From: CS341A002@Husky1.StMarys.Ca (Loki)
Subject: Re: Newbie System?
Organization: The Underground
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 01:31:34 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.13.SMU

eebonar@sn01.sncc.lsu.edu writes:
>
> In article <1992Oct9.014041.10631@nstn.ns.ca>, CS341A002@Husky1.StMarys.Ca (Loki) writes...
> >The best game to introduce people to is one where they are surrounded by
> >experienced gamers. Unconditionally. They will either quit gaming rather
> >more quickly than they would have *anyway* or will pick up gaming faster,
> >much faster...
> > 
> >This is one reason why cons are a Good Thing. They bring new gamers
> >together with older, more experienced gamers.
> 
> 	Pardon me while I recoil in horror!
> 
> 	Perhaps others have had good results with cons.  However, to me they
> seem entirely unsuited to introducing new players.  Even leaving aside the
> fact that most games at cons are one shot, task oriented adventures (I would
> prefer introducing new players through an adventure where there is a definite
> thing for them to do but where there is no competitive scoring going on).
> However, I'd say cons are a great way to introduct someone to the posibilities
> in role playing after they have gotten comfortable with the basic idea.

Well, depends on the con. Most games I run/play at cons are non-competitive
types, people just play for fun. What I meant was that cons are good places
to *meet* gamers at... somebody comes along, plays in my game, I think
she's a good player, get her phone number, etc...

I wasn't suggesting cons were a good place to intro people to gaming.
They're just a good place to meet gamers, especially *new* gamers who
haven't been gaming very long (and showed up at the Con because it has a 24
hour gaming room and that sounds *so* marvellous, because they've never
gamed for 24 hours straight before :)

Actually, I do know people who run campaigns at cons. They're sick people
who never find the time to get together any other time. Strikes me as kind
of odd.

> >Seriously. One of my gamers started* gaming in my Dark Conspiracy game;
> >then going on to join a Shadowrun game and a MechWarrior game. I doubt
> >anyone here would recommend any of these systems for novice gamers. Still,
> >after about a year of gaming this gamer's better than most 2 or 3 year-long
> >gamers... certainly better than I was after a year of gaming. (I started
> >out gaming with a bunch of complete neos.)
> 
> 	Actually, Twilight 2000 (the basis for Dark Con) is possibly a good
> beginer game if they are interested in the background.  In 2cd edition there
> is basically one form of success roll.  Combat is fairly easy and almost
> all of the important info can be put right in front of the characters in
> their sheets and the weapon/vehical cards.

Excuse me. Skill tests are ridiculously easy, yes... but combat isn't that
simple. Ever use plastique in Twilight or Dark Conspiracy? It requires
math. :) 'Course, the good part I guess is that once used, it generally
ends the combat...

Dark Conspiracy & Twilight both have similar problems for neo GMs... it's
absurdly easy to blow away the party in either system. You have to trip
over yourself trying to make sure you don't accidentally murder the lot of
'em. They're also very atmospheric games, hard to pick up the feeling of
the game right. I'd say both almost require experienced GMs.

Twilight also attracts a rather large amount of munchkinism; it's not the
system's fault, but munchkins *like* the concept of wandering around in an
anarchic society with Big Guns. (It's the Big Guns part they like most, I
think. :)

           Most commonly known as Loki, occasionally sysop of TWWOL
      SCA: Brynjolfr Myrkjartanarson, founder of the Compaignie Mercurie
        The Net: cs341a002@husky1.stmarys.ca, cs341a002@stmarys.bitnet

Random Quote of the Day:
Ah, Mr. Ellington, it's so good you're here. Happy, happy birthday. Pat and I
just love your music.

                 --- President Richard Nixon to *Cab Calloway*
                     at Duke Ellington's 70th birthday party