Sean Merwin

You are sitting down and either making them use a piece of paper and a pencil or get onto an app, which is what they do in their regular life for the most part. So don't make them make a character. If you want to give them something, give them a character and have them make two small choices. Totally. And make those choices not rules-based, but sort of something they already understand.

You are sitting down and either making them use a piece of paper and a pencil or get onto an app, which is what they do in their regular life for the most part. So don't make them make a character. If you want to give them something, give them a character and have them make two small choices. Totally. And make those choices not rules-based, but sort of something they already understand.

Your character can be reticent or verbose. Your character can be emotive or sullen. Make it something that they understand just in the real world. So now that you're sitting down, they have a character and they have an hour to play it. So the next thing is a hurdle is trying to get them to embrace too much complexity. We may love role-playing games because of the tactics of it, right?

Your character can be reticent or verbose. Your character can be emotive or sullen. Make it something that they understand just in the real world. So now that you're sitting down, they have a character and they have an hour to play it. So the next thing is a hurdle is trying to get them to embrace too much complexity. We may love role-playing games because of the tactics of it, right?

I've got these seven options and this is my problem. Which option should I choose with also an understanding of what options other people might use, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Others may not love that as much as we do. And others may not want to take the time to understand those options.

I've got these seven options and this is my problem. Which option should I choose with also an understanding of what options other people might use, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Others may not love that as much as we do. And others may not want to take the time to understand those options.

Because again, that is not telling a story that is making a difficult choice where they already have to make difficult choices in the grocery store and on their tax form, et cetera, et cetera. So don't get into the complexity of the game in that first session. Just show... Tell me what you want to do, roll this die, add that number, we're done. We're moving on to the next thing.

Because again, that is not telling a story that is making a difficult choice where they already have to make difficult choices in the grocery store and on their tax form, et cetera, et cetera. So don't get into the complexity of the game in that first session. Just show... Tell me what you want to do, roll this die, add that number, we're done. We're moving on to the next thing.

And the fourth is sort of a corollary of that, which is don't try to do too much. within the story itself. Make it very simple. Like Teo said, let them do things that they can't do in real life and have that move the story forward as quickly as possible. Get to a resolution. You have to track down and find a missing person. 20 minutes is, well, five minutes is hearing the problem.

And the fourth is sort of a corollary of that, which is don't try to do too much. within the story itself. Make it very simple. Like Teo said, let them do things that they can't do in real life and have that move the story forward as quickly as possible. Get to a resolution. You have to track down and find a missing person. 20 minutes is, well, five minutes is hearing the problem.

Five minutes is following the trail. But 10 minutes is having a combat. 10 minutes is fighting, crossing the river with no bridge. 10 minutes is fighting the monster at the end and then have a resolution scene. Boom, you're done. Putting in all the fantasy that you can within that. Those are the four things that I always look at when I try to bring in a new player into a new system.

Five minutes is following the trail. But 10 minutes is having a combat. 10 minutes is fighting, crossing the river with no bridge. 10 minutes is fighting the monster at the end and then have a resolution scene. Boom, you're done. Putting in all the fantasy that you can within that. Those are the four things that I always look at when I try to bring in a new player into a new system.

And that's sort of the opposite. It could be the opposite of the problem I was trying to solve. You could have somebody who are used to role-playing games, but not used to the setting or the genre or the story that tends to flow from a science fiction, supernatural horror... Western... Western game.

And that's sort of the opposite. It could be the opposite of the problem I was trying to solve. You could have somebody who are used to role-playing games, but not used to the setting or the genre or the story that tends to flow from a science fiction, supernatural horror... Western... Western game.

So then you need to do the same thing, but do it not from the rules point of view, but from the story, the flow point of view. But still follow these rules, right? Keep it simple. So if you have all of these rules supplements that you can plug in, just say, we're going to start with the most basic form. We're going to run one encounter with that. Did you like that? Did that work? All right.

So then you need to do the same thing, but do it not from the rules point of view, but from the story, the flow point of view. But still follow these rules, right? Keep it simple. So if you have all of these rules supplements that you can plug in, just say, we're going to start with the most basic form. We're going to run one encounter with that. Did you like that? Did that work? All right.

You want a little more complexity? All right, we're going to plug in this module. And now with this, and then you take 10 minutes to explain how your tactical combat system will work. And then you go from there.

You want a little more complexity? All right, we're going to plug in this module. And now with this, and then you take 10 minutes to explain how your tactical combat system will work. And then you go from there.

Yep. Last question from EMNDM via Blue Sky. As a writer and artist, do you have any tricks or rituals to get into the creative state? Sometimes I can be very creative, but it's much harder to do on demand. And I need to prepare my biweekly sessions. I think everybody's going to have their own answer for this.

Yep. Last question from EMNDM via Blue Sky. As a writer and artist, do you have any tricks or rituals to get into the creative state? Sometimes I can be very creative, but it's much harder to do on demand. And I need to prepare my biweekly sessions. I think everybody's going to have their own answer for this.