Re: How to Introduce Glorantha to newbies?

From: issaries <rjmeints_at_Mfx-xdUaJAzdpYg46r3agz17OiE0_fgHUl27krb3dlKN1UDQZHMt2A_1JKyAyuDrnK_>
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:38:45 -0000

Darran wrote:

>

> So how do you go about introducing new people to your Gloranthan gaming?
>
> What information do you tell them before hand and how did you convey that to them?
>
> One of the main complaints I get when trying to get new players interested in Glorantha is that it is so vast it is hard to get into - people do not know where to start. Much of the setting information is spread over several books, many of which are out of print, and much of it seems incomprehensible...
...These are big hurdles to get over, I have tried many times, some with success but many times in failure.
>
> So how can we do it?

To start, I think there are two main categories of new player we are talking about: those that have a pre-conceived notion about what Glorantha is or isn't, and those that have never heard of Glorantha. In short, new players who have never heard of Glorantha are a much easier audience to introduce to Glorantha. They just need to start playing and enjoying the game session as quickly as possible. We provide them with just enough Gloranthan info to start playing. Often, 5 minutes of intro is plenty. The rest, as they say, will unfold over time.

The second category, those that already have a pre-conceived notion of what Glorantha is, are a much trickier audience to deal with. I have encountered a number veteran roleplayers who have heard of Glorantha, often from the "Runequest2" era, and with all due respect, they have often already made up their minds as to whether they like it or not. Thus, you have to change their mind by overcoming a negative. The only way you can probably do that, so it really makes a difference, is by getting them to start playing and enjoying a game session in Glorantha as quickly as possible.

The next book due out this Fall is "Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes". It is designed to provide you with everything you need to start new characters and get them interacting and playing quickly. No hour long character creation session needed. Everything they need to know about their characters and world is all there. Sure, there is a lot more about the whole world than just where they start, but their characters don't know that, so why do the players need to?

All during that session I would remain mindful of the player's pre-conceived negative notions are. I wouldn't make my session silly if they feel Glorantha is too silly, nor would I make it all about esoteric bits if they thought it was way too complex.

Hope that helps,
Rick Meints