[D&D 4e] Using D&D for Introduction to Roleplaying?
Aumpa:
Hello! I'm glad I found this site. After taking a 10 year break from roleplaying, I'm trying to get back into it again, and I want to be educated about the possibilities.
Here's the situation:
A few months ago, I picked up the D&D 4e PHB and DMG, joined a new startup group at a local game store, and played a few short sessions as a player.
Now, I want to introduce roleplaying to a couple friends and hopefully run a fun series of sessions for them. I'm not quite sure what I want for myself out of roleplaying as far as GNS goes. I do know that I would like to explore D&D4 for a bit and see what we can do with it, but I'm open to using an indie game instead.
The friends I plan on introducing to roleplaying are ethnically, culturally, and nationally Chinese. They're learning English as a second language and taking classes at a college here in California. I would be very surprised if they've had any exposure at all to anything like tabletop roleplaying. The reason I think they'd enjoy roleplaying is due to their interest in imaginative things like anime and comic books, and board games like Go and Chess.
Is starting them with D&D a bad idea? Will it give them all kinds of misconceptions about what roleplaying could be? Are there any specific pitfalls with D&D that I should look out for?
In the beginning, I believe the play will be Participationist (if I'm using the term correctly), in that I'll be driving the story and to great extent the characters, while they'll be supplying some dialogue, characterizations, and tactical decisions. I hope that they will gradually learn to create more of character, color, setting, situation, and system, but I don't know how quickly they'll take to it.
My preliminary plan is to only bring out the dice, pencils, and blank paper, while leaving the books hidden. I want them to know that games come from people, not books. I would also like to start their characters as "level zero" humans and roleplay the selection and training of their classes, as I'm afraid handing them a blank character sheet to fill in might give them the impression that the game is mainly about a bunch of numbers.
I apologize if I've put this in the wrong forum. I didn't know if I should emphasize the level-zero modification of D&D to qualify for First Thoughts, or put it in Actual Play with the forsight that I'll be posting follow-ups to how things go, or somewhere else entirely.
Callan S.:
Hi Aumpa, welcome to the forge!
Your concerned about them getting missconceptions about what roleplay is, or an impression it's a game mainly about numbers - why are these missconceptions, or false impressions? What if your own idea of what roleplay is, is a missconception and false impression? It's easy to think our own ideas make sense, while the other guy is just under a missconception.
Reading the texts of D&D, up to and including 4E, is still alot like looking at clouds and seeing shapes and creatures which just aren't there. As much as cloud gazing can inspire the imagination, so can looking at any edition of D&D.
The problem is when people look into a cloud/the rules text and most assuredly assert X IS THERE! And say everyone else is wrong or has a missconception if they don't see it.
I think this mostly comes up because people don't realise they are cloud gazing, they really think X is there in the text.
If everyone realises they are cloud gazing when they read the games texts, I think it works out - everyone knows what they are seeing isn't really there, and so they can work together to meld the things they 'see' into one actual thing they all agree on, then do that thing.
Are you prepared to see the something valid in what they see, rather than just see it as missconception? Are they prepared to do the same in regards to your vision? Once you are, then you can work out a deal on what to keep and what not to keep (well, usually most people are capable of making a deal - I will grant it's possible you may not be able to make a deal between you).
If not - well, when someone sees something no one else can and they insist people do things a certain way 'because it's there', it always reminds me of religion.
What drew to introduce RP to your two friends? Was the game at the local store enjoyable in some way, or it wasn't and you wanted to run a game where it's done properly?
Aumpa:
I'm afraid that a hidden appeal of introducing the game to new players is so I can mold their impressionable minds to roleplay the way I guess roleplaying should be done. But I'm going to give myself the benefit of the doubt and assume that I'll be egalitarian, flexible, and open to seeing what anybody and everybody sees in the clouds.
I guess my questions are about:
1) what the players might see in the clouds of D&D, or some other game, so that I might mentally prepare myself to see those shapes.
2) what role do I have as the teacher/DM in suggesting shapes (assuming it's unavoidable that I suggest shapes short of giving them the PHB without any commentary)
I plan on dropping the use of XP.
[/non sequitur]
Aumpa:
Oh, and the game at the store was enjoyable enough. There's actually a session with my group starting in a few hours, but I can't make it due to a schedule conflict.
Ron Edwards:
Hello,
I'd like to know more about the game at the store. What happened, both with the characters (briefly please) and more to the point among the actual people?
Best, Ron
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