introducing total newbie to RPGs

[batiushkov]

Imagine someone that has never seen Star Wars or Buffy. Never seen or read The Lord of the Rings or any fantasy literature. Doesn't know what elves or dwarves are beyond "some kind of fairy tale people". No knowledge of sword-and-sorcery cliches. No knowledge of Star Trek. Never read a comic book or seen a superhero movie.

Age: 30s. Interested in recognizing herself in fiction, but not narcissistically so. Likes relationships and information about people and relationships.

My partner is such a person. Someday, we might run into or start a gaming group. I know that being tossed into it cold would be totally confusing for her. So I'm thinking slowly about what a solo adventure for her might require from me. And I'm really not sure. Yeah, I know her and you don't. But still -- has anyone ever introduced anyone to RPGs so cold? What was it like? How did it go? Did they want more?

I strongly favor fantasy material myself, and I imagine it would be most valuable to her because it's lacking in her life (not so much to choice as to background and then inertia). But even if I'm just projecting, it seems fantasy would be a good bet because I would be comfortable there.

Would be very happy to hear about any experiences.

[Socksy]

Does she read comics? Start with something simple like Mutants and Masterminds or Trail of Cthulhu.

[hymer]

I think I'd step out of my comfort zone and start with a genre known to the complete newbie. Either that, or start by introducing the genre in a more conventional way. RPing without having a clear idea of what the world and your PC is like is hard for veterans. I can't see it going well with a complete newb.

[batiushkov]

Yeah, I fear that, too. Makes perfect sense.

Never read a comic book in her life.

[Yora]

I think it might probably be best to start with some fiction first. Even though it works very different in many ways, RPGs are fundamentally emulations of adventure and fantasy fiction. Movies are a great start as they are extremely evocative, being all pictures and stuff, require almost no effort and no commitment. After two or three hours you've seen the real deal and got it all in one sitting. No working through 300 pages over several weeks. If you really don't like a movie, it's no big loss and you can just pick another one next.

With an eye towards leading into RPGs, my suggestions would be the old classics: Indiana Jones and the old Star Wars movies are perfect examples of the action, content, and structure most RPGs tend to follow. Lord of the Rings is a great series of movies, but awfully long for someone who might not care about them. Perhaps watch just one with no commitment to finish the who package. Might not be the best choice as the first pick for that reason. Princess Mononoke should also be a good movie to have some diversity of what fantasy adventures can look like. From what I hear, The Princess Bride sounds also like a good candidate.

[batiushkov]

I still haven't seen Mononoke myself, but The Princess Bride is a good idea, and starting with movies is a great idea. Seems obvious now. Maybe Spirited Away, too.

A little awkward for me because I'm anxious about showing people movies, but it's still a really solid thought. Maybe that's the route to try piecemeal. I fear that Indiana Jones and Star Wars would be too much, despite the clear structure. Though she would love the "Love You" girl.

[TheThan]

If we’re talking about introducing someone to fantasy as well as RPGs. Then you should really start simple. Here’s a great list of movies to start a newbie as you put it on:

• The golden voyage of Sinbad
• The 7th voyage of Sinbad
• Jason and the Argonauts
• Conan the barbarian
• Excalibur
• Ladyhawke
• the princess bride
• Willow
• Dragonheart
• Snow white and the seven dwarves
• Sleeping beauty

I’d stick with sword and sorcery, and stay away from the Urban fantasy sub-genera and fantasy movies that don’t have that classic fantasy backdrop, so movies like Matilda, Ground hog day, etc are right out for now. You can introduce them later. I would also hold off on anime for now as well. I think that introducing these sub-genres and using a different medium besides live action might give the newbie the wrong impression about RPGs and the fantasy genera.

[batiushkov]

I like these ideas. For Snow White, did you mean the old Disney cartoon? That's a solid idea -- we watched Cinderella recently and both enjoyed it a lot. Maybe that's a road to try. Although you said elsewhere to stick with live-action, which makes sense, but I can see Snow White being worth an exception.

[TheThan]

I like these ideas. For Snow White, did you mean the old Disney cartoon? That's a solid idea -- we watched Cinderella recently and both enjoyed it a lot. Maybe that's a road to try. Although you said elsewhere to stick with live-action, which makes sense, but I can see Snow White being worth an exception.

Yeah I did mean the old Disney snow white cartoon.

the reason why I say avoid anime at first, is that the idea of what anime is tends to get confused, some associate it with porn, others with children cartoons, others with hyper gory adult horror shows laced with nudity. It's all of these things, because it's a medium, not a genera. I want to paint as clear a picture as I can. A really eastern show like Princess Mononoke can confuse the issue. if you want to use anime, that's fine I would highly recommend Record of Lodoss War (both the movie and the series), and Slayers over Princess Mononoke.