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Playing RPGs with New Gamers

Greetings Nerdarchist Ted here and if you are a regular visitor to our site you will know that today should be a Goblin comic.  But Nerdarchist Ryan celebrated Star Wars day with a great comic so we actually launched that one on Monday.

So that shifted my usual articles back a day.  So here we are with me on a Wednesday.

New players at your role playing game offer an assortment of challenges as well as an assortment of boon.  Now sadly I am not talking about Epic boons bestowed upon you when you reach 20th level but they are advantages never the less.

 Player tips for new players in a Role Playing game

As a new player you are potentially over whelmed by many different things all at once when coming into an established game and established gaming group.  If this is your first role playing game you might not

be comfortable with acting or using voices.  You are most likely unfamiliar with the rules or maybe even the concept of what to do at a role playing game.

I am here to tell you that all of that is ok.  All role players have to start somewhere.  Be it as a young teenager exposed to D&D and LOTR or someone at mid age only knowing the stories in comics and on the screen.  I started playing dungeons and dragons probably around 14 or 15.  I was one of those kids that did not fit in with the popular crowd and sought acceptance elsewhere.

So a good player tip to offer is be confident. The adventures and success brought on great rewards to my self esteem.  Through these adventures I doubt I did any great role playing and I would hazard a guess that I did not even delve into any complex character concepts or builds.  But with each campaign and each year of growth, these things progressed.  If you do not ahve the confidence in your abilities, fake it, after all you are role playing.  Before too long you will have it and not need to fake it.

The next player tip i can offer is to look up to your fellow player.  If you need guidance for a character in your role playing game, look to an established hero of a sort and do your best to emulate them.  If you have a strong group of experienced players look to them for guidance.  Ask how do I make a Legolas or Batman type character.  Be aware that established characters will posses abilities that you probably won’t have yet but you can always build to it and have a progression of what it will take to do all that you see on the screen or comic pages.

My next tip is to step out of your comfort zone.  Once you have a character you are happy with, now is the time to breath life into it for your role playing game.  What are the characters motivations and goals? Does the character have a favorite saying or annoying habit.  Some role playing games offer backgrounds or traits to help flesh out the characters personality more easily and if your games does not you can still use another systems features to help build the mindset of your character.

Another player tip for you will to be heard.  With a fleshed out character with stats and a personality it is time to delve into the game.  If you are boisterous make your opinions heard, if you are shy speak rarely, but make sure you are getting your time to shine.  If you are comfortable with using a voice try it out.  You might go several sessions feeling out different voices as you figure it out and that is fine.  When something feels right stick with it.  If you are not into voices no big deal.  Every so often remind your fellow players at the table what quality you see this character using.

In a confident stride and tone my paladin walks across the room and says to the villain, “You will let these prisoners go or face my wrath!”

It can be as easy as that in your role playing game.

 Game Master tips for dealing with new players in a role playing game

When you are running a role playing game and a new player joins it can definitely change the feel of the game.  Not only is the treasure and the exp split going to be different but you are going to have extra story lines running and you are going to have to plan harder encounters.

Now add on top of this the new character is also inexperienced.  That makes it even tougher.  First the character might not have a full write up giving you less story to work with and they might not now all things the character can do.

So my first game master tip for this is give the new player a mentor.  That’s right.  Have them always sit next to an experienced player at the table.  Have them be a guide along this wondrous journey.  By having a mentor they can be guided in combat, nudged when would be a good time for them to speak up and coached with what would be the right thing to say.  The mentor can teach them the rules quietly as they come up in your role playing game.

The next game master tip I can offer is to be patient.  As a Nerdarachist it is part of our mission to promote the hobby and to make it grow.  The only way this hobby will grow and thrive is if new players and new generations take up the rules and dice we love and carry it the next leg of the journey.

They say patience is a virtue and looking back along your own journey was your DM/GM forgiving or hard as nails on your mistakes?  How did it make you feel?  Would you make a change based on that?

The next thing I would offer up as a game master tip would be to be enriching.  Share the love of the craft and game with your players.  If your new players see how much love you put into your story and your game it will hopefully inspire them to greater heights.