endoperez
2012-03-05, 05:01 PM
What factors make the players interested in the game when there's no combat? I'm going to GM an introductory roleplaying session to a group of people with little experience in RPGs and for whom combat isn't the main draw. Here's some stuff I think will be important, to get this thing started, and a few generic ideas I already have thought of. I'd appreciate general discussion on this, and further suggestions are also welcome.
Roleplaying!
Some people are happy to discuss their character's virtual lives and opinions with others. However, does that work during the first session? Does that work when one of the players is new? It might not. Most people come in expecting game elements in addition to the acting and role-taking ones.
However, this is one of the more important ones, IMO. It would be best if the other options encouraged this, in one way or another.
Players might be interested in following the story and revealing a mystery, finding out a secret. Just following the story could easily become railroading, so I believe the players should have a chance of changing its course. There should be some information that changes how the players act, once it's revealed.
Knowing that the murderer is left-handed is a nice example. They are now interested in finding out things about the NPCs that were just fluff to them, before, and it's also something that can be found out in many different ways.
There's the luck factor, too. Some sort of threat, a feeling of success or a chance of failure, makes the players interested. People like gambling, and getting to roll some dice is always fun. Seeing the GM roll the dice can be an unnerving experience. However, how will this lead into one of the other interesting things?
Greed is another fantastic one. It works with combat, of course, and can lead into combat, but that is only if the players make that choice.
Non-violent conflict could also work, although it depends on the system a lot. If a diplomatic encounter or a lie is resolved by a single roll of dice, this doesn't work that well. If they're traveling in a space ship, bad roads won't cause problems.
This isn't specific to D&D, and I'd prefer examples that work in one-shots as well.
1) The players are looking for a murderer, and discover that he was left-handed. They are now interested in the NPCs, and can't just ask them about it since they don't want to tip off the murderer.
2) The players find a lost merchant with a big purse, or a wounded, unconscious hero loaded with magical items, or a small child kindly asking them not to take these magical items. Basically, letting them choose between greed and good actions. Could lead into interesting character development, especially if some players disagree with what should be done.
3) NPCs give the players different information or contradicting tasks. A mage's guild hires the party rogue to sneak into a fighter's guild and steal a book, while the fighter's guild hires the party mage to guard it. Could be problematic since it basically divides the party into groups that are supposed to oppose each other, so should be handled with care.
4) A noble has grown fond of a stray horse the players have been tasked to retrieve. The horse is from another local noble's breeding stock, but the two noble houses are not in good terms. Thankfully, the noble doesn't know of this yet. The horse's original owners want the players to return it, the horse's current keeper wants to know where it's from, and the players have to decide whether they want to act as mediators or just get the horse back.
5) A giant has been raiding a local village for its sheep, but the players aren't powerful enough to fight it. The giant is very happy and very stupid, singing songs and composing love poems. It's in love with a girl, it claims, and she is fond of mutton. When the players investigate, they find out a giantess is duping out the giant somehow - perhaps with a wig, perhaps with magic, possibly by cheating on him. The players could also teach the giant to cook, so it doesn't need to go to the village.
6) The players are in a hurry. A few days after they left a town, they notice that a young lad has ran away from home with them / after them, and tells them a sob story about his poor home and asks them to take him with them. He refuses to go home.
The players are in a hurry, so they don't want to take him back. They probably won't just leave him there. They don't know if he's telling the truth.
Roleplaying!
Some people are happy to discuss their character's virtual lives and opinions with others. However, does that work during the first session? Does that work when one of the players is new? It might not. Most people come in expecting game elements in addition to the acting and role-taking ones.
However, this is one of the more important ones, IMO. It would be best if the other options encouraged this, in one way or another.
Players might be interested in following the story and revealing a mystery, finding out a secret. Just following the story could easily become railroading, so I believe the players should have a chance of changing its course. There should be some information that changes how the players act, once it's revealed.
Knowing that the murderer is left-handed is a nice example. They are now interested in finding out things about the NPCs that were just fluff to them, before, and it's also something that can be found out in many different ways.
There's the luck factor, too. Some sort of threat, a feeling of success or a chance of failure, makes the players interested. People like gambling, and getting to roll some dice is always fun. Seeing the GM roll the dice can be an unnerving experience. However, how will this lead into one of the other interesting things?
Greed is another fantastic one. It works with combat, of course, and can lead into combat, but that is only if the players make that choice.
Non-violent conflict could also work, although it depends on the system a lot. If a diplomatic encounter or a lie is resolved by a single roll of dice, this doesn't work that well. If they're traveling in a space ship, bad roads won't cause problems.
This isn't specific to D&D, and I'd prefer examples that work in one-shots as well.
1) The players are looking for a murderer, and discover that he was left-handed. They are now interested in the NPCs, and can't just ask them about it since they don't want to tip off the murderer.
2) The players find a lost merchant with a big purse, or a wounded, unconscious hero loaded with magical items, or a small child kindly asking them not to take these magical items. Basically, letting them choose between greed and good actions. Could lead into interesting character development, especially if some players disagree with what should be done.
3) NPCs give the players different information or contradicting tasks. A mage's guild hires the party rogue to sneak into a fighter's guild and steal a book, while the fighter's guild hires the party mage to guard it. Could be problematic since it basically divides the party into groups that are supposed to oppose each other, so should be handled with care.
4) A noble has grown fond of a stray horse the players have been tasked to retrieve. The horse is from another local noble's breeding stock, but the two noble houses are not in good terms. Thankfully, the noble doesn't know of this yet. The horse's original owners want the players to return it, the horse's current keeper wants to know where it's from, and the players have to decide whether they want to act as mediators or just get the horse back.
5) A giant has been raiding a local village for its sheep, but the players aren't powerful enough to fight it. The giant is very happy and very stupid, singing songs and composing love poems. It's in love with a girl, it claims, and she is fond of mutton. When the players investigate, they find out a giantess is duping out the giant somehow - perhaps with a wig, perhaps with magic, possibly by cheating on him. The players could also teach the giant to cook, so it doesn't need to go to the village.
6) The players are in a hurry. A few days after they left a town, they notice that a young lad has ran away from home with them / after them, and tells them a sob story about his poor home and asks them to take him with them. He refuses to go home.
The players are in a hurry, so they don't want to take him back. They probably won't just leave him there. They don't know if he's telling the truth.