Stories from the Field: What to Do When New Players Arrive

Monday, December 22, 2014

With several new changes to improve Pathfinder Society Organized Play on the way over the next several months, one of the things I want to do to add to that improvement is feature venture-officers' knowledge about coordinating and organizing game days, as well as tips and tricks for all aspects of organized play. It's one thing to offer advice from here in Redmond, Washington. It is another to offer advice from the field. At least once a month, I hope to feature a blog, titled Stories from the Field, that is written by a venture-officer who wants to give back to the community through the Pathfinder Society weekly blog.

Dominick Trascritti, the Venture-Lieutenant of Tampa, Florida, has written this month's Stories from the Field blog. I reached out to all the VOs, and Dominick was one of the first to reply. He does some incredible work in Florida, especially by organizing PFS at several large conventons in central Florida each year. Thanks Dominick! Below is the article he wrote for the Pathfinder Society community.

The lifeblood of any organized play campaign is new players. More players mean there are more opportunities for everyone to play. For the good of the community, it is essential we help them avoid an uncomfortable start to the Pathfinder Society. This article offers some good practices to encourage new players, which in turn work to build a community.


Illustrated by Lydia Schuchmann

Organizers, game masters, and seasoned players are the face of the campaign for those first four to five hours. Each has a role in that first session, and a smart organizer will take steps to ensure the player gets a good first campaign experience.

Setting the tone with the organizer, GM, and a few seasoned players avoids common mistakes. Don't badmouth other game systems, editions, or groups. Keep a positive tone about the community. Represent the hobby well. Everyone on that team answers questions or helps the new player find the answer. A player who asks questions is more comfortable and engaged.

As an organizer of a game day or convention, preparation leads to a smooth event. A smart organizer is ready for new players at every game session. It is a great idea to set aside seats or a whole table just for new players. Always have Pathfinder Society player numbers preprinted and a clean printed copy of the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play on hand. Organizers should leave nothing to chance for that new player's experience.

Prepare a binder of the standard pregenerated characters for players to use and organize them so that its easy to read and select a character. Keep the binder filled with extra copies, and don't forget to have flyers for future events inside the front pocket. Using folders that fit inside a three ring binder looks good and makes it is easy to use and refill. I don't put blank character sheets or inventory forms in the binder. I try to keep it simple. Keep an extra set of cheap dice, pencils, and a miniature or two handy that you don't mind losing or don't mind giving to new players.

At the game day, make sure you arrive early. It is important to greet new players when they walk in and make them feel welcome. Give them the time to look around, ask questions, and receive a seat assignment. Often times a new player is a fish out of water, so to speak, so make sure to be considerate of the player's needs at what may be an awkward time for them. Learn their name and use it. Be direct, and keep it simple.

Make sure you give the new player a little attention while you seat them at the new player table. The Game Master is the second link in the chain. Introduce the table's Game Master and at least one other player. Give the new player simple directions and ask them if they need dice or a miniature.


Illustrated by Jason Rainville

The GM sets the expectations for the player by asking a few questions: what is the player looking for in an RPG or who is their favorite movie character. Use this to gently suggest a pregenerated character that might favor the new player's interest and playstyle. Sometimes new players want to make a new character before or during the first session. If there is little or no time to create a new character, explain that there are differences in Pathfinder Society and that keeping it simple with a pregenerated will start the action faster. Explain the 2nd-level rebuild rule and that they can use their own character at the next session.

Get the new player into the action right away. Explain the basics of the dice and character sheet, but save deeper explanations of game mechanics until the player needs to know the exact details. It is better to give prompts like "Roll a d20 to see if you hit" or "Roll a d20 to see if you resist being charmed" to a new player. Give them something to do, and they will feel part of the table. If they look frustrated, they are likely not having fun.

On the new player table, a smart organizer will "stack the deck" by including a seasoned player at the table to help others learn. This helps the GM focus on the game and running the table while ensuring the player has questions answered in a timely manner. A smart GM uses the seasoned player to give the new player a little attention. A peer who knows the ropes in the game is helpful to everyone and keeps the table moving.

As the game goes on, the GM should engage every player and treat the new person like part of the team. Nothing bores a new player like being treated as if they have a practice sword or only the "marshmallow" monsters attack them. A GM owes it to the player to present a challenge, even if the threat is more perceived than real.


Illustrated by Jason Rainville

The seasoned player can suggest actions for the new player, but let the new player control their own character. If they want to do something unusual, explain the consequences. Mistakes are great learning experiences. A new player that feels they pull their weight in the party often returns to the gaming table. Let the new player enjoy belonging as a member of the party.

When the game is over, explain the tracking sheet and the Chronicle. Give the new player the basics of the new character creation in the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play, and suggest they use the Core Rulebook to create their own character for the second session. Again, make sure to keep it as simple as possible. Explain that at the third session they might use any other books they may own that fit the theme of their character and are listed on the Additional Resources page. It is important to set the expectation that they will have to own books to get fancy feats, traits, spells, or any number of other character options. Telling a new player that they can use a shiny new character next session is a great selling point, so use it!

An organizer should talk to the new player after the session and chat about the recent game. Make sure to keep the conversation friendly, and address the player by name. Encourage them to come to the next game, and exchange contact information. Avoid forcing a hard commitment. It is better to give them wiggle room and leave a positive impression.

One-on-one interaction grows the community of Pathfinder Society players. It may be time-consuming to prepare and welcome new players, but the invested effort makes the community a more welcoming place for newcomers and returning participants alike. The Pathfinder Society is not for everyone but everyone is welcome.

If you have tips and tricks that have worked with recruiting and retaining new players, please share those here. As a community, we serve each other best when we share ideas and tools that make all of our jobs just a bit easier. Thanks again to Dominick for writing the very first of our Stories from the Field blogs.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Mike Brock
Pathfinder Society Campaign Coordinator

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Jason Rainville Lydia Schuchmann Pathfinder Society
2/5

Nice write-up, Dom! Keep up the good work. :-)

5/5 5/55/55/5

2 people marked this as a favorite.

New people have a horrible tendency to show up exactly on time or more often a few minutes late as they look for the place. Usually i find the most experienced player at the table that hasn't dumped charisma and pass the new guy off to them, and then learn by doing.

If I have 15 minutes before game I'll usually slap together a character for that person, The character creation process helps put context to a LOT of the info on the sheet. If i'm the only experienced player at the table I'll try the intro.

One important, often overlooked step is to ask the person where they're coming from. a 20 year 3.5 veteran is coming in from a much different place than someone that thinks role playing is strictly limited to adult activities.

You are a member of the pathfinder society: a lose collection of murderho..erm.. adventurer archaeologists, explorers treasure hunters, adventurers and vagabonds from accross golarion. You make a character. Go on an adventure, get a sheet. Get three sheets you level up. Wash rinse and repeat. You control one character that you make now, i control the verticle, i control the horizontal.

Character creation rules.

20 point buy, so no one in new york shows up with the all 18s that "Their brother saw me roll fair and square in california". No item creation. Start at level one. You can redo your character in between sessions till level 2. Jacks and one eyed kings wild. Start with 150 gold... you know what you have your weapon some scale mail a sling and a rope. Someone else is carrying the rest.

Grand Lodge 4/5

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Nice write-up, indeed. Any advice for those of us with smaller situations?

Last game I ran, I had 6 players, all returnees, and we are starting to play higher tier games. Is there anything can we do, other than dropping most everything, and running one of the repeatables with all-new PCs, to accommodate new players?

Dark Archive 5/5 * Regional Venture-Coordinator, Gulf

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Thanks for enjoying the article.

kinevon wrote:

Nice write-up, indeed. Any advice for those of us with smaller situations?

Last game I ran, I had 6 players, all returnees, and we are starting to play higher tier games. Is there anything can we do, other than dropping most everything, and running one of the repeatables with all-new PCs, to accommodate new players?

The players who are just starting higher level content supply the person to judge and another to help new players. It's part of the maturation of a player in organized play to step behind the screen. Universally, I ask those players after 6-8 games to run a new player table. Those who hate it do not do it often, and sometimes those who never tried judging become virtuosos.

Nobody wants to be the person that breaks up the Beatles. If a new player comes in and seeing a tight group that is at capacity, they are not going to feel like taking the jump. This is also true if one person is always the judge. It has to look like they have a seat at the table, and contribute.

Beyond that, there are new people out there in any community. You are going to have to work to find them. For PFS, a evergreen game day outside your normal time may be an idea. Make flyers, and put the places you may not have thought about. In Tampa we have a few coffee houses and diners that host a pin board. Move a few nutritional supplement flyers and put up your flyer. Be prepared to replenish it.

I also try surfing for yet another Yahoogroup or meetup for gaming and invite people over. Facebooks has groups wishing groups for playing. Cast a wide net, and be surprised.

Whe you run the game day ignore the turn out and do it again. Listen to when they can play if it is not your group preferred time. Repeating the game day gives people a chance to see what you do.

It still doesn't help get around the tight groups and That new volunteer "stepping up" and helping new players start the game. We all start at level one, you were there once too.

3/5

Nice article honey! I'm always impressed with the amount of patience you have with the newbies. Keep up the good work!

Scarab Sages

That really was a fantastic article, filled with things I hope a lot of GM's and organizers see and implement. Nice job!

Grand Lodge 4/5 ** Venture-Agent, Colorado—Denver

Very useful information. I like the part about asking the new player who their favorite movie character is to make it simple when selecting a pregen. Will use this from now on.

Grand Lodge 4/5 5/55/55/55/5 **** Venture-Captain, Minnesota

A very nice set of useful information. I will be a brand new PFS GM this January, and hope to use it well!

Hmm

4/5 **** Venture-Lieutenant, Maryland—Hagerstown

I will definately use this since I plan to GM my first game this weekened.

Sovereign Court 5/5 * Venture-Captain, Texas—Houston

1 person marked this as a favorite.

"On the new player table, a smart organizer will "stack the deck" by including a seasoned player at the table to help others learn. This helps the GM focus on the game and running the table while ensuring the player has questions answered in a timely manner. A smart GM uses the seasoned player to give the new player a little attention. A peer who knows the ropes in the game is helpful to everyone and keeps the table moving...
"

This is usually what I do and encourage the GMs to do as well, it allows them to focus on the storytelling.

4/5

One thing we always do with newer players is prompt them. The characters know a lot more than the player does, so we need to keep that in mind. We can't expect new players to know the intricacies of spell lists, the cover rules, how reach works, etc.

"Explain to me what you want your character to do, and I'll tell you what the mechanics are and what you need to roll."

"You can move there, but that will provoke an attack of opportunity--are you sure you want to do that?"

"That spell takes a full round to cast/won't work on this creature/whatever--do you want to change to something else?"

"If you move here, you won't take cover penalties/you'll be flanking/whatever. What do you want to do?

"Do you have X skill? You can make a check to find out more information/search for something/whatever."

Things like that.

It can be very frustrating for new players if the GM just waits for them to do something when they don't even know what options they have available. New players might not know that they can make knowledge checks much less guess which knowledge check they should try in any situation. A simple adjustment to the GM style can make the game go a lot more smoothly and let the new player have fun.

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