Introducing new people to D&D... help!

[rubycona]

So, I'm heading down to see family and friends for Christmas, that I haven't seen in many years... and I'd been introduced to D&D since then. So they don't know a thing. But, I've convinced them, sometime during my trip, they'll be willing to sit down and try D&D out. Obviously, I'm DMing. And yes, they do realize this will be an involved introduction.

We'll be playing Pathfinder, and I'll have anywhere between 2-5 players, most likely 3. And they'll be level 1.

I get only one shot at this. I'd LOVE to get them hooked on D&D, too, in no small part because I honestly believe this is one of the most fun activities that can possibly be done. So I'm basically asking for help in making that happen.

I can't make a proper campaign, so I need a game that can be completed in a single sitting, maybe a 4 hour adventure. Ideally, it should be simple enough to not be overwhelming, but complex enough to hint at the depth that D&D is capable of. I'm top notch at roleplaying and dealing with NPCs, so it should involve that to at least some degree. And ideally touches of all D&D main elements, IE, NPCs, combat, plot hook, maybe a villain. The whole lot play video games (some better than others >.>), and one's even played through Neverwinter Nights. I hope to angle the game such that their gaming experience can come into play, maybe make them feel less like they're drowning. D&D can be damned overwhelming >.>

I've got a full year's DMing experience, so I'm not exactly needing an entire adventure laid out or anything. I've got some thoughts, but I was hoping to fish for something that might be really special, ideas about what I should include. Perhaps an adventure outline, perhaps some warnings about what I should be careful of with an entire group of complete newbies, some ideas about specific things I might aim for... that sort of thing.

So far, I've got nothing special, just a straight, simple dungeon crawl, with some undead, a demon, some goblins, a trapped treasure chest... basic fare, and a small town with someone to send you there. I'm wary of making it too complicated, since they've never done Any roleplay before, but I can't help but think that it'd be fine to do something more involved... It's just that I'm not used to working with newbies -.- I haven't worked with newbies in ages. Which leaves me uncertain about what the best balance between simple and involved is.

Anyway, any help you guys can give me on this would be greatly appreciated! I hope to have an entire clan of new D&D addicts... muhahaha :P

Edit: Note, one of them, the most experienced gamer and the most interested, has decided he's playing a cleric. It makes me smile... he's going to love it, I'm sure of it! (How can you not love playing a cleric?) Another one I'm 99% sure is going to pick fighter (possibly barbarian). I'm vetoing wizards... they're just too likely to fail horribly at level 1, if the PC doesn't know what they're doing. So you know a bit about the class makeup, if it matters.

[Dr.Epic]

If they've seen Lord of the Rings, tell them it'll be just like that (and if they haven't, try and see if you can get them to). Have the campaign be very rules light with little combat and mostly RP. Be very involved with their character creation and try to let them have as much fun as possible.

[HunterOfJello]

My first suggestion is to make sure that each person creates their own character sheet. They can have help, but I've noticed that first time players get much more into the game if they've already put effort into creating the character on paper and in their head. If you go this route, then take time to go through everything individually with each person beforehand. Creating characters at the table takes a very long time for multiple people.

I would try to include as many elements from the Writing Your First Adventure (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ab/20060728a) guide. It's good to introduce all of the different elements to players so they get a good mix of concepts in their first session.

~

Second suggestion is to keep the number of new players at any table to a minimum. I DMed several sessions where there was 1 experienced player, 1 player who understood some of the rules and 4 players who knew nothing. It turned out as a complete disaster because there were far too many people who didn't know what was going on at any point in time and not enough people to answer questions. The 4 new players were also far too easily distracted and ended up distracting eachother too much to even finish a single combat round in 20 minutes.

~

Back to more positive stuff. For players new and old, a large marker board is always useful. I keep a marker board up at all times with the Initiative order on the bottom and the action types in boxes at the top. It lists out:

|Standard Action | Move Action | Swift | Free |
| Full Round Action |

and saves lots of time for questions.

Other information like might be good to put up on the board also.

~

I'll try to post more ideas later, it's been a while since I've DMed for a completely new group.

[rubycona]

Thanks for the help so far.

One of them may or may not be playing... he's not really interested, or um, really bright, but if he feels like playing, I'll just build him a simple sword-and-board fighter and let him bash stuff. I'll have to hold his hand through the game, but it shouldn't be so bad.

The others, though, will definitely have their characters properly made. I'll walk them through the process, one at a time. We can easily work on the characters on and off for several days before we actually sit down to the game, so there's no concerns on that, there won't be any rush or pressure at all.

While the marker board idea is nice, I fear it'll be impractical. I'm flying down, and space will be cramped.

Thanks again for the help. I look forward to other points you may make. And yeah, I think I'll limit it to 3 players... that's a good size, I think.

[Lost Demiurge]

Make a character for each of them.

Some of them won't want to make characters, some of them will. The ones that won't can use the characters you made. Don't insist that people have to make characters. For some people, this is like doing taxes.

[Vladislav]

Make every character's skills and abilities matter.

If the rogue invested heavily in Open Lock, make sure there's at least one lock that needs to be picked. Ranger? Make sure he encounters his favored enemy at least once. And so on.

Make sure they aren't thrust into frustrating situations like the rogue with a rapier being useless against skeletons. Experienced players can handle this, newer ones are often put off.

[Gabe the Bard]

I think wizard or sorcerer could be okay for a newbie as long as you pick the right spells for them. Someone who doesn't have a complete grasp of the rules may still have a lot of fun with illusion spells, like silent image and ghost sound, if they have a good imagination. I also think illusions are one of the things that show how open-ended D&D can be.

[rubycona]

Make every character's skills and abilities matter.

If the rogue invested heavily in Open Lock, make sure there's at least one lock that needs to be picked. Ranger? Make sure he encounters his favored enemy at least once. And so on.

Make sure they aren't thrust into frustrating situations like the rogue with a rapier being useless against skeletons. Experienced players can handle this, newer ones are often put off.

I can edit stuff like that on the fly, so no problem there. As far as the Wiz/Sorc thing goes... If the player in question, in my opinion, can handle it, and wants it, even with a firm "Be careful with that class!" warning, it's theirs. (plus I'm only concerned about Wiz, not Sorc. Clerics and Druids are iffy, too, but at least they've got weapons/animal companions if they mess up the spells)

What do you guys think about the adventure? Does it sound like a good start? I'm thinking of starting them in a tavern, for grins and giggles... it's such a cliche' start, but I've never actually done it before. Start em in a tavern, small little town where they can't get themselves into Too much trouble, rawr goblins have attacked from the west, please go kill them. Small goblin raiding camp, positioned outside a little dungeon crawl that the goblins have tried to explore. PCs wipe the goblins, go into the dungeon crawl. Wipe a few more goblins, get through a door that the goblins failed to open, find a few rats, some undead, a vargouille(sp?), some lost treasure, BBEG zombie bugbear in a special old crypt, come back as heroes for killing the goblins and clearing out that "spooky old place."

Fairly cut and dry... no real villain to speak of, though. *sighs* It's just, with only one session, and not a long one at that, I'm struggling to incorporate stuff. I just can't have it go too long, else the game won't get done. Above is a few encounters, a few rooms. I'm sure we can get through it in 4 hours. And if they want to keep going... I can so do that.

What do you guys think? Perhaps a different angle, more RPish? Like, dealing with (untrained, I guess, for CR <1 each) bandits, whom they might dialogue with or something? Or perhaps a more personal request, say, farmer's daughter was kidnapped by a love-mad "villain"? Have some quirky humor, silly interactions... hmm, maybe that'd be good.

I dunno. I've got a little over a week to decide, which is plenty of time. What do you lot think?

[Vladislav]

A dungeon crawl is ok for a starter adventure. Just make sure there is, despite of it being a dungeon crawl, at least one talking encounter. Maybe with an Imp butler, whose masters are long dead and gone, and who is really bored and just wants to yak around with the PCs. Maybe a prisoner they can release.

Just one social encounter, for a good measure, you know. Get them used to the notion that not everything they meet makes them roll initiative.

[Duke of URL]

I think a list of "don't"s is probably in order here...


Don't put in a lot of puzzles, especially ones that will stop progress. Small puzzles that provide rewards for solving them are fine, but you're on a time budget and you don't want them stalled by a puzzle.
Don't even use some of the more complex rules. E.g., skip grapple entirely. Discourage feats or classes that have a lot of circumstantial benefits that have to be calculated on the fly.
Don't let things drag. Encourage role-playing, but keep things moving.
Don't deal with the relatavism of alignment. They're the good guys. They're fighting bad guys.


Now, of course, if you get them interested, the more complex stuff can get added in. But you really want to streamline things as much as possible for a "single session to 'sell' them on the game".

[RebelRogue]

I second making a bunch of pre-made characters - character creation for noobs is tedious and takes way more time than one might imagine at first. It's sort of a downer if all the available time is spent making chars instead of actually playing. Focus on archetypes and make more characters than there are players, so they have something to choose from. Avoiding the 'harder' classes may be a good idea (seriously, helping noobs play druids with full casting, animal companions and spontaneous summoning can be a mouthful!)

[Incanur]

I'm vetoing wizards... they're just too likely to fail horribly at level 1, if the PC doesn't know what they're doing.

Just explain to the player that their powers are to make things slippery and to knock people unconscious with bright lights. Not necessarily glamorous, but effective.

Good look. My personal experience introducing folks to D&D has ranged from complete success to ridiculous but entertaining romps.

[rubycona]

I second making a bunch of pre-made characters - character creation for noobs is tedious and takes way more time than one might imagine at first. It's sort of a downer if all the available time is spent making chars instead of actually playing. Focus on archetypes and make more characters than there are players, so they have something to choose from. Avoiding the 'harder' classes may be a good idea (seriously, helping noobs play druids with full casting, animal companions and spontaneous summoning can be a mouthful!)

Actually, I find druids to be pretty workable for newbies. They don't ever play them to their full potential, but the nice thing is, they can go, "Um, this would be handy... oh, look, I can do that!" They can completely fail and still be effective... yay animal companions XD

But I'm not really worried about the time to make characters. I've got two weeks with them, and they've promised me one proper game session. I'll work with them on and off, no pressure, till the characters are ready, and then we'll set up the actual game. They can take 5 days to make a character if they feel so inclined, or have me build one exactly according to their specifications, or I'll just build something that matches their basic idea, or whatever. Mind, we'll be level 1, there aren't all That many choices at that level.

Thanks everyone for the help so far :)

[RebelRogue]

Ok, that's a cool way to do it. I agree it's a good idea to let everyone make their own character with that kind of time schedule (I frequently had to help 7-8 people do this stuff at the same time at my old job - pretty hectic, but at least I got paid playing D&D :smallbiggrin:). Be ready to do the actual character creation for some of the players though, as some will care little for mechanics and find the process tedious.

The druid comment wasn't so much directed at power level, as it was with having to help the player keep track of things - new players seldom bother to manage all the details of their characters and druids are particularly offensive in that regard ('You summon what? Ok, wait a minute while I get out the MM'). That's true even at level 1. Maybe I'm just disillusioned from having played so much with kids...

[Bonecrusher Doc]

I keep a marker board up at all times with the Initiative order on the bottom and the action types in boxes at the top. It lists out:

|Standard Action | Move Action | Swift | Free |
| Full Round Action |

and saves lots of time for questions.

Other information like might be good to put up on the board also.

~

I'll try to post more ideas later, it's been a while since I've DMed for a completely new group.

Ooh, I like this "cheat sheet" idea!

[rubycona]

Ok, that's a cool way to do it. I agree it's a good idea to let everyone make their own character with that kind of time schedule (I frequently had to help 7-8 people do this stuff at the same time at my old job - pretty hectic, but at least I got paid playing D&D :smallbiggrin:). Be ready to do the actual character creation for some of the players though, as some will care little for mechanics and find the process tedious.

The druid comment wasn't so much directed at power level, as it was with having to help the player keep track of things - new players seldom bother to manage all the details of their characters and druids are particularly offensive in that regard ('You summon what? Ok, wait a minute while I get out the MM'). That's true even at level 1. Maybe I'm just disillusioned from having played so much with kids...

No problem on the character creation. I figure I'll have a number of character sheets ready to go (and ready to tweak, if one's "almost right."), I'll be ready to build a character based on verbal description of concept, and of course, ready to sit down and walk them through the character creation process, help them make their own.

Btw, serious jealously on having a paid-to-play-D&D job :P

As far as the druid... you're right on that count. But I find that the DM (if s/he's willing, it's not like the DM doesn't have a lot to do anyway...) can take a lot of the load off of the newbie druid. But, I was in a game, and a fellow player was playing a druid... she got to 12th level, and never once used wildshape XD And barely used a tenth of her spellcasting potential. And she was still effective! She'd played fighters previously, and basically played her druid as a fighter pair (go animal companion), with occasional bits of spells (mostly healing) thrown in. Way she played it, it was downright simple.

I doubt anyone's going druid, though. At least, I hope not -.-

[Kaun]

I would avoid the stright up dungeon crawl.

I would all so make sure the game is fast paced with a sence of urgency.

Try something like this;

The Players are all at a party at a local nobles manor when it is attaked by a necromancer from a rival family.

Make it so the PC's are motivated to try and escape the grounds, and that the undead are always niping at their heals to keep things moving fast. You can have little mini encounters where they are trying to save other party goers or escaping flaming rooms ect ect.

As a note having obvious bad guys and obvious good guys always helps specially when time is a factor. Wandering undead are as bad as it gets where some players unfamiliar with the genre may get confused about what is ok to kill and whats not.

All so stick to the golden rule of never say "no". New players do strange things and your generally better of letting them try and learn the hard way rather then constantly reminding them of the most optimal action.

[kyoryu]

Stick with mostly iconic classes and simple builds. People understand druid, wizard, fighter. They may not understand what a factotum is. Same with races - human isn't bad, but most people 'get' elves and dwarves. But Tiefling? Deva?

Remember that what's cliche to you is novel and exciting to them, so play it relatively straight. Their biggest fantasy experiences so far are probably Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, so playing one of those up is likely a good thing (I'd lean more towards LotR, but that's me).

Similarly, make your enemies things that people would be somewhat familiar with. Goblins are probably fine, but I'd avoid kobolds. Orcs are probably good ("they're like the bad guys in LotR"). Undead are certainly appropriate, as anyone that's seen a horror movie will be able to understand them...

Basically, you want to make sure that the game is filled with things that will resonate with them. The more you do that, the easier it will be for them to enjoy the game. They'll have enough jargon just by virtue of learning the game that being able to attach to somewhat familiar concepts in the setting will go a long way towards engaging them.

If possible, make a scenario that can go either the social route, the skillmonkey route, or the combat route - and then figure out what they're responding to, and emphasize those aspects.

Definitely go with pre-made character sheets. Additionally, if you can, make up crib sheets giving them ideas of what they should, in general, be looking at doing. Even some backstory and characterization may be a good thing as well.

Give out cool loot. It's a one-shot, who cares? The thrill of finding new cool stuff is part of the game, and so they should be able to experience that. Try to go for things that actually do cool things, rather than just add mechanical bonuses.

Don't go too crazy with wacky monsters or enemy abilities. If fighting skeletons, a "really big skeleton" is probably memorable enough, just by giving him extra hit points and maybe a little more damage. He doesn't necessarily need to have some wacky aura that inflicts status effects on the players.

If possible, have props. Does the evil necromancer deliver some kind of threatening missive to the players? Write it up, print it out, and age it with coffee or whatever. Do they find a magic amulet? Make or buy an appropriate amulet. If they find some magic stones or something, go out to the driveway and grab some rocks to give to them.

Lastly, as the DM, make sure you make the game come alive. Don't describe combat as "hitting for 10 damage." Describe the swing of the mighty axe as it comes down, and how it breaks chips off of the skeleton, cracking its ribs. Don't just describe the innkeeper - make the players feel his beady little eyes staring at their coinpurses.

[Salanmander]

I would avoid the stright up dungeon crawl.

I would all so make sure the game is fast paced with a sence of urgency.

Try something like this;

The Players are all at a party at a local nobles manor when it is attaked by a necromancer from a rival family.

Make it so the PC's are motivated to try and escape the grounds, and that the undead are always niping at their heals to keep things moving fast. You can have little mini encounters where they are trying to save other party goers or escaping flaming rooms ect ect.

As a note having obvious bad guys and obvious good guys always helps specially when time is a factor. Wandering undead are as bad as it gets where some players unfamiliar with the genre may get confused about what is ok to kill and whats not.

All so stick to the golden rule of never say "no". New players do strange things and your generally better of letting them try and learn the hard way rather then constantly reminding them of the most optimal action.

This. Dungeon crawls can be fun for gamist types, but unless you've got really interesting plot or atmosphere material, will have trouble drawing new people in.

I love the idea of the Escape from the Undead-Filled Mansion. If you don't like it, or if you want something that will give them a little more freedom, consider giving them a goal point (documents, gold, prisoners, whatever) inside a known area. This right away lets them talk, fight, or sneak their way in, which highlights one of the best parts about D&D over video games: it's not pre-scripted.

[RebelRogue]

Dungeon crawls are iconic to D&D; it's half the name of the game for a reason. That they should only cater to gamists is rubbish, sry! And too many undead will annoy any rogue character to no end, though they will be fun for any cleric around. Use them, but sparingly.

[Kaun]

Dungeon crawls are iconic to D&D; it's half the name of the game for a reason. That they should only cater to gamists is rubbish, sry!.

By that logic if a Dragon isnt included in this introduction game then they haven't completely experianced DnD.

The truth of the matter is if your new players arn't wargamers or play dnd style video games the generic dungeon crawl may not make a whole lot of sense to them.

I love a good old crawl as much as the next sword Jockey but they have a time and place.



And too many undead will annoy any rogue character to no end, though they will be fun for any cleric around. Use them, but sparingly

Fresh players are unlikely to be to concerned by this fact unless you state "fyi rogues are suck against undead, Have fun!" As long as the DM makes sure there are situations where all the characters can shine it should be fine.

[Vladislav]

This. Dungeon crawls can be fun for gamist types, but unless you've got really interesting plot or atmosphere material, will have trouble drawing new people in.

I love the idea of the Escape from the Undead-Filled Mansion. If you don't like it, or if you want something that will give them a little more freedom, consider giving them a goal point (documents, gold, prisoners, whatever) inside a known area. This right away lets them talk, fight, or sneak their way in, which highlights one of the best parts about D&D over video games: it's not pre-scripted.Interesting perspective.

I have never run anything but dungeon crawls for new groups, and was never disappointed, nor were the players.

Also, in a staggering piece of irony, did you notice that Escape from the Undead-Filled Mansion is in fact a form of dungeon crawl?

[Kaun]

Also, in a staggering piece of irony, did you notice that Escape from the Undead-Filled Mansion is in fact a form of dungeon crawl?

Yeah it is, just not generic.

The players have a good reason for being there and a good reason for leaving, that wont take much time to explain or build up to action.

The op sounds like time to play will be limited so these are both positives.

[RebelRogue]

Undead arcs of stories makes you feel totally useless as a rogue. I'm talking personal experience here. Just because there's a lock thrown in for good measure at some point in the dungeon doesn't make you feel particularly 'shiny'. Just saying.

My point is: keep it somewhat balanced. A dungeon adventure with a little bit of everything does not need to be 'gamist' or lack verisimilitude.

Edit: Now with far less exclamation points(!) :smallbiggrin:

[rubycona]

*hugs all of you*

Good stuff!

I love the fight/RP/skillmonkey idea, to have them all as options. I might have to actually say that outloud to the players, IE, "Okay, just so you know, there's no "right answer" here... it looks like you've got some choices, and they're really, actually choices. Just go with the option that would be the choice your character would make. Or what looks like the most fun. Have at it."

Several options to consider, and several valid points for each option. Hmm hmm.

Namely, the dungeon crawl appeals because it's easy to run, freeing up my attention to make sure I don't miss anything the PCs do, it's simple, making it easier for them, and it's very video-gamey in its own way, making it familiar ground for them. Though, I'm agreeing, a non-generic dungeon crawl (like the undead escape) sounds best.

I'm finding myself leaning towards a little social encounter to lead them into some kind of dungeon crawl or another. Undead-filled mansion seems fun, but we have more or less confirmed the party... we've got a buffbot/diplomacy cleric, and an archer rogue. And the SAB fighter is a possibility. I'm thinking undead aren't going to be my enemies of choice, 'cause of the rogue. Though maybe a large wave of really weak ones that the cleric can Channel Positive Energy and mow through.

But you've got me thinking about unconventional approaches, and that's exactly what I was hoping for. *keeps reading and thinking*

[Kaun]

Undead arcs of stories makes you feel totally useless as a rogue! I'm talking personal experience here! Just because there's a lock thrown in for good measure at some point in the dungeon doesn't make you feel particularly 'shiny'! Just saying!

Unnescessary exclamation marks aside thats all fine and dandy, i have been in similar situations and have not had any issue, i just have to work around the fact that backstabing isn't the best option.

Secondly, with the 4hr time frame the OP put on the game time i doubt there will be much room for combat any way. So i can see the rogue being at a disadvantage for much of the game.

[WeLoveFireballs]

I will give you my procedure for introducing new players:

Ask them for a favorate character from a book, show or movie.
Try to replecate this and give a short description of the abilities.
Ask them what they want to do each turn then tell them how to do this eventually they will figure out how to do things on their own.

DO NOT make a character with them it takes ages to explain each step and choice properly.

[Salanmander]

Interesting perspective.

I have never run anything but dungeon crawls for new groups, and was never disappointed, nor were the players.

Also, in a staggering piece of irony, did you notice that Escape from the Undead-Filled Mansion is in fact a form of dungeon crawl?

You're right, and I should have been more specific. I was trying to reference the feeling that I got from the OP's


...I've got nothing special, just a straight, simple dungeon crawl, with some undead, a demon, some goblins, a trapped treasure chest... basic fare...

What I was trying to get at is that if all you have is a map with monsters, doors, traps, and locks, it's probably going to feel like a fairly gamist...er...game. You can, of course, have games that explore all facets of roleplaying in a dungeon. It just requires good atmosphere, backstory, NPCs....something.

Also, regarding undead and rogues, having an encounter with a few skeletons and a squishy necromancer or two (cleric, not wizard) can give everyone a chance to shine.

[rubycona]

What I was trying to get at is that if all you have is a map with monsters, doors, traps, and locks, it's probably going to feel like a fairly gamist...er...game. You can, of course, have games that explore all facets of roleplaying in a dungeon. It just requires good atmosphere, backstory, NPCs....something.

Also, regarding undead and rogues, having an encounter with a few skeletons and a squishy necromancer or two (cleric, not wizard) can give everyone a chance to shine.

Good idea. Though, making a decently balanced encounter for level 1s, with a necromancer cleric might prove a tad challenging.

And I'm definitely throwing in NPCs, and there will be a background. I just don't want the players to be overwhelmed with details. Balance... ah, the holy grail.

[Kyos]

I'd recommend trying to play into pre-existing interests. Subtly throw in references to their favorite TV shows or something. I got my mom to have fun with it by having her mission given out by Queen Cuddy of Princetonia, but she's that sort of person who loves the silly stuff.

I hate to be useless, but I was lucky enough to have a bunch of friends who were willing to try again and again whenever I messed up. I had actually never played before either, so I ran a Paranoia game because it seemed like something that was almost all RP would be super easy and fun. Instant hit.

EDIT: The 'example of play' sections are a godsend for times like this. Remember: Show, don't tell!

[Godskook]

Level 1 is a slaughter fest if you're not careful. I *HIGHLY* suggest against it. Try level 3. The PCs will have enough HP to survive weak hits, and you'll have a better learning curve, but still under-CR the first fight or two(other reason for going level 3, so you can under-CR and still have a 'fight').

[Duke of URL]

I'm finding myself leaning towards a little social encounter to lead them into some kind of dungeon crawl or another. Undead-filled mansion seems fun, but we have more or less confirmed the party... we've got a buffbot/diplomacy cleric, and an archer rogue. And the SAB fighter is a possibility. I'm thinking undead aren't going to be my enemies of choice, 'cause of the rogue. Though maybe a large wave of really weak ones that the cleric can Channel Positive Energy and mow through.

The "undead filled manor" works just fine if you replace "undead" with, say a band of demi-human bandits. Or even mix the ideas -- the players are sent to investigate the old haunted manor... it's still haunted, but much of the undead infestation has been wiped out by a band of kobolds who came to loot the place. They PCs somehow get trapped inside, in the middle of it all, and need to:

a) Find a way to escape alive (primary goal)
b) Finish wiping out the undead infestation (secondary goal)
c) Deal with the kobold scavengers (tertiary goal)

Basic plot: The old manor just outside of town has been thought of as haunted for a long time. What no one knew is that a good-sized horde of skeletons and zombies slept there, waiting to be commanded, with only a few patrolling the manor to keep the curious away.

A band of kobold bandits have braved the danger, to try and loot the valuables from the mansion. They overcame the patrols fairly easily, but in the process, "woke up" the "sleeping" horde and have been fighting for their lives, split into smaller groups as they've played hit-and-run. One of their members, a cleric, has found an old necklace, that he will eventually realize will allow him to control the undead creatures in the house.

Meanwhile, back in town, "something odd" seems to be going on at the old haunted manor, and would the PCs please be so kind and brave as to check it out?

Once inside, they find the way in is no longer able to be the way out, so they must fight or avoid the skeletons and zombies, somehow deal with the kobolds, and make their way back out. At some point, the climactic encounter will be against the kobold cleric and an assortment of other kobolds, skeletons, and zombies in his retinue.

As for the rogue, considering that (s)he knows the party is going into a "haunted" place, just give him/her a variety of arrows: regular (piercing), razor-tip (slashing), and blunt (bludgeoning) so that (s)he can be at least somewhat effective against them.

Note that the necklace is not magical, it's just that these particular zombies and skeletons were ordered to obey whoever wears the necklace. If the players enjoy the game and wish to continue after the one-shot, the plot hooks are: Who created and/or commanded the undead? Why here? What were they created/waiting for? Why was the necklace left behind? Meanwhile, the kobold tribe the bandits came from might wish to have a "chat" with the PCs, based on how much killing vs. mutual escaping went on.

[Dsurion]

Since everyone seems to be jumping on the idea of a manor filled with something, you might actually still be able to use undead, and a single creature would work perfectly. Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of Red Death is a good example. You could have a single creature show up and throw everything into chaos, allowing for people who are too interested in their own lives to worry about everyone else, shoving aside and/or killing anyone in their way to get out. It could also create some tense diplomacy if people are up to it.

[bokodasu]

First, I'd recommend gradual building. A wolf attacks! This is how attacking works, this is how ac works, oops, trip attempt! Then a couple of kobolds attack - now you understand flanking and maybe some really basic tactics. Don't worry about all the players' powers - try to get them to focus on learning how to do one or maybe two things at a time.

If there is a druid, hand them a copy of the monster manual and a pack of those sticky bookmark tabs and tell them to mark anything they can summon. Give them a sheet with their companion's stats. Same thing with spellcasters and the spells section of the PHB. (If you've got the time, you can make them actual spellbook printouts - front-loaded work, but it makes the game run much smoother.)

Don't go all monty haul, but pick a few nice pieces of treasure that are relevant to your players' interests and their character's classes and sprinkle them around.

The RP vs. Killin' Stuff balance is tricky and requires knowing your players well. I like throwing in a prisoner to rescue, but do whatever makes sense for the people you're playing with.

Oh! And absolutely ban evil characters and make a reason why the characters are working together in advance. A simple "you all work for the same mercenary company/detective agency/guard force/guild" works just fine and does wonders for party cohesiveness. If they're all the same race (or at least half-somethings), you can make them a family, which can be fun. (I ran a game once that involved a pair of half-orc and half-elf brothers, and it was great for interparty dynamics. "Oh sure, TAKE the sword. MOM ALWAYS LIKED YOU BEST!")