tips for introducing new players and characters

[my13]

i need some advice/tips as a dm in one game as well as a player in another. new players/characters in both are being introduced. the new players/characters have big personalities which may not mesh well with the existing group (in both games) any tips on helping the new guys introduction into the group while allowing their personalities to shine without getting themselves killed by the party that they are supposed to be joining and assisting? as the existing party members in both already have very strong personalities and goals.

[Raendyn]

i need some advice/tips as a dm in one game as well as a player in another. new players/characters in both are being introduced. the new players/characters have big personalities which may not mesh well with the existing group (in both games) any tips on helping the new guys introduction into the group while allowing their personalities to shine without getting themselves killed by the party that they are supposed to be joining and assisting? as the existing party members in both already have very strong personalities and goals.

There should be out oc character (OOC) conversation. They may have determined personalities but they cant join a paladin-ish party while being evil necromancers, nor can they come and start commanding ppl just cause those personalities are supposed to be of a huge ego or they used to do w/e they please.

there can be 2 reasonable sollution at a first glance and with the limitied and general info you provided.

They either change something so they can meld in with the party.(yay)
They will act smartly and supress/hide their true motives until they can be revealed later after they have merge enough so the others can accept them despite those motives.(like belkar)

[Kazuel]

Pretty what Raendyn said. This should be handled between the players first. It is everyone's responsibility to add to the fun and not detract.

[chrisgray86]

Pretty what Raendyn said. This should be handled between the players first. It is everyone's responsibility to add to the fun and not detract.

Ya but as a dm you can help. One of the best ways a Dm introduced one of my characters to the group was a Arena tournament where they came in and fought a bunch of npcs and I was the current Champ of the Arena it was probably one of the best games we had everyone loved it

[Malvanis]

Start them out with a basic class, such as fighter or rogue. Let them play around for a bit and introduce them to the other rules as you go along, such as spellcasting and grapple. All that stuff is too much to be taken in in one sitting. If a grapple check is made, explain to them what it is and how it works. Just teach them as they go along.

[ikosaeder]

New players means new to the group or completly new to the game?
In both cases use the first session for character generation and introduction. The characters don't have to be completed to the last detail.
Run a very short one shot adventure, maybe just an extended encounter.
The players are then dismissed with the order to create flavor for the character and to fill out missing details.
The next time they meet, let them wait a few minutes, maybe recall some scenes from the first day to start the ooc conversation.
This will help to include new players.

[my13]

well in both cases, they are experienced players so i dont have to do any explaining, they are just new to the table and wanting to have bold personalities, to the point of difficult to come in to the groups

[Cavir]

I was in a tabletop group that that lasted about 5 years that met weekly. We had a system for this. Any new player or character would go through a trial phase of a month. At the end of the trial there would be secret separate votes, one each for the player and character. We used colored stones so that hand writing would not give things away. This way we could handle all 4 situations. Only one person ever got any no's and it was a overwhelming no/no result.

Come to think of it, when we implemented it we had current players/chars go through the process too to be fair.