It would be great to catch up and I look forward to the pro-forma argument (all those years in philosophy class were worth it!). Do you have accomodation sorted? If not there's more than enough room at our place.
I must say I agree with your assesment with the Pundit. On occassion he says things which make sense (as I pointed out on the second thread - and his review of Conspiracy of Shadows has some great moments), but the insight is lost in the tirades and expletives.
For some bizarre reason I've been earmarked as a "Forgeite" ("The Swine"), which is particularly strange given the content and quantity of posts I've made there. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I've played a couple of indie games like Dogs in the Vineyard and actually enjoyed them. Maybe it's because I am prepared to use theory to help guide game design and play.
I suspect that some of it has to do with the fact that Ron Edwards isn't always the most convivial person either. The famous comment about people being "brain damaged" by enjoying games that didn't fit his model certainly didn't help.
Anyway... For a completely new beginner?
- Read up on the setting. Make sure you know where your character is, and what the "big issues" are. A good GM should introduce key themes early in play. Keep an ear out for those.
- Work with the other PCs. Find out what sort of character they want to play and then design a character that complements the rest of the team. Specialise on a group of skills. People who are more experienced with the game system should be the combat wombats or mages; technical and social skills are good for newcomers. It allows them to interact with the game system without having expertise of the rules.
- Read the rulebook, just to get a feel of the mechanics. Jot down a few notes as you go. Generate a sample character.
- During play, don't dominate the group. Every player needs to have the spotlight on them so they get some stage time otherwise the game isn't fun for them. A good GM will be attentive to this, and many design scenarios where one, and only one, player can succeed in getting the party out of trouble.
- Most importantly, have fun. It's a shared imaginary space and collaborative storytelling. Immerse yourself in the experience and tell a ripping yarn.
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Date: 2007-01-08 02:22 pm (UTC)It would be great to catch up and I look forward to the pro-forma argument (all those years in philosophy class were worth it!). Do you have accomodation sorted? If not there's more than enough room at our place.
I must say I agree with your assesment with the Pundit. On occassion he says things which make sense (as I pointed out on the second thread - and his review of Conspiracy of Shadows has some great moments), but the insight is lost in the tirades and expletives.
For some bizarre reason I've been earmarked as a "Forgeite" ("The Swine"), which is particularly strange given the content and quantity of posts I've made there. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I've played a couple of indie games like Dogs in the Vineyard and actually enjoyed them. Maybe it's because I am prepared to use theory to help guide game design and play.
I suspect that some of it has to do with the fact that Ron Edwards isn't always the most convivial person either. The famous comment about people being "brain damaged" by enjoying games that didn't fit his model certainly didn't help.
Anyway... For a completely new beginner?
- Read up on the setting. Make sure you know where your character is, and what the "big issues" are. A good GM should introduce key themes early in play. Keep an ear out for those.
- Work with the other PCs. Find out what sort of character they want to play and then design a character that complements the rest of the team. Specialise on a group of skills. People who are more experienced with the game system should be the combat wombats or mages; technical and social skills are good for newcomers. It allows them to interact with the game system without having expertise of the rules.
- Read the rulebook, just to get a feel of the mechanics. Jot down a few notes as you go. Generate a sample character.
- During play, don't dominate the group. Every player needs to have the spotlight on them so they get some stage time otherwise the game isn't fun for them. A good GM will be attentive to this, and many design scenarios where one, and only one, player can succeed in getting the party out of trouble.
- Most importantly, have fun. It's a shared imaginary space and collaborative storytelling. Immerse yourself in the experience and tell a ripping yarn.