PDA

View Full Version : DM Help How to introduce D&D to a large number of brand new players at once.



ramakidin
2014-08-19, 05:47 PM
After lurking here for a year I finally decided to make an account so I could post. The reason being is that today I found out that a lot of people wanted to try D&D after hearing about my groups exploits.

My Situation: I am in high school and so is most of my group. One of my more obnoxious friends started shouting about it today and I was told by several people that they wanted to try it. Some people were just curious but two or three are gamers themselves. The number of people is 10+ some of which I don't know very well. I want to expand the number of people who play in my small town community.

Options I thought of: 1. Starting a couple of new games at low levels to introduce a couple at a time to the game. I have the resources to do this. However, this requires a lot of time to do well and I don't have a lot between sports and band. The best part about this method is I get to chose who I am working with.

2. My school has a club known as library forum, it does movies, gamer's night, and a bi-yearly Hunger Games stye event with nerf guns. It is ran by my mother, the school's librarian and she would let me do whatever I thought best. I was planning on asking for volunteer DMs from existing players (not my usual group because they go power crazy) and taking a afternoon to plan/train them. Then I would have a sign up sheet that would allow for 4 players per DM and would only allow that many people. I would need to find ways to provide materials for all those players (Mainly dice and some tokens) but it would expose a lot of players at once. My main concern is not being able to control who I would have to work with and poor DMing leading to a bad experience.

What system of rules should I use? My group uses a heavily home-brewed AD&D (The only books I personally own)
Miniatures? Yes, no, I have plenty of male ones for PCs but am lacking female ones so should I leave them out entirely?

Are these good ways to go about it bringing people into the hobby or are they fated to go terribly wrong?

Thoughts, concerns, warnings. All are appreciated and I am willingly to provide more information as needed.

Anxe
2014-08-19, 06:11 PM
4th edition has a better track record with new people, but with that many new players you'd want a lot of sets so that more of them can look at the books at one time.

If there's a gamestore in your neighborhood I'd ask them for advice as well. Hosting the games at the gamestore might be a good idea. The gamestore owner will probably be cool with it for new players because some of them are going to buy some product. I'd go to the store with your mom for her help in sorting that out.

I'd definitely recommend using minis. I'm also in the situation of not having that many female minis. I think you should buy a few more minis, but that depends on how much money you have, how much you can get from other plays and how many girls want to play. More info please?

I read a lot of books on DMing when I was starting out and the one idea that has always worked for me is called "Throw them to the wolves." To get new players engaged I've always presented D&D as a difficult problem solving game. The problems don't have one solution. The wolves can be taken down with swords, magic missiles, and sneak attacks. Or the wolves can be avoided by sneaking, casting invisibility, or using calm animals. It's just important that it be difficult. You don't want to kill them all though. Fudge your rolls if necessary. A warning, this paragraph is my own experience with my own players. I will not work with all players or with all styles of DMing. If you could describe your style that would be great! (Or even just what happened during your last session)

For players who are just starting, I would allow OOC conversation. It might be they're just talking about plans when their characters wouldn't realistically be able to talk. That's fine. Or it might be that they want to talk about anything nongame related. That's fine too. Don't police it during the first couple sessions unless people look bored or the game isn't moving forward at all.

The first session should teach some basic rules and how to create a character. Run through character creation with everyone and then give them a simple challenge like 5 goblins asking for a toll to cross a bridge. My experience is that new players will always enjoy the game more if they create their characters while they are at the table with the DM.

ramakidin
2014-08-19, 06:41 PM
I am guessing you are suggesting the first option as it deals with me as a personal DM.

1. I was thinking about it and anything with free basic rule pdfs would work well since I can print out as many copies as needed.

2. Local Game Store closed recently (poor management, the owner ignored me and my dad for 10 minutes while he played on his computer)

3. I have the money to get more and normally use CoolStuffInc for that stuff, only problem is my mom thinks I have an addiction to collecting minis (Roughly 200 with 75 being standard PCs Elves, Humans, Dwarfs, Halflings). As for the number of girls: 4 that asked + any interested girl. So most likely no more than 12 but I have like 4 distinct females with about 4 elves that can serve as either.

4. Sounds like a pretty alright plan for a good beginning encounter. My own players tend to be kill-bots and a result I have stopped being wordy in my descriptions only going into depth when important or asked. I also employ the rule of critical fail when it isn't important (Player rolls 5 1's in a row, the gods laughed and took his dagger, next nat. 20 it reappears imbued with divine power). I also give minor magic items freely.

Last session in brief: 2 players show up with a third being randomly absent, since it wrecks my plot encounter I let them go to the Thieve's Guild ran city as one player was a member. They subsequently rigged the monster fighting ring so they always won each fight. Started an inter-Guild war and the player bought his way out of it with his winnings.

5+6 is all in my plan if I go the small group route, if I went with the big D&D trial event, I would be helping the different DMs with this.

Thrudd
2014-08-19, 07:10 PM
You want something that has fast and easy character creation and rules, not too many choices. Download the free pdf of "Labyrinth Lord", which is a clone of basic D&D, if you don't have a copy of Basic or Rulescyclopedia D&D. If you're already running AD&D, it's an easy transition for you. It is easy to add a few more options and rules from AD&D to it if you want.

Miniatures might be hard if you have a really huge group, but do what you're used to doing. How do you normally use minis, on a grid, or measuring with a ruler? Also, if you don't want to offend anyone with the wrong gendered miniature, you can just use colored tokens or print out little paper circles with pictures on them. I would at least use the miniatures or tokens to keep track of marching order in the dungeon even if you don't bother with tactical combat movement.

Also, why only four per DM? Most AD&D modules are designed for 6-9 players, you should have no trouble handling that.

You could treat this like a convention. Have each DM run a basic one-shot adventure module. Have pregenerated characters ready and hand them out or let the players pick one. Then jump right into the adventure, after briefly explaining the basic premise of the game and the important parts of their character sheet. Spell casters need a little more explanation, but you will have the list of spells they can use printed out already for them so they don't need to go looking through the book or pdf.

Don't spend a long time explaining every nuance of the rules, the DM can handle that stuff behind the screen during the game. The faster you can get into the game, the more fun people will have and the more likely they'll want to try it again. If they have fun, they'll be more interested in reading the books and they can gradually be introduced to more complex rules.

Ideally, you will have people who have experience being a DM and explaining rules to people doing this, not people who are new to the game themselves. It would be better to have fewer DM's that know what they're doing and more players at the same table, than a bunch of DM's who don't know what they're doing.

ramakidin
2014-08-19, 07:36 PM
Going to check that out now.

I started my D&D career with the 4e starter kit and became a little spoiled with maps and minis. After getting the AD&D books from my sister's fiance, I switched rules but stayed spoiled. As such I have a large collection of premade maps and a 5'X5' whiteboard grid

4 per DM because I am assuming the DMs to have limited experience to none, which is scary. I do have time to plan and let DMs practice with me and my group. Also I felt that if the DMs may have trouble helping more than 4 completely new people at once.

Interesting. I have never been at a convention so this is useful. Do you have any modules you would suggest for completely new people.

Thanks for the advice. If I can't get DMs with experience, should I bail on convention style and try and expand it few at a time on my own.

LimSindull
2014-08-19, 10:33 PM
I commend you for even trying this.

The following is what I would try to do in some way. I hope it is understandable.

I would recommend pre-made character and quests that people can get right into. Think like a round robin tournament. You don't have to name them or give them back story. If you are keeping to four people to a dm, you can make all kinds of team combos. They idea is to get people to find their style of play, but initially it is to get them to start playing. With a pre made adventure, you could have a multitude of traps and encounters that make each run through seem a little different. Give it flair as well, one DM uses goblinoids, one uses kobolds and gnolls, one could even be aquatic with the characters using aquatic versions of base races. Have fun with it, it will be a lot of work either way.

-Players- Some people may prefer different types of classes and play (and I don't know what system you want to use) so make lots of copies of pre made stats and rearrange their specialties. They don't have to be that different. The idea is that people might say, hey that's cool, can I be that instead? Then you could change it up and have a character ready for them. I would recommend that you pre select any spells that casters need. Have ability scores already made up. So if someone played the same class different times, each character would allow them certain opportunities.

-DMs- Give them a pre made quest (you don't have to have the players know why they're there at the first play through.) If at all possible, design it with the different teams of four in mind. Don't make it too long, but make it so that each group finishes in a slightly different way. This change up will hopefully keep them from getting bored. It is mainly to give your DMs an easy way to deal with such obstacles and see what it is like.

With this system, the idea is to run each group with different DMs to see who plays well together (hopefully) and to allow the players to get a glimpse at most of the classes. This would almost require the players to play through two or more times. You can also draw people into your style of play if you design all the quests. (serious, goofy, hack and slash, I've tried to explain the benefits of this.

Watch out for 1.People not wanting to change DMs (it's perfectly fine, just be aware) 2.People not wanting to split up.( again fine) People of vastly different play styles stuck together. (This should become apparent and get sorted out at the end of the quest.) 4. Trouble makers (how you handle this is up to you, maybe split them up with better players or pile them all together, or kick them out outright.)

In my mind i'm thinking that the characters should be second or third level so that they don't die (3.0) (1st in 4.0 would probably be fine) in a basic fight.

I hope that this will intrigue you, if I can help at all PM me. If this sounds crazy I understand.

I am interested to know how this turns out and would like to ask you (ramakidin) to let the community know how this works out. Good luck, roll well.

P.S. I did not mean for this to sound exactly like Thrudd's post :thog:.

Thrudd
2014-08-19, 10:54 PM
Interesting. I have never been at a convention so this is useful. Do you have any modules you would suggest for completely new people.

Thanks for the advice. If I can't get DMs with experience, should I bail on convention style and try and expand it few at a time on my own.


That's really up to you. What is the real goal here? Do you really want to do a big event or are you actually just looking for a couple new players to add to your group? It is likely that not all the people who say they are interested will actually follow through and show up. If you think you will have less than ten, I would just run a single game rather than breaking them up.

It is always nice to have more people who can DM, but putting someone new to DMing in front of people they are unfamiliar with could be stressful for them. Of course, everyone has to learn sometime, but it is easier when you are learning with friends that you are comfortable with. What players are you planning on asking to DM, if not the people you normally play with, how well do you know them?

For beginner modules, look at the B-series for Basic D&D, especially B2. If you can get your hands on pdfs of the B-series, at least look over all of them to see if you like any, or want to use parts of them.
There are also some free modules written for Labyrinth Lord by various people. http://www.mithrilandmages.com/blog/labyrinth-lord-resources/sortable-module-list/ I haven't read them all, but you could take a look those.

LokiRagnarok
2014-08-20, 12:52 AM
It is likely that not all the people who say they are interested will actually follow through and show up.

On the other hand, have an emergency plan for more people showing up than you expected. Speaking from experience from organizing similar events, there might be any combination of the following:
* "Oh, I brought my friend/boyfriend/girlfriend along, it is cool if they join, since it's only one more person, right?" Then you have five of those "just one more" people.
* "My car broke down and I am coming half an hour late" (bonus points if this happens with one of your DMs)
* "Oh, I didn't know you had to sign up first. Can I still play?"
* On the other hand, a random person you have never seen before could go "Hey, I randomly dropped by and I see you are a DM short. Want me to DM?"

You emergency plan can be as simple as "everybody has to preregister and if you did not, you can not play" or "if you did not preregister, you are put on a waiting list and if folks leave after the first round, you can play". Just have one.
Also, expect that you will have to start later than announced because of everyone excitedly chatting with each other and that not all of your DMs will wrap up simultaneously. Provide for snacks and drinks (maybe have folks pay into a "tip jar" if they feel so inclined) or state upfront people have to bring their own.
If the DMs bring their own materials (dice/miniatures), have some extra materials on standby in case they forget them.

And the most important advice: Don't panic ;)

Curbstomp
2014-08-20, 01:27 AM
Personally I'd recommend doing a series of one-shot D&D games over a period of 2-3 weeks yourself with the new players in batches of four or five. If someone in the first week is interested in being a DM have them assist you at the other one-shot events. Using a module is probably a good idea and pre-made characters can be a good time saver for their first game. By splitting them into batches of four or five in this manner you should be able to avoid your female miniature shortage problem.

My last couple one shots were pretty straight forward. One was a forest exploration or a dungeon delve with either intended to take one session. The players picked in game which way they wanted to go, but it left the opportunity open for a sequel with the same characters in the same area. The forest had kobolds and a 1/2 dragon intruding and over-hunting the area which made the PC's town start lacking food. The dungeon was an area in the woods that people had been disappearing in (underground cultists).

The other recent one shot was a party of good characters who were all siblings or 1/2 siblings. Their little sister got kidnapped by orcs and they needed to rescue her (or avenge her if they were too late). The party knew they were on a timer and made different decisions fighting their way through the orc lair than they normally would have frantically trying to save her. They succeeded btw.

A simple premise like the ones I listed are, in my opinion, ideal for one shot adventures.

ramakidin
2014-08-20, 05:07 PM
So far this is what I am thinking about doing: Sending out an E-mail to Library Forum members asking for DMs (I can train some of my regular group but they can be very socially awkward at times)and see how many responses I get. Any that I do get I will have come for a training night so I can see where they are at and if they could run a game with people they weren't necessarily friends with. To fill the gaps I have a group of friends that I don't play with but who use a different system and are much more socially inclined and more likely to handle random circumstances better than my group which is my last resort.(Tells you something about the people I associate with)

Only people who registered can play, but we will have a waiting list to judge how many other people are interested. I think that this is a good rule to have.

To help give you guys a better idea of the numbers I may being dealing with 10 people who specifically asked, none of whom are part of the group of magic players and the other avid fantasy readers. I personally expect 20ish people unless a different friend group shows up and each one adds 3-5 people.

Question List
What are thoughts on other rules to enforce and ways to deal with inevitable player to DM conflicts that will arise from the people I am near certain this event will draw? Or for that matter player to player conflicts, normally I would have the DM resolve it but it could create resentment instead of a desire to play more which is the goal. I can just see two players fuming because the other player's plan wasn't theirs ,but I don't see an easy way to resolve it.

Also, should I DM my own table or simply wander around to keep the peace and help people out? Keep in mind that this would be ran through the school and I don't have a good way to remove players but I am normally pretty good with dealing with people though. Should I gather people I anticipate a problem from and have them at my table?

Edit: As for adventures I have looked at some of the suggested modules, and thought up of some easy adventures myself, but I am a bit worried about players not being invested because they are just trying to save the farmer's daughter. What are some easy ways to make the adventure more personal without it becoming overly gruesome. (Virgin sacrifices are out of the question but cults will most likely still be ok)

Dice, Maps, and Tokens? I realized today that my school does have a large scale printer(and can laminate, so plain white and black grids are an option. I can print out maps easily once found or made.(Being able to make maps would be nice if anyone knows ways to do that. I think I am going to go with the option of using tokens for PCs and monsters. Good ways to make/get those? Also dice could be a bit of a problem with a large group, would a Pound of Dice bag take care of that pretty well?(Online rollers are an option because we would have access to laptops, good options for this too would be appreciated)

System advice is still being accepted only requirements being that it is free and easy for players to learn. Should I pick and snip and homebrew my own set. What classes should I make avaliablie if I make/find pre-gen characters and what level should they be? At early levels (1-3) magic-users may feel under-powered any fixes to that since we won't be leveling. (I am looking through Labyrinth Lords which was suggested currently to see if it is easy to use)

Thanks for all your help to all involved, I know its a daunting task that I am trying to do but I do want help the game expand and grow in my community.

Edit: My personal goal is to increase the number of players in the community, not particularly for my table and I will not have new people DM at that event for the first time.(It may be their 3rd or 4th time however)

Thrudd
2014-08-20, 06:40 PM
Other free D&D clone games: OSRIC (1e AD&D), Dark Dungeons (Basic D&D), Mazes & Minotaurs (Greek mythology-themed D&D)

I suggested Labyrinth Lord because it is the most faithful clone of basic D&D. OSRIC is a faithful clone of 1e AD&D, which might be more familiar to you.

For introducing people to the game, I would not expect or try to encourage deep personal characterization. Keep it simple and fun: the characters are adventurers looking for fame and fortune. They hear about a place where treasure and magic can be found, or someone approaches them with a quest for which they will be rewarded. Assuming you're handing out pre-gen characters, there is not going to be a whole lot of character investment, and that's ok for a one-shot beginner adventure.

For low level magic users, make sure they know that their way to more power is by finding lost magic scrolls and books with new spells. Place a few scrolls as loot throughout the adventure to give them something they can get excited about, more than would normally be placed.

kyoryu
2014-08-20, 06:56 PM
I'd recommend a "fiction first" approach - that is, the game should be broken down, as much as possible to:

GM: "Here's a situation. What do you do?"
Player: "I do this."
GM: "Here's the new situation. What do you do?"

A number of new games follow this model (any of the *World games, Fate, etc.), and it's pretty much a mainstay of old-school games.