#new players

[theresattrpgforthat]

Any suggestions for people who are shy and/or find roleplaying difficult but would like to gain more confidence in it?

THEME: Introductory Games

Hello dear friend, I certainly do have some recommendations for you! I’m going to break down my recommendations into four sections, because I want to give my reasoning for each section. I'm also going to finish off this with some general tips and tricks! More after the pictures below!

1. Solo Roleplaying Games.

I’d recommend Solo games if you want to become familiar with traditional elements of roleplaying on your own before you enter into a group. Solo games are also great introductions to oracles, which can be used in GM-less games.The following are two examples of Solo games, although there are many, many more.

Untitled Moth Game, by S. Kaya J. 

It is a lovely evening in the village, and you are a beautiful moth.

Untitled Moth Game is a solo journaling RPG based on the Breathlessand CartaSRDs, with heavy themes of hope, determination, fairy tales and impossible tasks. Play as a cursed moth-maiden. Let the cards deal your fate. Gather moonlight on your wings as a moth. Uncover the history of the land and of the Tyrant in the Castle. Start fairy tales. Finish them. Make promises, and try not to break them all.

And whatever you do, don't forget your very first vow.

Untitled Moth Game is a game about a young woman cursed to turn into a Moth at night, whose true love’s spirit has been taken away and held captive in a tyrant’s castle. You have vowed to return your love, using whatever help you can find along the way. You will have six skills; three of which are used in the day, three of which are used in the night, and a deck of playing cards that you use in place of a map. Each card that your character moves to will reveal a prompt that you will Illuminate and translate into an encounter or obstacle. If you want to explore the use of an oracle and familiarize yourself with the general idea of player stats, I recommend Untitled Moth Game.

Osteozee, by psychound.

It could never be claimed you are of common lifework. And of course, lifework is a bit of a misnomer entirely. There are many words that people use for folk such as yourself. Witchdoctor. Necromancer. Occultist. Oft when people speak of you, it is with venom on the tongue. You prefer different words for the work you do.  Augur. Osteomancer. Moirologist.

You are the one who remembers what has come before. You speak to the bones and let the bones speak back to you. You honor the lives of creatures large and small. And, in your remembering, you attend to their passing, as it was meant to be.

This approach takes a game that you might already be familiar with and re-purposes it for a solo-roleplaying experience. You use five 6-sided dice and a Yahtzee scoreboard, which represent the bones of your divination and your interpretation. You play as a magical practiser of magic or divination, examining the bones of dead creatures. Like Untitled Moth Game, this game uses an oracle to help determine what your character encounters, but unlike the previous recommendation, the stakes are not as large. If you like the idea of interacting with roleplaying games but prefer low stakes. Osteozee might be for you.

2. Duet Roleplaying Games.

Two-player roleplaying games allow you to put your toes in the water, so to speak, with a single friend or loved one, rather than with an entire group. 

I Have The High Ground, by Jess Levine.

Let’s face it: duelling is sexy.

But do you know what’s sexier than combat? That slower, higher tension duel that occurs before any damage is done—before any blow is even struck. The duel of word and wit, of melodramatic motion and threatening maneuvers. I Have the High Groundis a short, collaborative tabletop roleplaying and storytelling game for 2 players about that kind of duel. It's GM-less and genre-neutral, and takes 1-2 hours to play.

Using game mechanics inspired by competitive fencing, players choose moves in secret. After their choices are revealed, the winner takes the opportunity to flaunt their bravado or to perform subtle acts that leave an imposing quiet in their wake. Your game is not an action-packed fight to the death but rather a portrayal of the slow, smouldering tension between two people about to risk their pride, their reputation, or even their lives.

I Have The High Ground is a two-player game about a conflict that could be world-ending, or could be a small argument - it just feels big to the two people involved. You’ll have a selection of moves to choose from that will be more or less effective depending on the move your counterpart chooses. Thrusts represent vicious insults or imperious gestures. Feints represent baiting your opponent until they are emotional vulnerable. Parries represents a comeback or cunning repartee. These moves represent a story-focused style of role-play, that might give you a chance to experiment with move-based games with a single person that you trust.

Fedora Noir, by Less Than Three Games.

The camera shows a face hidden in shadow. A match flares, lighting up the features for an instant. Smoke swirls away as the sun sets in the distance. The Detective steps out of the shadow, her weary eyes looking out over the city. She puts on a creased and faded Hat, and walks into the night. It’s time to get to work. 

In Fedora Noir, you create the story of a flawed private investigator in the style of a film noir. Players take on the roles of the Detective, their Partner, their Flame – and their Hat, the Detective’s sharp mind and inner voice. Together, players explore the Detective’s messy life against the backdrop of a difficult case. The game emulates classic detective film noir – the corrupt authorities, twisted cases, friends you can’t quite trust – as players create their own unique stories. The game has a short set-up and tight act structure, so you can tell a complete story in the time it would take you to watch a movie. You’ll create a different story each time you play – different cases, different settings, different characters.

This game represents a completely different relationship between the players: rather than two opposing forces attempting to gain the upper hand, you’re two facets of the same person, trying to solve a case. Depending on which role you pick, you can choose which part of role-play you’d like to explore - figuring out things your character can do to solve problems, or narrating your character’s inner monologue. It’s a great, fun little game that can even expand to four people!

3. One-Shot Games. 

One-Shot games are low-commitment, and only require you to show up once. A one-shot may come with pre-generated characters or have quick character generation, which can help you try out role-playing first, before having to learn about complex bits and pieces.

Lady Blackbird, by John Harper. 

Lady Blackbird is an adventure module for 2-6 people. It contains a starting situation, setting, pregen characters, and quick-play rules perfect for a no-prep game of 1-3 sessions or more.

Lady Blackbird is on the run from an arranged marriage to Count Carlowe. She hired a smuggler skyship, The Owl, to take her from her palace on the Imperial world of Ilysium to the far reaches of the Remnants, so she could be with her once secret lover: the pirate king Uriah Flint.

HOWEVER, just before reaching the halfway point of Haven, The Owl was pursued and captured by the Imperial cruiser Hand of Sorrow, under charges of flying a false flag.

This game is one of the quickest games I’ve ever set up. The characters are pre-generated, so players can show up, peruse the options, and select the character that stands out to them. It uses d6’s - a lot of d6s - and gives your character a list of words that represent the kinds of things your character can do.

Lady Blackbird comes with two other adventures that you can choose from if you want a different kind of story - Magister Lor, a game about sorcerer twins pitted against each-other, and Lord Scurlock, a game about estranged children attempting to split up the wealth of their deceased father. 

Escape from Dino Island, by Sam Tung & Sam Roberts.

Escape from Dino Island is a thrilling adventure game about intrepid heroes trapped on an island overrun with creatures from a lost age—dinosaurs!

Players take on the role of everyday people who are brave and competent, but also in over their head. The game is designed to help you create the kind of stories that are full of action and suspense, but in which fighting is rarely a good option.

Will you escape with your life? And what kind of person will you become in your quest to survive? There’s only one way to find out…

Escape from Dino Island is a PbtA game designed for one-shots. It comes with a map, a series of questions that the table must answer to determine, and a series of playbooks for players to choose from. The playbooks will help each player feel unique and specialized, and they come with advances that will give you more moves and abilities as you play.

Part 4: Games by Jay Dragon.

Jay Dragon’s games get their own section because Jay has designed book elements to accommodate folks who may find the idea of committing to a full-blown roleplaying game overwhelming. These recommendations give players the ability to participate in a game with their friends even if they don’t have the energy or the confidence to embody a character with their entire mind, body and soul.

Wanderhome, by Possumcreek Games. 

Wanderhome is a pastoral fantasy role-playing game about traveling animal-folk, the world they inhabit, and the way the seasons change. It is a game filled with grassy fields, mossy shrines, herds of chubby bumblebees, opossums in sundresses, salamanders with suspenders, starry night skies, and the most beautiful sunsets you can imagine.

You might be a tamarin who dances with small and forgotten gods, a leporine mail carrier who relies on moths to get packages where they belong, a little lizard with a big heart and a mysterious past, or a near-endless number of other thrilling possibilities. No matter what, we’re always travelers—animal-folk who go from village to village and get to see the length and breadth of all the world of Hæth. The seasons will change as we play, and we will change with them.

Wanderhome is a cozy game. It takes place in a world after a major conflict has already ended, and your characters are simply traveling through the Haeth, encountering people and their problems as they wander. If you pick up Wanderhome, I recommend picking it up with someone who has some experience, but it truly is a magical one. Your characters will use moves to gain tokens, and spend tokens to do other moves, but there are always moves that are free to do for you to fall back on, that allow you to express your character’s presence without necessarily requiring them to contribute to the storyline. I love, love love this game.

Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast, by Possum Creek Games.

Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast is many things. It’s a bed and breakfast, of course, but it’s also this book. And this book is a book, of course, but it’s also a role-playing game—the sort of game we can play with our friends around a table, or on a voice call while hanging out, or even very, very slowly by mail.

Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast is played over the course of 48 chapters, each of which is a 1 to 2-hour scenario with its own unique but quick-to-learn rules. Players can take control of one of the 7 long-term residents of the B&B or choose from a cast of 50 quirky guests, each of whom has their own ongoing storylines.

This game has multiple options of play, all taking place inside a sprawling old house owned by a witch who no longer has her heart. All are welcome here, from teenage runaways, frogs who used to be knights, and demon children with nowhere else to go. Each scenario is short and uses slightly different rules, so you can pick up whichever chapter your particular group is in the mood for, and if one of the 7 long-term residents isn’t your style, there are 50 guests to choose from, including some that don’t even require your player to speak. If you love the experience of roleplaying, but the dedication of a 4 hour, heavy-involvement session is not what you love, you should check out Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast.

Finally...

Some General Tips & Tricks that you might find helpful, although your mileage may vary. 

-online games allow you to up and leave if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, and also usually provide text channels where you can narrate what your character is doing if you don’t know how to act it out.

-if you have any friends who show a willingness to try it out, get them to come or play with you.

-if you’re looking at an online or unfamiliar group, look for one that uses safety tools. Safety tools look out for players and provide a safety net in a situation where something might make you uncomfortable.

[threeroadsmeet]

I found out two of my coworkers. Both younger than me by 7-10 years are very interested in playing DND. One has only played once. The other not at all but really wants to...neither of them have friends that want to play (the younger one has really shitty friends apparently: her words, not mine)

My hyper fixation has been triggered and I have become Dungeon Mom 😭 making sure they have all the resources. I just don't have time to run another campaign right now but I might host a one shot for them.

[kalisquib]

To everyone who got Splatoon 3 this chrimmas and is completely new to the series, just remember:

You are going to get a lot of sweaty and try hard players either on your team or against your team, and it may start to dampen the enjoyment. Especially during splatfests. Don't worry about being good. Just focus on having fun however you want to.

It really makes me feel bad when I see new players getting absolutely destroyed in their first few games because that's not an enjoyable first impression and it's especially hard to stop and be chill with them during Turf games.

I won't spoil the story mode for you either, because it's a really good story. Though it might fall on deaf ears for you mostly, all i'll say is you aren't required to use all the weapons in a level to complete it. And there will be some tough levels, so be ready for that.

Happy Splatting, and I hope to see you on the battlefield.

[lnaliazmcithilien]

ÉSO told us we were getting a shiny new rogue like dungeon to crawl and it was open to everyone, even if you only had the base game, and you could solo it. I thought we were finally getting some beginner friendly content beyond questing and delves. Instead, it's another arena. In a month, the devs are going to be asking why only 10% of the players are playing it and how to attract and keep new players. Well, I have a solution for you. Maybe stop tuning every new piece of the game up for the long-time players, and actually introduce things new players can play.

I'm sorry some long time player managed to get to arc 14 on week one of the Player Test Server. That was Veteran Georg and he can beat the entire game. The first version of the Endless Archive was a perfect introduction for new players. I wish I had seen th first version of the Bastion Nymics. I might have enjoyed those. New parts of the game without the grind sound amazing. But the higher level I get to, the more I notice the grind. Everything just takes forever. And I again, find myself drifting back into single player games. I said it before, ESO's main competition isn't any other MMO, it is every other single player game. Maybe Bethesda doesn't want to introduce Elder Scrolls VI because the know ESO's players will abandon ESO for the new single player Elder Scrolls game. I saw there was a certain emptiness in towns when Starfield came out. Come Christmas when more people buy themselves the game, there will probably be more emptiness that even the New Life festival can't balance out. As for your long time players, another big MMO is about to release their new chapter, so they are going to be off for a month or so. I don't mind having Blackreach or Clockwork city all to myself. I just hope that if the servers go offline, ESO will still be available as an offline game, with no changes to the difficulty, no decreases, no decreases, just as it is. Because I might not enjoy trials or arenas or Bastion Nymics or the Endless Archive or the last eight 4-person dungeons, but I'm loving the rest of the game. Even Galen. The overland content is amazing, better than any other RPG or MMO I've ever played. Though, I'm just a little casual player with no interest in grinding, PVP, veteran content, or leader boards. If things keep going the way they are, after all the quests and delves and public dungeons, I'm going to run out of things to do in ESO. At least I have a stack of single player games waiting for me. One thing though, the zone quest bosses for Necrom were brutal on a new character and just a grind on a leveled character. If the overland content gets less story oriented and more combat orientated, then I'll have nothing left to do.

[cygopf13]

I finally am giving Breath of the Wild a try!

From a zombie killer turned into cozy gamer this game is pretty fun! I am only roughly 6 hours into gameplay as I got lost in the beginning figuring out where to go and what to do but I have now made it to Hateno Village!

Any tips?

[rinn-mayy]

I feel like when new players see that you have until Friday to eliminate a rival they're like-

"OH! Shit I gotta get rid of them quick!"

-As opposed to using all 5 days in a week to their advantage and learn the current rival's schedule to come up with murder opportunities.

[chaotic-clouds]

I’ll give you a wild guess which one was me (this was like my 6th time playing I had no idea what I was doing lmao) I’ll post more little nightmares content dw‼️

[advertisementguy]

Damn this brol stars thing is pretty fun 😃

[guidedbynors]

Want to play The One Ring 2e?

I will be running The One Ring 2e Starter Set on StartPlaying.

Are you tired of unorganized ttrpg sessions? Bogged down by rules and lengthy breaks as the DM has to walk the dog or do the dishes? Or maybe you have always been curious and just want to try something new. . .

Check out my StartPlaying TOR 2e games. With full Foundry gameworld, immersive music, and dynamic lighting, you'll jump right into the action and world of Middle Earth.

Check out the listing, here.

[twig-vt]

"resinless behavior" you mumble as you stumble upon this post

.... and you would be correct

but after all- who doesnt love a good newbie discovering the hellish cold of dragonspine and getting B O N K E D by ice

[educationaldm]

New players quite like to embellish.

[optimisticmayonnaise]

Why has nobody told me that osu is actually fun and not people screaming cause they can't spin fast enough

[selznick]

i dislike that you cant see players lvls before or after a match,, like in splat 2 ud see they were low level and everyone would tone it down a bit so theyd have a chance and have fun.

but nope not in splat 3,, lets rush and spawn camp and booyah bomb their base and give them no chance

youre not a good player cuz u can beat newies and i genuinely think u arent that skilled if u cant match somones skill who is lower than u

[cinnastiks]

finally started playing sims 4 today and i somehow already have 1gb worth of mods...

wonder how that happened...

ft. my first sim - Amery

[mr-nobody-lol]

Okay so this is the plan

Kill the god darn mosquito

[agoodcalamity]

Making a lalafell has been on my list for awhile so... meet my lovely enby arcanist- Tiramisu Tira! I might make them something else later, but I wanted to try out arcanist at least once! We'll see how well I adjust to it as a healer main!