Tenkar's Tavern: The Point at Which You Know a New RPG Player "Get's It"

Friday, June 6, 2014

The Point at Which You Know a New RPG Player "Get's It"

As I mentioned last night, +Tim Snider 's Timemaster game was my wife Rachel's first RPG session in a group setting (back when we were dating I ran a Tunnels & Trolls session for her one on one, but that was more mechanics of an RPG than actually understanding how an RPG works).

The magical moment when I knew it had all clicked for my wife was when she said: "We need to interrogate the last one. We need to know what he knows. I want to know how many are waiting for us on Skylab". This after she had wrestled the four armed alien into a Half Nelson.

She just remarked to me as I type this "It's a good thing I didn't use a Pile Driver, or else we wouldn't have learned anything."

Yep, she get's it ;)

3 comments:

Holly OatsJune 6, 2014 at 9:37 AM
That's awesome! You don't need an apostrophe, though; it's just "gets". Sorry, it's just that grocers' apostrophes are a big pet peeve of mine
ReplyDelete
Replies
chimericalrealmJune 6, 2014 at 10:40 AM
The moment where a new player "gets" it, and everything clicks is one of my favorite times in gaming. You can see it on their faces as the combination of "I can try ANYTHING" and feeling like what is going on is "real." And then they become truly immersed in the game, to an extent that many veterans are rarely able to do anymore. It's just awesome. I'm a HUGE fan of playing with new players and spreading the joys of the hobby.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

Swords & Wizardry Light - Forum

RPGNow

Friday, June 6, 2014

The Point at Which You Know a New RPG Player "Get's It"

3 comments:

Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition