaming group, I give them a warrior character to play, one at least as high-level as the best fighter in the party.
Then I give them the pitch: “You’re playing a big, stupid, fearless, reckless warrior. You’re at least as powerful as any other warrior in the group. You get along with your friends and love destroying your enemies. With any luck, you’ll die a glorious death and save the lives of your friends by the end of the evening.”
Beginners love this! The role is within their range, they’ll likely get a blaze of glory, and they don’t have to think about the long-term implications of anything. And they usually have a wonderful time, much better than the usual practice of making them run a Level One character who can’t do anything useful except die pointlessly after being dropped into a higher-level party.
Then, of course, I arrange the evening’s adventure so things work as advertised by throwing extra foes at the party until the newcomer’s character dies heroically.
For simplicity, I’ve been known to declare this to be a practice run that doesn’t really count so other players can pull out characters they want to play or do other unusual things that woudn’t fit a playing-for-keeps session. Alternatively, we can declare it’s all for keeps unless someone other than the new warrior dies. Getting newcomers up to speed is worth straining canonical play somewhat, but not infinitely.
Groups of Beginners, Especially Children
Running a session for kids is as much fun as a barrel of monkeys, which it will resemble in other ways as well. The following tips will help, and aren’t inappropriate even with adults, at least one of whom always turns out to be poorly socialized:
- Use pre-rolled characters. This can save hours; you have no idea. You don’t have to explain everything on the character sheet, either. Let the campaign go on for two or three sessions before introducing character creation.
- Provide a list of possessions everyone is carrying (knife, small sums of money, handkerchief, backpack, blanket, whatever). Put the special things individuals are carrying (wand, sword, chain mail, helmet, etc.) on their character sheets. “If it’s not listed, you don’t have it.”
- Simplify the character choices. For example, with D&D, having human fighters and magic-users as the only options will simplify the all-important first sessions. In this example, all the fighters could have identical character sheets and it wouldn’t make any difference. That sort of thing is for later.
- Have clearly stated and firmly repeated ground rules. No touching the other players. No touching the other player’s stuff. No touching any miniature figures but your own, and only when it’s your turn. Don’t talk over me. Don’t talk over the other players when it’s their turn. If you’re not in your seat or paying attention when it’s your turn, you lose it and your character does nothing. If you’re not good at sounding stern, learn fast.
- Plunge into the action. Don’t explain game mechanics more than you possibly can. Declare that the player characters have all known each other for a while to avoid role-playing how they met. Have the players introduce their characters and then begin. Start the adventure at the mouth of the dungeon (or whatever), not in town. In short, avoid preliminaries.
- Keep an eye on the quieter players. They’ll be drowned out otherwise.
- Go around the table in a fixed order to ensure everyone gets their turn.
- Expect kids to become wildly excited. They won’t be able to keep their voices down, but keep telling them to stop shouting anyway. A certain amount of chatter is inevitable, too.
- Remind them to speak in character. This reduces the amount of chatter and makes the next point funnier.
- Keep it moving. If the players start to dither or otherwise waste time, ostentatiously roll dice for wandering monsters. Tell them what the roll is for. If the characters are being noisy, remind them that this attracts monsters. Concealed rolls so you can declare a wandering monster encounter once the players get on your nerves, whether the dice call for one or not, is an option.
- If any players want to argue, tell them they have sixty seconds to make their case, listen, and render a quick decision. Don’t hesitate to say, “My game, my rules, and anyway we’re using simplified rules right now for speed and simplicity.”
- Don’t worry too much about the outcome. Having a new character die in battle is almost a victory to most beginners, so don’t pull your punches too much.
- Consider improvising a near-repetition when it turns out the players think something is the coolest thing ever. If they adored killing skeletons for some reason, more skeletons can be provided later on.
- Don’t let the session last too long. I figure ninety minutes is the absolute limit. An hour is better. Initial sessions are exhausting, especially for you. This is one reason why we want to dispense with the preliminaries.
- Be available for questions after the official end. They’ll have plenty.
- Arm yourself with vast numbers of additional tips by reading my book, Through Dungeons Deep: A Fantasy Gamer’s Handbook.
