tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post8430567728348049866..comments2023-05-27T11:14:02.426-04:00Comments on Some Space to Think: Newbie AdventuresAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-61914194939482083342010-09-09T12:54:45.006-04:002010-09-09T12:54:45.006-04:00One good way to help new RPG players (less so GMs)...One good way to help new RPG players (less so GMs) is to use a setting they're already familiar with. I recently ran Leverage with a player who had never played an RPG before, but her familiarity with the show allowed her to quickly identify what she should do.<br /><br />Similarly, my wife used to run demos for Guardians of Order back when Sailor Moon was popular. She said her younger players, also new to RPGs, immediately knew what to do as the sailor scouts; the show had given them a baseline.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-14953350174539434432010-09-09T10:51:51.150-04:002010-09-09T10:51:51.150-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Marshall Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15647111558095583028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-10046530595958050792010-09-09T10:51:48.497-04:002010-09-09T10:51:48.497-04:00I'll start by saying that I agree with everyth...I'll start by saying that I agree with everything you've said. :)<br /><br />My one problem with dungeons as introductory adventures is that they often severely downplay the actual role-playing. That's why I really like dungeon adventures that include a nearby town that is somewhat fleshed out. Keep on the Borderlands, of course, is the model here. You can shop, gather rumors, and even meet the local movers and shakers.<br /><br />As to your other point, let's look at some other popular games:<br /><br />Scrabble - It's about building, outmaneuvering your opponent for key spaces, and using your vocabulary skills. Setting aside the vocabulary skills as irrelevant (I think), the core of the game isn't that different from go. Or, I suppose, chess. While I could see building a combat system around "zones of control/threat," I'm not sure how else to apply it. The game mechanic pretty much requires the board, so extending the concept to a boardless game would be difficult.<br /><br />Bridge - There are two interesting aspects to this game. First, bidding. Yeah, I know that's how many diceless games work. But, it might also be interesting to use a bidding mechanic to create a feedback loop informing the GM and players of what is coming in the adventure. Perhaps as part of the rumor-gathering stage? "I find 3 rumors of thieves' guild involvement." "I see that 3 and raise you a puppet noble." Not sure how to make such a system newbie-friendly, though.<br /><br />Another interesting mechanic from bridge is the dummy hand. One player wins the bid. That players' partner puts all their cards on the table, and the winner gets to play their hand. It might be an interesting way to promote player empowerment if the players end up in charge of one of the factions in the story. In the example above, the thieves' guild rumors win, so the players get to control the thieves' guild actions to some degree.<br /><br /><br />Poker - The obvious mechanic here is bluffing. I think that's a very dangerous element to add to a newbie experience, though. The line between "bluffing" and "cheating" becomes all too easy to cross.<br /><br /><br />Uno - Honestly, an awful lot of the powers in 4e seem to already draw (no pun intended) on the special cards in Uno. Skip a turn, draw two, et cetera.<br /><br /><br />Yahtzee - Can you construct a sandbox-style adventure using the "collect one of each type" method? Players have a sheet with various goals. Depending on their actions, they get various rewards (achievements?). If they do very well, they get big, "high-scoring" rewards. If they don't do as well, they have to cross off a lower-ranked goal. Once the sheet is full, the adventure is complete. The ultimate score is a feedback mechanism telling the players how they did. I think there might be neat idea in here, but it will take some experimenting to do it right.<br /><br /><br />Jenga - Yeah, use Dread.<br /><br /><br />Pictionary - Can you tell your story well enough that other players pick up on it and run with it? The basic problem here is that Pictionary works because there is one right answer. But maybe something like Apples to Apples is a better model? It seems to me like a lot of these social, adult games have bits to contribute. I don't play them enough, though, to have a feel for what that is.Marshall Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15647111558095583028noreply@blogger.com