Tips for Noobs

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Skyman
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Tips for Noobs

Post by Skyman »

What are some tips you would give to players who are new to RPG's?
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Gotetsu
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Post by Gotetsu »

Read the rules yourself at least once.
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cczernia
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Post by cczernia »

Actually, my first tip would be not to worry about the rules. For a noob player the rules can see overwhelming.

Second tip: Don't try to win, try to have fun.

Third tip: Always try and flank your opponent, you get a +2 to hit :mrgreen:
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BlanchPrez
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Post by BlanchPrez »


[quote="cczernia"]Actually, my first tip would be not to worry about the rules. For a noob player the rules can see overwhelming.



Second tip: Don't try to win, try to have fun.



Third tip: Always try and flank your opponent, you get a +2 to hit :mrgreen:[/quote]


Pretty much this. The biggest tip for a newbie is to not worry about the rules. They will learn them at the table. Reading them for themselves can (and should) come later, but not right away.



Flanking also gives you combat advantage in 4E. :)



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Post by mordraine »

Wow, Tom got PWNED!

My opinion, reading the rules isn't bad if that's what you wanna do. People who are interested in RPGs in the first place are probably the types that wouldn't mind reading a rulebook.

'Course, the funnest way to learn RPGs is to be immersed with an established group of pals.
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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="Skyman"]What are some tips you would give to players who are new to RPG's?[/quote]

"Shut the fuck up and just roll the dice. Okay? That one -- roll that one. No, that's a d12. Now add your attack bonus. Well, which power are you using? Fuck it, just use an at-will. Use that one. Cleave. Yes, it's an at-will. Because it's green. Your at-wills are green. We just fucking went over this. Okay, so add that to your roll. It's simple addition. C'mon. No, seven plus 12 is 19. Okay, so 19. What's the attack against? What defense? It says right there! Fuck. AC. Okay, that hits his AC. Now roll damage. That one. No, that's a d8. You want the d10. Now add whatever it says to add on the power. Right there. Near the bottom. It should say the name of your weapon, then the attack and damage bonus. I know it says up here to just add your Strength mod, but it's actually that plus the enhancement bonus. So add five to your roll. No, eight plus five is 13. Fuck, did you fail 4th-grade math? Now do four damage to another adjacent enemy. Because you used Cleave. Because it says so right there! Fuck! Fuckin' noob!"

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Gotetsu
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Post by Gotetsu »

I didn't say read the rulebook. I said read the rules. Get a basic understanding of what happens during an encounter. Know the difference between a d20 and d4. Understand what a target number is. I find if you understand the basic principle of a game mechanic, the rest falls into place pretty easily. And established and veteran players are notoriously bad at explaining the basics.

As funny as Devlin's post is, I've seen that happen too many times. And it can be discouraging for a new player.
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Post by devlin1 »


[quote="Gotetsu"]As funny as Devlin's post is, I've seen that happen too many times. And it can be discouraging for a new player.[/quote]
Oh, I've [i]absolutely[/i] seen that happen. That's not fiction -- that's practically a quotation. I can understand if someone people come away from their first RPG experience and say, "It's a game where people tell you to roll dice."

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Dragonmaster Zoc
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Post by Dragonmaster Zoc »


[quote="cczernia"]
Third tip: Always try and flank your opponent, you get a +2 to hit [/quote]


"Always" is a bit harsh. I would say, "flank when doing so does not hinder you." Everyone has had a character die from that unexpected critical hit when you provoke an attack of opportunity while trying to get into flanking position.



My advice is always the same: know [i]why[/i] you're doing anything before you do it. It will slow things down for a while at first, but everyone is okay with that or else they wouldn't be playing with a new player in the first place.

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Post by Uber_snotling »

I try to impart to Noobs that they can do or try anything in any situation. If everyone else thinks fighting the orc is a good idea but you want to run away, you can do that. Most Noobs don't grasp that concept or are familiar with games that provide only a limited set of options in any situation. Convincing them to do something unexpected usually broadens my horizons because we tend to get blinders on as we game for awhile.
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opwunder
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Post by opwunder »

I find the phrase that I use most with noobs is, "I don't know, can you?"
A writer is congenitally unable to tell the truth and that is why we call what he writes fiction. – William Faulkner
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Skyman
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Post by Skyman »

My favorite saying...

Winning is a relative issue when playing RPG's
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