Introducing New Characters Part Two
Yesterday, I talked about a recent game where I had to introduce two new characters into an existing party, and why one character melded beautifully with the group, and the other one didn’t.
There are a number of other problems that can come up with introducing a new character to the party, one of the biggest ones being referred to as the union card - the near instant inclusion of a player’s character, despite whatever circumstances they meet under.
Trust, specifically, is an issue when introducing a new character to the party. Many groups will undoubtedly have secrets, and quite possibly enemies. The worry that someone might betray them upon discovering this, or even that they were sent by their enemies, is quite realistic. This worry is even more important if the group is involved in something greater than itself, perhaps a noble quest. If this is the case, any group would be extremely leery of letting any newcomer simply join their ranks.
Clearly, these issues of trust are best dealt with if you want the best role-playing and story-telling opportunities possible. What can be done about it?
In a DnD game my wizard character would announce to the party that he was going to give them all some sort of “mental buff,” and then proceed to pretend to cast it on everyone in the party but the newcomer, who would be saved for last. He would then have Hypnotism cast on him, and since they would fore-go the saving throw the spell automatically succeeded, followed by a demand for a statement of the character’s intentions. This quickly established at least a basic level of trust.
In situations where the magical or technical means of ensuring an honest answer aren’t available, the best situation is often to have the characters sit down and talk for awhile. This can be a great opportunity for some role-playing, or you can simply skip over the conversation and come to a general consensus of what was discussed and what the results were.
Unfortunately, many times this is simply not an option due to time constraints or some other obstacle. If this is the case, the new character should have something immediate to offer the party that would gain at least their temporary trust - until they have time to further establish it. Some examples of things for the newcomer to offer:
- Money
- Information
- A contact
- Transportation
- Medical Aid/Healing
- Hiding place
- Aid in combat
It is possible to by-pass most of these concerns if the new character some former connection with the PCs, either they had met previously or share a mutual friend. It is easy to say that the characters had become friendly with someone in their neighborhood who played a minor role that never came into the spotlight - until now. The other option is for the newcomer to have a referral of sorts from someone who is trusted by the group.
The other concern characters might feel when a newcomer joins the party is that they could wind up being a liability, either because of previous enemies they’ve made, or mistakes they might make in the future - mistakes that could result in the party being killed. It is not uncommon for many veteran fighters to refuse to fight alongside someone who is unknown to them, or to rely on their preparations for a fight. Anyone with common sense would be cautious when placing their lives in someone else’s hands, which is exactly what happens when you enter combat with them.
To get over this, it’s best to simply let the newcomer demonstrate their worth. Put them in a fight that the characters can observe, either against an outside enemy or against a member of the party in order “to prove his worth.”
Remember, when you introduce a new character you are setting the stage for everything else that character will do in the game - a bad introduction can create plot holes or inter-party problems.
What other problems have you run into when introducing new characters? What do you do to ensure the process goes smoothly?
Introducing New Characters
General Site Update: Following last weeks Wordpress update, I apparently made a mistake which resulted in my last few posts not being saved or published on the site - a fact I only discovered this afternoon. It looks like the problem has been fixed, and updates should be coming once again.
Introducing new characters into an existing campaign can be very tricky. There are a number of issues that can complicate things further such as the realism of someone being in the immediate area or the existing PCs having any reason to trust the newcomers with their money and secrets, much less their lives.
Last week I ran a session of my Star Wars game, which takes place sometime after the Sith War, about 4,000 years before the movie. The existing party was made up of two young Jedi who each left the Order and were going through trials to be initiated by Sith Spirits. The requirement for their initiation was that they hunt down and kill at least one Jedi for each of them.
We explained all this to the two new players before the game. Brian chose to play a Force Adept with a strong inclination to the Dark Side, who was found by one of the Sith hopefuls and recruited. All in all, a good concept and a good match with the party.
Nevin’s character was a stark contrast. He built a Rodian Fringer, a mechanic with piloting abilities. He was Force Sensitive, but had no force abilities and no real combat ability. I had reservations in the beginning, and I voiced my concerns, but said that he “should play what [he] wanted,” as I don’t, as a rule, tell players what they should and shouldn’t play.
Looking back, this was a mistake. I should have vetoed the character and either helped Nevin’s rework the character into something viable or helped him build a new character from scratch. As it was, Nevin’s character barely fit in with the party and was barely engaged in combat when the rest of the party entered it. In fact, there were barely any opportunities for his character to shine - and the character build was only half the problem.
Mentally, the character was incongruous with the group. Everyone else had something that drew them to the Dark Side in some way or another, an anger or hatred or fear that they had. Nevin’s character did not. In addition to this, the rest of the party were, in the words of Zorg, “killers - dyed-in-the-wool killers. Cold blooded, clean, methodical and thorough.” Nevin’s character, however, was not.
All of these differences were highlighted and made more clear when their initiation began, and they were presented with a series of Force Illusions which tested their reactions to different circumstances, and were generally designed to push each character further down the path of the dark side and down the path of power. Nevin’s character went temporarily insane almost immediately.
The lesson from all of this is simple, when introducing new characters, it’s important to be willing to veto the ones that just won’t work out, and then help the person correct the problem or build an entirely new character.
Getting Back Into Gaming
There are a number of things that can stop you from gaming, from schedule conflicts to lack or energy or problems with the gaming group. The worst, without a doubt, is when any of these are combined with burnout. The worst part of burnout is that it becomes a cycle that feeds on itself: You need to take a break from gaming, and when doing so you lose any “gaming mojo” that you had built up. When you come back, you might be suffering from some residual burnout, or atleast be prone to burning out again. And the longer you go without gaming, the harder it seems to be to get back into it.
So what do you when you’re ready to come back to gaming after an extended break?
Switch roles. If you’re usually the game master, may-be it’s time to just sit back and let someone else weave the story while you get to be a hero. This takes a lot less creative energy than preparing and running a session and juggling NPCs, storylines, facts about the world and game mechanics.
On the other hand, if you’ve mostly been a player, may-be it’s time to sit down behind the screen and tell a story. There is something very gratifying about taking control and responsibility for a story for the first time, and getting to weave different elements of a story together can be a great way to recharge your batteries if you’re used to navigating the maze of a story instead of designing it.
Do something different. For me, this was finally playing an evil character in an evil party - a Cult of Vecna to be exact. As I’ve wanted to play an evil character for sometime, finally getting to do so with the approval and cooperation of the group was very gratifying. Moreover, it completely changed the roles our characters had to play, and even the way we went about playing the game. It easily inspires roleplaying situations, and gives us a lot of opportunity to interact with people while trying to keep a secret agenda.
Play a game that works differently. I often find that feelings of burnout or futility are tied into over familiarity with a game system. After awhile, seeing the same basic list of feats in different d20 games makes the games, and the characters in them, feel much more repetitive than they should. Another solution could be playing a different edition of a game you’re already playing. The differences between the Dungeons and Dragons editions are remarkable, even if you don’t count the 3/3.5 editions - previous editions use very similar mechanics, but the abilities and structure of classes and races are laid out differently in each edition.
Keep the sessions short. Before I took a break from gaming, twelve hour sessions seemed like nothing to me. Coming back into gaming, I notice my attention starts to wander after five hours or so. It’s not that I’m not longer having fun, it’s simply that I’ve had enough. Continuing past this point, especially on a regular or repeated basis, will quickly lead you back down the path to burnout. It’s better to cut the session short and be eager to start again next time than get overly drained and burnt out again.
Go at your own pace. It can be tempting to start gaming a lot without much time in between, especially if that’s what the rest of the group wants and is pressuring you to do. Your duty is to remain firm: Anymore than you’re comfortable with and you’ll just wind up burnt out and not gaming again. Arrange for a second game to be played when you’re not there, or for your character to pop in and out of gameplay as your schedule permits.
Ask “Why do I want to game?” Whatever your reason for gaming, you need to be clear with yourself about it so that you can pursue it instead of hoping that you get it. If you game to relieve frustration, talk to friends, or tell stories but you don’t wind up doing enough of these things then you are going to burn out again.
Find a new group. In some cases, it may simply be that you were not compatible with the whole or part of your gaming group. Perhaps you had different reasons for playing, different style of play, different preferred games or just an unsolvable personality conflict. Whatever the reason, a fresh group could fix the problem. Consider this carefully before acting on it, and be sure not to burn any bridges - you, or they, might come around some day.
Is there anything that’s helped you ease back into gaming after a hiatus?
When A Player Doesn’t Like Their Character
From time to time, a player will be unsatisfied with the way their character is working out. Perhaps they made an error when building the character, or made a decision which is closing off possibilities now. May-be the character doesn’t fit in with the party, or the story-line for that matter. Perhaps the opportunities to contribute are too few and too far in between. Whatever the reason for it, the situation is always best dealt with directly. But how?
Kill the character.
Killing the character allows the player to immediately roll a new character and re-enter play with one that is more appropriate to the situation. Character deaths which preclude resurrection may often be the best, as many groups would try to revive their fallen comrade.
If the character is going to be killed off, it is best if the death means something - it allows the character to accomplish something in its time and not feel like a waste. The character sacrificing themselves so that the rest of the group can safely escape a situation is a classic example of how to accomplish this.
Write-Out the character.
Less drastic than killing off a character and just as effective, writing the character out of the story for a length of time allows the character to continue to exist, and perhaps be played again in the future. This option can be best if the character is not critically flawed so much as inappropriate to the current game for whatever reason.
Re-build the character.
If a character doesn’t fit in with the group or setting, it may be best to change the character so that it does fit better. Allowing the player to re-build the character, within limitations chosen by the game master, lets them continue using the character in the game but fix whatever the problem with the character is.
The PHB II spends an entire chapter discussing how to accomplish this and what can be used in game as an explanation for the change - usually a magical effect achieved at the end of a quest or from thorough training. I tend to choose the latter for minor changes - in my Dark Matter game, the players are allowed to rebuild their characters between missions; there is ample time and the Hoffman Institute provides the necessary instruction.
Change the Story.
When a character doesn’t fit in with the story or the group, it can be easy to focus in on the character as the problem and by extension as the solution. But sometimes the best solution can be to make changes to the story/campaign/game world. Look at the situation and see if there is something you can do to make the situation fit the character more neatly. Often minor changes can yield great results. A player is also likely to be more open to making the changes you want to their character if they see that you have already explored this option.
What do you do when a player doesn’t like their character?
New Campaign Website
In preparation for my new fantasy campaign, beginning in late April, I decided to build a new campaign website where I could post and load information for the players, as well as get responses from them.
I decided to try something new this time, and installed some basic forums. There are categories for possible campaigns, official game fluff, character creation, and general discussion. After I put up the forums, I typed up a list of 50 possible campaigns they could embark on, and began typing up descriptions for each of them.
So far, it’s working out quite well. The main content of any thread is found in my first post, with later posts being updates about what was edited or updated in the original post - this makes keeping everyone up-to-date very easy.
I’m finding that, so far, using the forums seems to be a lot easier for me and my players, while being equally effective.
Best Game Resources
Some games and books are ideally suited to providing inspiration and ideas for games, even if the game to be played is of an entirely different genre. Here are some of my favorites:
Dark Matter. The Dark Matter campaign is ideally suited towards conspiracy and paranormal games, and provides a lot of space geared towards describing organizations in enough detail to provide a slew of hooks and plot ideas. Each organization is fairly universal and may be exported or converted to other settings with little in the way of problems.
Complete Mafia for d20. The historical information available in this book provides a good history of how criminal organizations work in the real world, and the detailed descriptions of criminal organizations and roles of members will give you a great start on detailing the criminal aspect of any world or setting in your own game.
Call of Cthulhu, Sixth Edition. Theoretically, any edition of the game will work, but I have far more experience with this version. Anytime a truly “alien” entity or effect is needed, a flip through this book will provide either a great example or great inspiration. The d20 version may provide more direct compatibility with other d20 games.
Rifts, Heroes, GURPs, or any other “universal” point-buy system. While these games aren’t always as universal as we might like, there’s a lot of diversity in those systems, and the books are written to encourage the building of anything - both through mechanics and stirring up ideas.
Planescape. In my mind, Planescape is the most complete Dungeons and Dragons setting in existence. Anytime something in the game happens that involves any plane other than the Prime Material, I consult with Planescape for ideas, rules, and inspiration.
TSR Wizard’s/Priest’s Spell Compendium. Four volumes each, these compilations take spells and descriptions from almost every TSR game, setting, adventure and magazine release for several decades. The spells are updated for balance and use, and provide the widest variety of spells and abilities I’ve seen in any set of DnD products. Alternatively, you can get the wizard or priest spell cards, which contain identical information.
Darwin’s World. Darwin’s World combines elements from numerous genres, providing ample information and inspiration for post-apoc games, mutant games, or high tech games. The affiliates and organizations in the game also provide great templates and can easily be exported to other games or genres. (I still would love to play an X-Men game with Darwin’s organizations.)
What resources do you go to when you need some inspiration?
Resuming a Campaign
A long time member of my gaming group is set to return from AIT in the middle of the month, allowing us to continue a campaign that after nearly three years, approaches its conclusion. While this is very exciting, it can also be daunting, as it has been several months since any of us has played that game, that world, or even that system.
In honor of this upcoming event, here are some tips for resuming a campaign that has been on hiatus.
Group Memory Jog. Get as many members of the group together sometime before the game, and simply discuss the game. Good topics that will help jog the memory include character biographies, stories over how items came to be with the party, and goals that characters had. All of this will help get rid of some of the cobwebs and get peoples’ mind going about the game.
Role-play Before the Game. Set up a basic premise which will cause the players to role-play their characters, both with each other and a small cast of NPCs. This can either be part of the game or a separate exercise to help people get started. This gives people an additional chance to get used to their characters skin.
Hang-out Without Gaming. If the group has been apart for long in addition to the game being on hold, not only does everyone has a lot of catching up to do, but they may need some time to get reacquainted and used to each other again. Make sure everyone is comfortable around everyone else again before you try resuming the game.
Pre-pare a “Best of…” By preparing a best of list for each of the characters, you’re reminding everyone not only of the things that made the characters great and their greatest accomplishments, but also of what the characters were like and what had been important to the storyline and the game. Make sure to prepare a good selection which both demonstrates the past experience of the game, and prepares everyone for the experience ahead.
Field Questions. Before the game starts, open up the floor to questions for everyone. These questions can go in any direction - player to player, player to narrator or narrator to player. These last minute clarifications can prove invaluable.
Start Off Slow. No matter how much preparation you put into it, things are likely going to start off a little slow. If this is the case, you simply need to allow for some time for the game to once again pick up momentum. Sometimes this can take one or two sessions, but usually by the middle of the first session the game seems to be in full swing again.
What do you do to resume a game that’s been on hold?
First Time Narrating
One of my players and best friends has wanted to run a game of d20 Mafia for sometime. After I picked up a copy of it at PhilCon I provided my friend with access to it, so he could learn the system in preparation. This has inspired me to write an article with some advice for him and other first time Narrators.
Don’t Worry. We know it’s your first time, and we’re going to be patient. More over, we know about the game you’re running, and we’re already interested. You’ve already won us over.
Don’t Skip A Beat. When I studied musical instruments, my instructors always told me to continue playing without pausing, hesitating, or reversing if I made a mistake. It might be glaringly obvious to me, but most likely, no one else. And no matter who noticed it, more people will notice it if anything is done to draw attention to it.
Ask For Help. There’s a good likelihood that your players have learned the rules to at least some degree, either from playing previously or simply studying them prior to the game. This is an excellent resource for you to take advantage of: Not only can you use them as a direct resource, but you can use their knowledge of the reference materials to find information quickly.
Don’t Over Reach. It’s your first game, and it’s the first time anyone else is playing your game. Keep it simple - your main goal should be to introduce yourself to the game and to running it, and your players into playing your game.
Take Feedback. At the end of the session, or even during, ask for some feedback. If you ask for some during the game, try to keep it quick so as not to disrupt the flow too much, unless a break is already being taken.
Accept the Feedback. There can be a tendency to second guess the feedback of players, and think that they may be praising the game simply so you won’t feel bad. While certainly people will be more patient with you the first time, they know it is in their interest to be honest. Accept the feedback.
Pat Yourself on the Back. Narrating for the first time is not only difficult, it’s scary. Regardless of any other level of success, simply getting through it is an accomplishment.
Any advice you’d like to share with anyone who’s running a game for the first time?
Splitting Up The Party
Eventually, it happens in almost every game: the party is forced to split up for one reason or another. Here are some tips to keep in mind when splitting up the party:
Keep the scenes short. When the party is split up, it’s ideal to keep the scenes as short as possible, and switch back and forth between the sub-groups as often as possible. The longer people are waiting the play, the more bored they will become, and the more likely fatigue is to set in. As a rule, I try not to keep anyone waiting more than fifteen or twenty minutes to play again.
Next Session Finish. If the group is being split into two, and the session is either nearing its close or the party will be split up for some time, it may be a good idea to send half the group home for the night, and intend to do their scenes at the start of the next session, perhaps before the others arrive.
Party Division Means Talent Division. When splitting up the party, keep in mind that you are also splitting up the party’s talents and abilities - meaning that they should be able to accomplish their respective goals even without the other party members.
Fill Out The Groups With NPCs. This can be especially useful is the party splitting up was not by choice, i.e. if several PCs were captured and must now be rescued. By adding in NPCs, you provide players with the talents that they might be missing due to the party being split up, and you also create an opportunity for the players of the missing PCs to still participate in the game by temporarily assuming control of the NPCs.
Beware Telepathy and Teleports. If the party split up voluntarily, there is a high likelihood that they will be able to communicate, especially if they have access to magic, psionics, or advanced technology. It is also quite possible that they will have access to instant, near-instant, or extremely fast transportation, which can allow the party to reunite quickly. If you have proceeded further with one sub-group than another, it is possible that one will call in the other for reinforcements - this can negate actions which the group has previously role-played out and completed.
Division of Rewards. Be sure that the rewards are divided evenly among the group, if one set gains a lot more experience than the other, this can create an unbalance in the party. Additionally, there can be problems if equipment is not divided evenly or fairly among the group.
Make Sure It Fits. Splitting up the party should ideally be somewhat rare, and something that only happens when it fits the story, simply because it can cause a large number of potential problems which likely would never come up if the party did not split up.
How do you handle splitting up the party?
Dealing with Identical PCs
First, an apology for the lack of update Friday. I had thought the server was set to automatically post the article Friday morning, but I made an error saving the post, and thus it was never posted. Here is the post from Friday. Normal posting will resume tomorrow.
No matter how much diversity any game offers, whether class and level based or point based, the problem identical PCs will eventually crop up. There are several circumstances under which people are likely to generate identical PCs, and several degress to which they can be “identical.”
The most common place to see identical PCs is at low level or in low power games, where the characters haven’t had as much time to diversify and “bloom.” The best solution in this case can be to simply wait, and give the characters time to develop, in personality and character development as well as on paper.
Some players come to the table with similar concepts for their characters in mind, which leads to similar character building or execution. If this is the case, try to emphasize the little differences in the characters, especially the ones that don’t make a difference as far as rules and game mechanics. If two characters are wielding two different swords that are near identical, place them in a role-playing situation where the differences are seen as important, either due to a fighting tradition which glamorizes one, or the weapon has some symbolic importance based in religion or myths.
Some players will purposefully build characters which are very similar, often creating a reason for this in their characters backgrounds, such as being siblings, or trained by the same teacher or order. If this is the case, you may wish to offer the players an extra bonus for this, because even if the mechanics don’t suggest it, two duelists/slashers/casters acting as a team or in tandem should be more effective than the two of them separately. Of course, this bonus shouldn’t be offered all the time (unless the mechanics normally call for it.)
Another common place to find identical PCs is among spell casters who are able to learn and teach new spells. PCs who wield magic with this kind of mechanic will often share spells freely with each other, in order to benefit the party. Try offering your players a way to specialize in different ways. If necessary, rule that only a certain number of spells or spells per level may be known by any caster - this will encourage them to learn different abilities in the interests of versatility.
Universally, the best way to deal with identical PCs is through role-playing. No matter how identical PCs may be on paper, they will almost certainly have different personalities, inclinations, mannerisms, and beliefs. Shining a light on this makes characters unique and special, and provides players with a reason not to min/max, another common cause of identical PCs because of bottle necking.
How do you deal with identical PCs?
