Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines.
Starting a game with players who are new to any system can be challenging. Even if the players have experience with gaming or roleplaying, a new system will undoubtedly have more parts than a deluxe Lego set. But, what if there was a way to bring first-time players into a campaign and get them comfortable right away? While you could work with a player outside of the game, there is nothing quite like using a character’s abilities actually in the moment.
Of course, there is Session 0, which is a fantastic tool to make sure the DM and group are all on the same page. However, you could run a specially designed starter game that is more focused on getting everyone familiar with how the system works before jumping headfirst into things. At the end, your new players should walk away with a foundation for how both their characters and the system operate.
The best part of running a starter game is that your new players will learn the system without making them feel like they were in a classroom. This is why we have assembled these tips on running a pre-game to teach players the basics without giving a lecture that would put a 32 oz. can of Red Bull to sleep.
Do New Players Really Need a Starter Game Instead of Just Jumping Right In?
Well, D&D is one of those things that is simple, until you try and explain how it works in a few sentences to someone who’s not a gamer. A while ago, a buddy asked me to explain to his girlfriend how to play D&D so she could jump into an upcoming session. Then, 20 minutes into that conversation, she looked at me like you would a professor who just wrote a full blackboard-sized equation and asked if there were any questions. To be fair, we were playing 2nd Edition at the time, which was definitely a complex game, even before you added our house rules.
My concern here is that, if you try to explain too much in one sitting, it won’t stick. Especially if there is a gap between your conversation and gameday. Then, when the game actually starts, the new player only remembers their character’s name, class and that running out of hitpoints is bad.
The Past Is Better Left in the Last
Back in the day, D&D had optional rules for running 0-level characters before they began their adventuring careers. This yielded mixed reactions, as some players recoiled in horror at the idea of being trapped for six sessions in the fantasy version of the 9th grade.
While it’s nice to develop a good character backstory, perhaps we don’t necessarily need to open the story at a character’s 10th birthday party, either. Unless, in the next scene, their family is killed by the BBEG. (Which in that case it’s absolutely necessary!)
If you have some players who want to try an unfamiliar system or a player who’s itching to take a new character for a test drive. then this is a perfect chance. More than one DM has run a game where, three or four sessions deep, a player realizes that they don’t like how their character’s class abilities operate.
Keep It Together Guys
In days past, we had mini pre-games for each of the players separately. Then, at the end of their own games, they were united – not unlike the Avengers. Now, if you have the time, energy and sanity to attempt this, then knock yourself out. However, be warned that it is not a process for the faint of heart or those with less free time than Warhammer players have disposable income.
A more streamlined approach is to have all of the players training together in one place under one common patron. This allows the players to interact with each other as well as the environment, but it’s advisable to keep the entire party together on screen as much as possible. Otherwise, the game could end up having three or more individual scenes all happening at once that will be about as easy to moderate as a presidential debate.
If the players are all starting out together under one patron, it provides opportunities to unite everyone’s goals. Also, if you’re undecided on where the players should meet, it’s definitely more original than having them all converge at a bar because of a twist of fate. Personally, as a DM, I would enjoy sneaking in some not-so-subtle team-building exercises. Perhaps put them in a contest against another group that also works for their patron with a reward that can be shared aside from just bragging rites.
We Don’t Work for Free
During this time, the players should still be earning rewards in the form of gold, XP, items, information and contacts. Because every adventure needs a few rewards to make the players feel like they but their characters are moving forward. The rewards don’t have to be anything outrageous, but the challenges shouldn’t be mindless fetch quests, either. (Insert Mash joke here with Klinger needing a hairdryer.)
In this starter, session relationships can be established with the characters’ families, mentors, and even the groundwork for some of their enemies can be put into place.
Graduation
The starter session should feel, in some respects, like the tutorial of a video game. You know: You will want to learn how the game’s controls work. Get a feel for the story and how you can fight, heal and whatnot.
The player’s familiarity with the game should be the real guiding factor here. If they are completely green, then have them perform actions that allow them to test their skills and see what they are good and not-so-hot with. It’s better for a rookie wizard to figure out that they may not want to be in the front line in the demo than during a boss fight.
Before its conclusion, it would make sense for the players to demonstrate their skills and class features in some form of somewhat dramatic final test. Because every school in the universe requires its students to pass at least some form of a final exam before setting them off into the world. This should be one of the most climactic aspects of the campaign so far, and, hopefully, it will be memorable.
Conclusion
Running a starter game can be a great opportunity to introduce players to an unfamiliar system. Your goal should be that, when a new player joins, they will be eager to come back, play again and build on what they have learned. And while maybe you know a system backward and forward, it doesn’t take too much imagination to see how it could be overwhelming for someone new. Just like if a new player is running an arcane class, the gloves come off when it’s time for them to pick out spells.
Finally, if you have players who are familiar with the system, this can serve as a chance for them to interact with some of the key NPCs in their backstory before they all get sucked into Ravenloft!