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Chauncymancer
2013-06-04, 12:37 AM
If you attended a convention panel titled
How to Teach New People New Games.
What would you like/expect the panelists to know/talk about?
What questions would you ask?

Totally Guy
2013-06-04, 04:23 AM
I think new people get underestimated all the time. To me a new person is easier to teach games than someone who's more experienced as those people have more built in assumptions.

I'd expect to hear about the diversity of games out there and how they have different philosophies and examples.

Mastikator
2013-06-04, 04:35 AM
New People New games, as in people who've played some game but not "this" game, or people who haven't ever played any game?
If it's the first then I wouldn't expect a speech, it's simple, the DM handles all the mechanics and rules, if it's the latter then I'd like advice on how to teach the concept of roleplaying.

Slipperychicken
2013-06-04, 09:20 PM
I'd expect them to talk about education pointers, just applied to gaming.

I'd expect panelists to have meaningful background in gaming and education, and hopefully have authority in the subjects.

I'd ask how they'd go about teaching people, if there's any advice I could get.

Personally, I expected this thread to be talking about the exteriors of spacecraft and what materials would be most appropriate and durable for interstellar military vessels. Ah well :smalltongue:


I think new people get underestimated all the time. To me a new person is easier to teach games than someone who's more experienced as those people have more built in assumptions.


They also tend to come with fresh new ideas untainted by the rules of the RPG you're playing. Like this one chap came into a PF game with a shirtless 18 Strength posh muscle-wizard in a tophat who loved talking about muscles and pouring flasks of oil on his overly-muscled chest. He wasn't effective mechanically, but he sure was awesome.

Rhynn
2013-06-04, 09:27 PM
I agree that new players are underestimated a lot. "No wizards for newbies," etc. Nonsense. Just explain things concisely and simply, help them do what they want to do, and explain the rules during play as they come up. To me, the most important part of teaching a new player is knowing the rules very well yourself.

But yeah, I'd look for GMing experience, maybe game design experience (how to make a game approachable)... I think education experience might be overkill, given that children and teens can do a perfectly fine job teaching someone how to play a game. It's a very practical thing, after all: "do this, then this, then this."

I'd probably be most interested, though, in hearing different ideas and approaches, especially ones that differ from my own! A bunch of panelists all agreeing would be duuuuull. A bunch of panelists all with different philosophies and methods would be interesting.


They also tend to come with fresh new ideas untainted by the rules of the RPG you're playing. Like this one chap came into a PF game with a shirtless 18 Strength posh muscle-wizard in a tophat who loved talking about muscles and pouring flasks of oil on his overly-muscled chest. He wasn't effective mechanically, but he sure was awesome.

Sounds... familiar (http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090425013034/fma/images/b/b1/AlexLouisArmstrong!LookAtThoseGodlyMuscles!.jpg). :smallcool:

valadil
2013-06-04, 09:43 PM
I think what I'd want to hear about is something I picked up while doing tech support. The art of neither overwhelming nor patronizing the player/user.

The "no wizards for newbies" rule is a good example of that. You probably don't want to give the new player a copy of the spell compendium. But you can't handle a wizard isn't fair either. This isn't a matter of explaining things at the newbie's level, it's a matter of evaluating what the newbie's level is as you explain things to him and adjusting what you explain accordingly.

Slipperychicken
2013-06-04, 09:43 PM
Sounds... familiar (http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090425013034/fma/images/b/b1/AlexLouisArmstrong!LookAtThoseGodlyMuscles!.jpg). :smallcool:

Yeah, we thought of this almost immediately, but the character's personality was different and amusing enough (and we hadn't seen too many Fullmetal Alchemist episodes) that we let it slide.