Re: (TFT) Pitching game to newbies

[Jeffrey Vandine <jlv61560@yahoo.com>]

I'd say go with something that is pretty fast paced with a lot of action.  It should probably kind of be a "throw-away adventure" that you can use to allow them to test the waters and see if they enjoy the game system, maybe even with some pregens just so they don't have to fiddle around making up characters the first time out of the blocks -- if they want to keep using the characters for the second adventure they can, or they can make up their own in the interim if they get excited about playing.  There are tons and tons of exciting starting adventures out there that you could use, but you want something that gets them into an adventure quick, allows them a chance to interact a bit with local color, and sees them put down the bad guys in a satisfying way as quickly as possible. 

 If you're looking for something like a tomb to rob or a barrow mound for them to investigate, you can check out "Dyson's Dodecahedron" (https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/) -- he's got tons of small sites with backgrounds that he's thrown together (YMMV) that provide a nice map already made that you can easily key.  You could also take a look at the free downloads from Heroes and Other Worlds (it's a TFT clone, so translating the monsters over to TFT is literally a no-brainer) at http://heroworlds.blogspot.com/.  He's got a couple of simple and quick starter adventures on the board there that you can download and see if they might be something you can work up quickly.

My goal would be to give them a light once-over regarding some of the basic stuff -- some interaction with an NPC or two, a view of the local inn/tavern with maybe a little gambling game they can all play (there are a couple of simple ones out there -- check out En Garde! for the easiest one), some rumor-mongering, a little travel cross country with some nice evocative scenery (a picture or two would be nice for them), an excuse for the Wizards to shine (maybe uses Dazzle to chase off a couple of marauding Coyotes or Wolves or something), and a nice little fight at the end with some good stuff as a reward (mostly money and jewelry, definitely no magic items except maybe a scroll or something)...including a clue or two (like a treasure map, and a riddle about something) to other potential adventures in the area (just in case you need something to set up with for the next session); with the whole thing wrapping in a couple or three hours.  You might want to make sure you leave them with a half hour or so of time afterwards to enjoy some sodas or beers or whatever and talk about what was the most fun for them.  That's pretty much the way I introduced by old gaming group to Call of Cthulhu way back in the '80s when it first came out -- I made up a "haunted house" (that wasn't) by copying an old house plan from the 1800s, made up the local "sheriff" to give them some spooky background, and let them scare themselves silly without ever actually doing anything other than creating some atmosphere -- they never did figure out the house wasn't haunted at all, because they took off running and never came back; but they were sure hooked on the game from that point on!

KISS is really the best policy for both them AND you -- you don't want to invest a hundred hours into something that might only turn out to be a one-off because they never got into it for some reason.  One of the nicest things about TFT is that it's so easy to teach and use, so at least you don't have to spend an hour going over the system with them; heck I once taught a total tyro to use TFT in about five minutes and with one arena combat to walk them through it in practice.  (Total elapsed learning time; 15 minutes!)  Anyway, good luck!  And enjoy!

v/r
Jeff

 Subject: (TFT) Pitching game to newbies
 To: tft@brainiac.com
 Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2016, 12:59 PM
 
 I'm thinking of starting an in-person
 campaign sometime this 
 summer-fall, with my friends from school, if I can get
 enough people 
 together for a weekly session. They're a creative bunch and
 this 
 semester, a couple of them did a collaborative storytelling
 project that 
 attracted a fairly enthusiastic audience. Still, most if not
 all of the 
 players will be newcomers to tabletop roleplaying. Since
 this will be 
 their introduction to the genre, I'd like to make the
 campaign as 
 engaging and high-quality as possible, while keeping session
 length 
 short (two hours per week is asking a lot of busy music
 majors, so I'd 
 like to maximize their enjoyment-to-time ratio as much as
 possible). 
 I've run campaigns before, but none trying to meet standards
 this high.
 
 Does anyone have advice on how to make this happen? What
 kinds of 
 plots/adventures might you recommend in this scenario? Any
 hints on 
 fostering in-character interactions among the group, while
 also 
 providing interesting challenges to overcome? Tricks to help
 a group 
 stay focused on the game? How to manage logistics and
 prepare for sessions?
 
 Your wisdom is valued and appreciated!
 
 - Meg
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