Quote Originally Posted by Quertus View Post
Lastly (I’m practicing “brevity is the essence of clarity”, please rate the results ), I feel you may be missing out, sitting out on the party’s formative moments of those one-shots. Would you really be ok with joining an established group with a new PC? I mean, yes, but would you really consider that optimal over being there from the beginning? Then, same question, but for a new system: would you really prefer all the other players to have experience with the system, and knowing how to build the character that they envision and enjoy playing, while you will be running a comparative jalopy, like a poorly built 3e Fighter (“Toughness is where it’s at! Why would anyone take any other feat! And I’m going Dex-based, and high Int to cover low skill points!”) falling behind the Druid’s animal companion, let alone the CoDzilla? Because, if so, that seems an odd goal, but you do you.
I don't see how i am missing "the party's formative moments", if it's a new party every session and we only create the real party after the one-shots are over. That is even more true when settings and even systems change as well.

And yes, i would have no problems joining an existing group with a new character. And if that group was starting a new campaign, it would seem like an ideal time to do so.

As for build failures and paople becoming unhappy with their characters. Stuff like that happens. Rarely. If it does, there is little problem either switching the character or, if it is the build only, to give it an overhaul. I really don't think it is worth at all to waste weeks upon weeks of precious session time only to get people more familiar with the system before the actual campaign starts.
Usually you don't have that many newbies anyway.

I wouldn't even want to have such training sessions if i was the one new to the system, as long as i was already committed to the campaign.



A one-shot for trying out a system if the majority of a groups wants to try out a system is acceptable though. But looking back, even that is more often done as a one-off with people only interested in this particular system and not necessarily planning to play in this constellation again.