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Madara
2015-05-10, 11:59 AM
I've now taught Dungeons and Dragons to 22 people within my first two years of college. Some enjoyed the one-off fun and others have become regular players of mine. I notice that one of my favorite parts of DMing is watching the new players become seasoned regulars. My players already have developed their own theories on unlucky dice and certain post-game rituals if it was a good session. I view these players fondly, as I am proud to have introduced more people to tabletop gaming.

How do you view your first DM? How do you DMs view the players you taught?

Do you teach different players differently?

Yora
2015-05-10, 12:11 PM
Most people who played in my groups hadn't played anything before. Never had any problems with them, even when the game I was teaching was still D&D 3rd edition. (I really wouldn't want to run or teach that one again.) I had one annoying player once in the third and fourth session I ever run, who was of the "I go to the tavern and get hookers" type. He was a friend of a friend and I wouldn't have invited him otherwise. Didn't show up after that, so it pretty much solved itself.
Other than that, everyone who played in any games I ran was a personal friend of me who I invited because I thought they would be fun to have. So I never had any problems with annoying troublemakers. Those players who did play RPGs before were always laid back enough to simply run with I present and everyone else pretty much learned from the examples I provided, so I never had trouble with players trying to turn the game into a different direction than I planned to.

Lacco
2015-05-11, 02:49 AM
My response as a player:
My first GM basically showed me what to do and what not to do - he was a good improvisator and he allowed the players to make their own plans, but if the story was brought to halt because the players were just prancing around, doing nothing, he quickly provided a railway station :smallsmile:
He also did some uncomfortable stuff (he liked to roleplay beautiful ladies who were hitting on players a little too much for my comfort), so I try to avoid this stuff.

My response as GM:
I tried to count the players I have had at my table and the number stops around 22 (who played more than one game and I'm not counting the attempted Vampire larp and one-shot session at my friend's party). I am quite picky, it could have been a larger number, but I prefer to select people I want to play with (no random groups or complete strangers - so I don't have so many horror stories to tell).

Of these 22 people, only 3 of them had any prior experience with RPGs. First one was laid back and caught very quickly - and he was stable member of the group for several years (had to move away). Second one of them tried to Mary Sue through the first game (didn't work very well), but we discussed it and she toned it down (this was the first one's girlfriend). The third one... well, wanted to be a combat monster/murderhobo. A discussion helped again (previous group played this way and when he found out the roleplaying side, he embraced it fully).

As for the teaching... what I always do is to sit the newbies next to experienced/good roleplayer, who helps them. I also try to give them more space and provide more leeway ("newbie protection"). If the system is complicated (which RoS is a bit), I start slowly with them. Other than that - it's up to each player - some need more roleplay practice/theory/discussions, some need only to know the system, some need help with backstories. And I'm always here to help.


I had one annoying player once in the third and fourth session I ever run, who was of the "I go to the tavern and get hookers" type.

Heh...that reminds me - the GM I mentioned played Shadowrun with us. Everytime PCs went to a bar he tried to pick up ladies - and wanted to roleplay it. I resolved it by asking him to roleplay it in his head and announce me just the result of the roll. And once, we had a lady in a group (a single one), so I asked her if she would feel up to it to roleplay something like that - she agreed, seemed quite pleased - so I had him off my back. Everytime he wanted to "pick up a lady" I provided her with basic character info and they sat to the next table to roleplay it. Once she even poured her drink (tea, but it was cold) on him...:smallbiggrin:

Geddy2112
2015-05-11, 09:42 AM
I was my first DM, and the group I played with was as green as I was. We generally threw out the rules to just have fun and grind combats. Fast forward to adulthood, and I got exposed to everything from monty haul dm's to killer dm's to my favorite and good friend, who is a tough but fair DM. He can still improvise better than I can, and plays a bit more story focused than mechanics, but we more or less have the same view. When I am playing in his games, he will often have me be the mechanics and rules arbiter(within reason). He teaches from a very story driven "how to roleplay and some general basics of how not to die" while I usually teach from a mechanics and how to make them into a story approach.

"I go to the tavern and get hookers" type.

I love it when players try this on me. Vishakanya from pathfinder make the perfect courtasans with their poisonous saliva. Nobody in the party wanted to get a hooker after the party inquisitor was left naked and robbed. Recently, the party cleric wanted to go to a bar and waste gold, so he asked around and got led to a gay bar, realizing 2 drinks in the guy next to him was not just being friendly...