Teaching a complete newbie D&D

[Zethex]

Hey. I assumed the task of teaching D&D 3.5 (Core only) to a complete newcomer over Skype, well prior to the game. Any tips, like things I needn't teach, things I shouldn't forget or things I should mention that aren't covered by the players handbook (which we both have available by the way)?

[Felvion]

Had the same task few months ago but not via skype and that may make huge difference.
My usual party was setting a new campaign and two girls were about to get in.They were both new to dnd and any rpg. To be honest their only prior experience was that they both had been present to one or two sessions we were playing but i doubt weather they payed any attention back then.
So here's what we did. We gave them a simple description to every race and every class. We mentioned absolutely no number up to that point. For example we described the elves as graceful but fragile instead of telling them the +2dex/-2con. That way they picked any race and class they would really enjoy to play. I mean they didn't know any class features yet but they allready had their heroes (and their respective powers) being build in their imagination.
After that we helped them build their lvl1 character sheet. We advised them for everything but let the final choice to them. We didnt explain the mechanics behind the numbers cause that would confuse them. Everything was build that way.
As for stats, we "forced" the basics. Wizard puts highest in int etc. Same thing for skills and feats. Everything was set according to their flavor and our advice kept them from doing anything terrible.
After that we explained them their class features, spells and skill possible usage. The wizard for example knew every skill she had and its usage. She knew she could scribe scrolls, she picked a familiar based solely on flavor and picked her spells alone taking in regard our advice about them. No optimisation of course. Their character were kind of typical class examples with lots of personal touches. Keep in mind we were still lvl1 and that helped a lot.
This didnt take more than 1 hour i think. After that we started playing.
We tried to focus on the roleplaying part first and within the very first session they were doing just fine! The more they played the more they coped to their class effectiveness and after 2-3 sessions they sounded like veterans.
This method proved great but had some drawbacks.
First off, at their very first steps they didn't have full knowledge of their power. They just declared their actions and we told them which dice to roll. After a few sessions this wasn't an issue anymore. They studied hard on everything they liked and used more often so mechanics came softly to them. They now are capable of "opimising" on their own as they see their strengths and weaknesses n game and they look forward for their characters about their spell selection etc. Ofc some retraining allowed wouldn't hurt right?
Still they don't know much about other classes but they learn as they play.
After 5-6 sessions they both joined another campain we run with completely different class and level ( level is 4 and the wizard became druid while the cleric went for rogue) and their performing far beyond our expectations.
I dont know weather this can be made via skype but i'm proud to say that i helped (it was a party effort) teaching dnd to some newbies with great success. TBH sometimes they seem to act in character better than the rest of us!

[Firest Kathon]

My suggestion: Ask him what he wants to play, then build his character for him. Afterwards, go over the sheet with him (send as PDF or use Myth-Weavers or so) and explain what all the stuff means and what he can (and cannot) do. Then play a short combat and a skill usage situation with him.

So, basically the same as Felvion suggested, but I already had it typed out :smallsmile:.

[OzymandiasX]

For the tldr version:

Then play a short combat and a skill usage situation with him.

Give him the options (power attack, 5' step to flank, etc) but make sure that he is making the decisions if you want him to remember how to do it.

[Red Fel]

Hey. I assumed the task of teaching D&D 3.5 (Core only) to a complete newcomer over Skype, well prior to the game. Any tips, like things I needn't teach, things I shouldn't forget or things I should mention that aren't covered by the players handbook (which we both have available by the way)?

There are two ways of teaching anything - by experience and by instruction. The advantage of the former is that it conveys practical skills, but the disadvantage is that it may overlook more theoretical or fundamental concepts; the latter is the inverse.

To teach D&D experientially, simply pre-generate a character, and give the player a copy of the character sheets, along with a list of simple instructions as to what to do mechanically. For example, "These are your spells - here is a list of each one and how it is used. These are your attacks and how to roll them. These are your skills and what each does." This gets past the theorycrafting, optimization and conceptual issues, and dives directly into a streamlined experience of playing the game.

To teach D&D by instruction, walk the player through the process. This will require far more pre-game time investment, both on your part and on that of the player. Start by walking them through character generation. Ask what he wants his character to do, and help him select race and class based upon that. Work through spells, feats, and skills together, explaining what each does and the various synergies. (I find that players who work through character creation themselves, although it may take longer, gain a better appreciation and understanding of their characters' abilities than those who simply play from cue cards.) Explain concepts like the action economy, the linear caster/quadratic fighter dilemma, and the outer boundaries of optimization and cheese. This gives the player a firm grasp of fundamentals, such that once play begins, he knows what he wants to do and how to do it, and ideally requires much less hand-holding.

With teaching D&D, I would ordinarily suggest using both. However, if you had to choose one, I would choose based upon the answer to the following question: How invested is the player in learning and playing D&D?

If the player is new to D&D, and trying it on a whim, I would focus on experiential teaching. This is someone who needs to learn to enjoy the game before he can dive into the nitty-gritty of mechanics. Streamline the process so that the player can dive right in and get a feel for things; if he likes it and comes back, you can start teaching more esoteric things.

If the player is determined to play D&D, and would do so regardless, I would use more of the educational elements. Spend more time in character creation, so that the player will understand his character's abilities fundamentally.

As I recall, there is a series of YouTube videos that teaches the basics of D&D, although the link eludes me at the moment. That said, I can think of a handful of things you'll want the character to understand: Action economy. You can perform only X number of actions in a round. Your enemies can only perform Y number of actions. Making the best use of your actions will win encounters. Increasing your actions is a good start. The Tier system. Certain classes are extremely versatile, certain classes have access to game-breaking abilities, certain classes get both, certain classes get neither. Have reasonable expectations of what your class can do. Understand that what sounds neat on paper (Truenamer, Monk) may not be as impressive as you would like in practice. Optimization. You're never too new to start. If you have a particular image in mind for your character, embrace it. Research it. Look up guides online. Figure out the best way to get your character to do the things that will make you happy. Roles. Abandon the notion of designated roles, particularly the roles of the "designated healer" and the "tank." D&D is a game where you can pretty much do whatever you want to do, and generally can optimize your way into doing it. Don't assume you need one person to be X, and another to be Y. A party without a tank can still be effective in combat, a party without a dedicated healer can still survive, a party without a face can have fun killing everything, and so forth. Do anything. D&D is a storytelling game. Every NPC is killable, almost every villain can be spoken and negotiated with, every piece of scenery is interactive. If you want to do something, try it. Just be aware that... Actions have consequences. Lots of players are psychopathic murderhobos in their first game. Absolute freedom to act can be intoxicating. But remember that you are not (yet) immortal, and bad things can happen to people who do bad things.These are some general tips I give to new players. The rest is a numbers game.