The problem is you don't really know how to cater to these players tastes. You might put your best foot forward and do something really atmospheric only to belatedly realize that they'd have probably liked killing orcs and taking their stuff more.
Something with a bit of everything is probably a good idea and, come to think of it, their is an excellent adventure along those lines. Whispering Cairn. Its got baddies to kill, a ancient (if rather small) complex to explore, plots and sub plots galore.
The only issue with Whispering Cairn is that its normally the 1st adventure in the Age of Worms campaign and that might be a problem.
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Just try one of Paizo's.
At least as great as the average Paizo product, which means a lot for me, and if they like it, you can serialize it with D1 or the Rise of the Runelords AP.
:D
Aritz
PS. Converting a bunch of rugby players into a D&D geeky group? That's worth LOTS of PXs! ;)
The problem is you don't really know how to cater to these players tastes. You might put your best foot forward and do something really atmospheric only to belatedly realize that they'd have probably liked killing orcs and taking their stuff more.
Something with a bit of everything is probably a good idea and, come to think of it, their is an excellent adventure along those lines. Whispering Cairn. Its got baddies to kill, a ancient (if rather small) complex to explore, plots and sub plots galore.
The only issue with Whispering Cairn is that its normally the 1st adventure in the Age of Worms campaign and that might be a problem.
download D0. It has quest elements a wilderness element and a small dungeon crawl. It also has the great possibility of leading into D1 then E1 if things go well.
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Whispering Cairn is a great first level adventure, but it might be a bit long for inexperienced players to finish in 3-4 sessions, and some of the early encounters a but lethal for such players (swarms, underwater combat, insta-kill traps etc).
Hollow’s Last Hope is probably a good one, though I haven’t run it myself. If you have access to Dungeon magazine (about issue 114 I think) Mad God’s Key is another fun first level adventure and it opens with a (potential) fight, so that could be the first fight you run after character creation.
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Further on the topic of introducing people in their twenties and thirties to the game – what have been other folks experience in this manner? Since I finished high school (about … thirteen years ago) I have only managed to introduce a handful of people to RPGs, and they pretty much fall into two categories; partners or spouses of people in my gaming group (who sometimes stick with the game, but mostly don’t) or people who are returning to the game after a long absence.
I tell anyone who cares to listen that I play D&D, and am more than happy to explain what the game is about and invite people along to a game if they seem interested; however, almost without fail nearly all my non-gamer friends over the past decade or so have been completely dis-interested … or if a little interested, not enough to actually come to a game or play.
I obviously don’t want to force anyone to play if they’re not at all interested … but has anyone else had any success in introducing the game to their non-gamer friends in their twenties and thirties?
Rugby players at the gaming table? THIS is going to be fun! :)
Really, I think it would likely be a blast. Some of the most memorable experiences come I have had has come from new players that have no preconcieved notions about how the game works.
I'd also recommend hallow's last hope. simple adventure. plenty of things for the players to do and they're able to pick which they want to do first. And if they like the adventure, crown of the kobold king is the perfect adventure #2.
BTW, congrats on sticking out rugby player teasing until they're interested.
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Rugby players at the gaming table? THIS is going to be fun! :)
Really, I think it would likely be a blast. Some of the most memorable experiences come I have had has come from new players that have no preconcieved notions about how the game works.
I havn't run games for rugby players, but I have run them for a group of fencers - If you aren't sure about the phrases they are used to for various actions, learn them. using parry and reposte for fencers instead of block and attack back really made those players feel comfortable. Also I would suggest if you still have some of your normal group available, have one of them make a PC - people who are used to following plans sometimes have problems dealing with the open-endedness of pen and paper RPGs - if i have a group of newbies, i try to have 2 experienced roleplayers there, one as a PC and another as a conscience for the new players PCs - they may not think that they can go off track without slowing the game. having a PC they can follow the lead of of a voice whispering in their ear asking if they want to do X. helps them realize the fun of the game.
I've got a set of non-gamer friends, rugby players to drink a truth potion....Any ideas?
I strongly advise anything involving dwarves, beer and bar fights . Keep it simple, low level, low magic... and above all fun. Give them lots of HP and let them play fighters because it is a simple class to master.
Plot hook: Your PCs are enjoying a beer at the local Green Dragon inn. They are being served by the famous Dwarven Brewmaster Arken Bereinshneiger, renowned the world over for his famous "XXX Extra Strong Dwarven Stout". Arken has built his brewery in the middle of the forest, where a stream of the purest fresh water flows. That puts him roughly 1 hour away from the local town.
The night is progressing well, when suddenly a band of goblins raid the Green Dragon. In the melee that ensues, the sneaky greenskins (helped by an ogre nevertheless) manage to retrieve Arken’s most precious possession: his Tankard of Infinite Liquid Joy (a magical item that supplies a near endless quantity of the finest brew). The escape with it to their lair in the nearby foothills.
Gorlbar the Fat, the goblin warchief, has indeed a cunning plan. He seeks to use the Tankard of Joy to boost his minions’ moral so as to make them feel invincible. With his army of drunken green killing machines he will then launch a raid on the local town.
Your PCs must absolutely retrieve the Tankard to save from ruin one of the best brewmaster in the world and save the town on top of that.... and yes also because they would really like to have a drink as well
I think this is a good story because it is simple, quick, involve dwarves, beer and goblins. You basically have two locations (the inn, the goblin lair) and plenty of opportunity to have fun rp moments with drunken goblins & PC...Since they are ruggby players maybe it will all end in a big scrum with the Tankard in the middle...Wouldn't that be fun?
Enjoy.... and yes, have plenty of beers at the ready when you play
In some ways adults are harder to introduce to RPGs than kids, because it is even harder to say what they will do. There are new players who go for cathartic "smash 'em up" style, those who really get into roleplaying (and as they are less jaded, can be much better at it that your regular players...), some who turn into numbercrunching minmaxers who weight every decision endlessly (especially people who do play other games and thus try to "win" D&D too...), and people who quickly notice that this isn't their thing.
Most people eventually expand out of those styles, but getting them to play enough to learn how to play is hard...
Important thing to know is about the players' background when it comes to genre fiction. Those who are enthusiastic about LotR or Conan or whatever get easily in basic fantasy settings while for people who haven't seen the movies/read the books generic fantasy setting will be unfamiliar, while they might still really get into Call of Cthulhu, Vampire or other modern-age game. Finding common ground that people can immediately relate to is important (and in this sense CoC is actually a great introduction game for adults, world and characters are easy to relate to and they usually don't get THAT attached to their characters that they will be too upset when they get killed/driven insane in session three...)
I have some experience about new adult players, both as DM and fellow player :)
I'm thinking of restricting class choice to Fighter, Barbarian, Sorcerer, Ranger and Rogue and dropping the Small races, to 'simple' things up. Thought?
Pre-generated charaters can also simplify things. Have a few ready to go, with short backgrounds, and let them pick which ones they like. That also can give you a clue as to their style.
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I wouldn't make any assumptions about what part of the game they will like the most, except to say that if they like the game, the part the like the most will likely be the part that you like the most.
D0: Hollow's Last Hope has been mentioned by a few people, and I agree with this. It covers a lot of ground in a short adventure. It has an initial role-play start up, a wilderness trek, and a mini dungeon. So it throws a lot of aspects of the game out there for new players to experience. Plus the lead in to D1 is nice if your new players are keen to keep going.
I also agree with posters that suggest pregens. This makes things easier on many levels. I'd start with pregens that have a brief and simple background that connects them to each other and to the town, and gives them a reason to go on the quest. I'd also choose characters that don't require a lot of extra knowledge/planning. Go for sorcerer over wizard for example, and I'd even go favoured soul over cleric. Also, pre-read the encounters and make sure the party is equipped to deal with the various challenges, and don't give them a lot of stuff that isn't useful in this adventure (although a few differnet options for how to deal with different situations is a good idea).
I have introduced about 8 20-30 year olds in D&D this past year, but for my 8, I had about 10 failures. It is not easy, but it can be done.
The friends that I was most successful were ones that had been friends of mine for a long time, just never played any kind of pen and paper rpgs. A few were big sci-fi fantasy fans. Two were computer/console rpg nuts. And one was a big MTG player.
In short, if some one is already active in "nerd culture" in some form, it is much easier to get them to play.
Pre-generated, simple characters were the route I used and we played an easy adventure. (Scourge of the Howling Hoarde, but the Paizo Hollow's Last Hope was the one I used with my wife.) After the first adventure, I offered to let them keep their characters or to create new ones at the same level.
Of the 8 I introduced to the game, 4 are pretty regular, 2 are semi regular (very demanding jobs), and 2 grace us with their presence only every blue moon.
The people who were not interested tended to be fearful of stereotypes. (ex. D&D is for nerds and people who worship the devil) One used lack of money as an excuse, despite the fact that we have a few extra phb's stacked around. Most though, were just to busy to commit to play and said that once their kids were a little older or career stabilized might give it a try.
Sorry for the ramble.
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If your rugby teammates are anything like the ruggers I knew when I played rugby, I think things will go well for you. If your team had the traditional singing and drinking with the opposing team after the game, your group is already somewhat down the road of losing their inhibitions and letting themselves get carried away in the fun.
I would focus on low level, low magic and run a very simple scenario. I would also try to keep it short or allow for things to be brought to some sort of a conclusion about 2 hours into the actual play time. This way the players can take a break and feel like they have accomplished something without risking RPG overload. It will also allow for you to make an adjustment to the story or style (adding grittiness, more comedy, more brawling) to suit their mood if they wish to continue.
The idea above for a bar fight followed by a dungeon crawl is a great one, with a natural break between the brawl and the crawl. (The goal is a worthy one too for ruggers!). I also agree that D0 or the Necromancer Press modules would be good to run, as long as you were *very* familiar with the scenario. You will need to focus on the players and storytelling, not flipping through modules and books if you want to hook new players.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Edit: Absolutely have a few pre-gens ready to go. Do not bog down the intro session with character creation.
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First of all suggest fighting classes for them because it is the easiest for a beginner to be good at..
Start simple: have everyone on a boat with past history so there is not confusion and have the boat crash because of some over powered storm.
have them on a new island or so and have them wonder with misc.. encouters nothing to break there back but keep them interested. then have them come across a ruined temple or sumtin/ cave/ it doest matter but throw a dungeon up for them.. and let them go in with some minor traps and such to keep the heart going, and from there have them see some cool stuff.
ending through them up against a hard battle.. boss or so / suggest toned down vampire or zombies, undead is so fun cause you can let them lob of limb after limb.
and from there give them multiple side quest
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Hollows Last Hope has been mentioned and is really good.
EDIT- Another good adventure is one from Dungeon mag. It had Aranea and spiders that covered a small hamlet in webs.....can't remember the name...damn. EDIT yet again. This one was called "Siege of the Spider Eaters" by Tim & Eileen Connors in issue 137.
I would recommend giving them an extra level with (increase the mooks for hack and slash goodness) so you can increase their survivability. Sometimes a new player spending 45 minutes making a PC an getting offed in the first fight is a huge turn off. Let the adventure be semi-easy at first then ramp up the danger towards the end. If, in the final battle, someone dies heroically, make sure to play up the heroic sacrifice and how the town erects a statue in the fallen heroes honor.
Also be ready to be surprised. Just because they are rough and tumble rugby players doesn't mean that some won't suddenly turn into The Uber-Roleplayer and put forth a performance that the Great Bard would shed a tear for. I find that sometimes people play opposites of what you would expect. The big muscle head playing a Gnome illusionist, the skinny desk-jockey playing a half-orc Barb with 20 strength, etc.
Just be ready to insert RP moments or withdraw RP moments on the spot.
Also make sure to just have fun. Treat it like a poker night. A couple beer(if they partake), laughter, joking, discussions about relavent movie lines, etc., all are part of the overarcing experience.
This sounds pretty cool, and good luck. Let us know how it goes.
I'm thinking of restricting class choice to Fighter, Barbarian, Sorcerer, Ranger and Rogue and dropping the Small races, to 'simple' things up. Thought?Pre-generated charaters can also simplify things. Have a few ready to go, with short backgrounds, and let them pick which ones they like. That also can give you a clue as to their style.
Ditto this. But also them them pick a few things: Name, physical description, preferred weapon/a single spell. Simple things like that. Don't let them pick from anything in the PHB, but from A, B, or C. And I would make up 2 characters of each, just with different builds. Look in PHBII for good ideas. My own perference, but I wouldn't drop the small races simply because you never know when one of them read the Lord of the Rings as a kid and would like to give Samwise a try.
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I agree with Fakey. Sometimes you 'll be surprised by what a person wants to play.
I respectfully disagree with the previous posters who have said you should make all fighters/fighting classes, for several reasons. You would limit the play experience and thus not give them the full picture, plus some of them may WANT to play the gnome illusionist or whatever, and depending on the class a spell-caster is often simpler than a warrior type. Depending on feat selection, a fighter can be more complex than a sorcerer. Power attack alone takes some getting used to for a novice. A barbarian's rage ability too.
Also, I think it's good to give each novice PC one or two complex features anyways. It's a good learning experience. They only have to get to know their own abilities, but they experience those of all the other PCs at the table. It also makes the characters more memorable as individuals, which IMO contributes to beginning roleplay