Author Topic: Key talking points for introducing noobs to the setting/system  (Read 2291 times)

Offline EdgeOfDreams

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What are the most important things to cover when introducing players to the Dresden Files setting and game?  I'm going to be playing with some folks who have not read the novels and have only small amounts of RPG experience.

Some things I think are critical:

Setting stuff...
-Style and tone - Noir meets Harry Potter meets...?
-Witty banter
-The Laws of Magic
-Overview of major supernatural factions (Faerie and Vampire Courts, the White Council, etc.)
-The more powerful you become, the more you are constrained by your nature and power

Game stuff...
-Aspects, Fate Points, Tags, Invokes, and Compels
-The Skill Ladder and how to determine your roll with Fudge Dice
-Stress and Consequences
-Maneuvers, Assessments, and Declarations

Looking at it now, even those two short lists seem like a hell of a lot to cover.  What do you folks think?

Offline Haru

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Re: Key talking points for introducing noobs to the setting/system
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2011, 12:19:34 PM »
For the Game stuff you can show them a short sample fight, that helps clarify a lot. There is one great example in the resource section.

As for the setting, I think it is best to introduce them slowly as your game progresses. Start out with pure mortal or minor talent characters and work your way up from there. If one of the characters is a focused practitioner, have a warden visit him and warn him about the laws of magic. To introduce them to faeries, have a smaller faery trick them into making a deal, nothing with real bad impact, but enough to make it an adventure in itself. When they try to get out of it, get them help from someone who knows about faeries and can explain them what happened.
Once you introduce new aspects of the world your players might want to change their characters, talk about that before you start playing and you should be fine. If for example a pure mortal player decides he wants to change his character into a red court infested, just let him get bitten and you're good to go (as long as there is enough refresh, of course).

As your characters get deeper involved with the world they learn more about how it works. It is certainly a much simpler approach than trying to get 12 novels into their heads in a  few sentences.

Or get them to read the books.
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Offline Team8Mum

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Re: Key talking points for introducing noobs to the setting/system
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2011, 02:08:56 PM »
For the Game stuff you can show them a short sample fight, that helps clarify a lot.
If you run them through one and make it a social contest rather than a physical fight that will help them see how the 'witty banter' of the books can slot in to the mechanic.

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As for the setting, I think it is best to introduce them slowly as your game progresses. Start out with pure mortal or minor talent characters and work your way up from there.
Another option would be to start them out all as one type of 'beasty' you know they would get on with - so if they like 'were wolves' you could have them as a group like the Alphas. That way you only have to clue them up on one aspect of the background, but they get to be 'more than just humans' right from the start.
As they meet new kinds of people allow the Players to generate new characters and swap them into the game. So for example when you group of wolves meet the changeling that live at the other side of the city, a Player could generate one to used as their new character and retire their old one. - or have them hanging around as a n.p.c or back up.

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As your characters get deeper involved with the world they learn more about how it works. It is certainly a much simpler approach than trying to get 12 novels into their heads in a  few sentences.
It also side steps the 'how far through the novels are we on the time line' question. Also helps if you set it some where other than Chicago, because then you can do almost what you like with out the dreaded "But in book 4 page 67 it says...." :)

For Con games, when you could easily loose the 3 hour slot just explaining the back ground - I am toying with the idea of 'this is what your guy knows about the world' cheat sheets to be included with each character. That way each P.C. is the expert on their part of the local supernatural community and can answer most of the in game questions (Or choose to lie if they would rather - or indeed be 'miss informed' by 'Daddy' if they are a Raith WC Virgin and confuse every one else whilst actually 'telling the truth')

Given
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some folks who have not read the novels and have only small amounts of RPG experience.
My suggestion would be to get the guys that have read the novels to talk about their favourite scenes and why, and use that to set the mood of the game. -
Use the full rules to generate the city with the players so they all have some input, even if it is just an "I think it would be funny if my favourite Cafe was the place all the weirdos gathered on a Saturday to discuss spells and stuff."
Then do the full background based character generation, because that will help them see how Aspects come about. It is long winded, but if people have never RPGed before it can help they grow a character they will engage with. (I used a similar process to this as a creative writing exercise with 7 year olds using the Gruffalo as an example of a character you build up bit by bit. Once people have stopped being self conscious about 'being creative' it does work well. )
Don't over face them with the rule book. let them 'play out' the character with you and then produce the skills lists and powers etc, and find things in there that fit in with the idea. Fate is very free form - if its not in there just make it up.

Same whilst playing, be soft on the rules and let them have fun. There is nothing more likely to put of a novice player than being told that they can't do something when they are on a role -  unless you have to explain it will probably get the character killed! Then my advice woudl be to give them teh option - may be they want the noble death scene.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2011, 02:30:29 PM by Team8Mum »
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Offline Richard_Chilton

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Offline finarvyn

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Re: Key talking points for introducing noobs to the setting/system
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2011, 08:28:53 PM »
The setting is easy enough to sell, if any noobs have seen Buffy, Charmed, Angel, or other similar shows on TV. And if they are hesitant to jump into an entire DF novel, have them try a short story or two.

The system is a little harder, since it's not as "traditional" as some of the others out there. I have a couple potential players who simply don't want to play using the DF game system, but they say they'd play if I adapt it to D&D or another system that they are more familar with playing.
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Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Key talking points for introducing noobs to the setting/system
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2011, 01:09:12 AM »
I came here to post Richard_Chilton's writeup, but he beat me to it. Oh well.

Offline Bruce Coulson

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Re: Key talking points for introducing noobs to the setting/system
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2011, 12:24:25 AM »
The setting is Raymond Chandler meets Buffy and Angel; hard-boiled detectives dealing with the supernatural.  Sam Spade investigating werewolf killings.  Phillip Marlowe dealing with a rogue necromancer.
You're the spirit of a nation, all right.  But it's NOT America.