Introducing New Players to RL

[Chip]

What are some good things to highlight, Gothic Horror aside, when introducing new players to the setting, specifically in Barovia? So far I've planned:

Language Barrier
Vistani
Fortunetelling
The Mists
Strahd
Gunpowder
Failure of detect moral alignment
Distrust of Magic

[A G Thing]

Unreliable monster descriptions most definitely. Making your players study a monster or having folklore SOMETIMES seriously mislead them is definitely a help and can lend a bit to the game. Just make your monsters seem different and often times the players will be happy to fight something new. It is the mystery of the monster that helps a bunch I have found!

[Blot]

I always drop the pace. Really slow things down to let the tension build. This works best if you 'Mist-in' from another world. Have a really fast paced, minimum consequences romp in the Realms first, then drop the 'Mist-Bomb'. Nothing should happen for a real long time, they should feel lost, confused and frustrated. Then you hit them with the suspicions of the villagers, build the fear and tension and then have them betrayed by an NPC they trust.

...sigh... now I'm feeling really nostalgic... I wanna run a game now...

[Scipion_Emilien]

For me, Ravenloft is more about character development (PC and NPC alike) than in any other setting. The slower pace and lower magic lend itself well to develop relationship and characters. The gothic elements help too, particularly the curses tailor made to the character of someone.

This is in contrasts to others fantasy world where the action is often faster pace and the intrigue revolve more around "save the world" rather than "escape the sins of your past who came back to haunt you".

[Blot]

For me, Ravenloft is more about character development (PC and NPC alike) than in any other setting. The slower pace and lower magic lend itself well to develop relationship and characters.

Quoted for truth! I usually spend at a few hours with each player individually before a game - really work on character, and spend an equal amount of time working on NPC's; voices, motivations, mannerisms, agendas etc.

Truth be told - I spend very little time on plot. Worry about the characters and the plot will attend to itself.

[Rudolf Weathermay]

character development is really important. Talk to your players in group and look what they like. You will be amazed hearing good ideas. On the other hand you can get a feeling what your players are expecting and you can correct a few things.

Don't name creatures they don't know. If they never saw a goblin just describe the beast. Even mundane animals like crocodiles can look like young dragonlike creatures with a proper discreption.

My players have no clue how many HP they lose in a fight. I describe what is happening and what they feel etc. It souds more realistic and players will be more careful.

Depending on the circumstances give players only a few seconds to react in a combat situation. If they don't answer they are just in shock, without having the proper time to react. I did it and while my players found it hard they really enjoyed it.

I also use some kind of spoilers that does not betray anything important of the story. Just like mentioned in the RDMG

[Strahdsbuddy]

While I agree with all the pacing suggestions above, it might be advisable to warn players who are new to Ravenloft that things are going to be a little more story-driven than they might be used to.

I began a campaign lat week with 2 RL vets, 2 players that had never played the setting, and one more guy who had never played any RPG at all. You could see the players familiar with Ravenloft searching for clues, while those more accustomed to standard gameworlds sort of chafing at the pace, at one point even suggesting hopping on a ship and sailing to where "Something is happening." Six hours of gaming and two fights might have been a little jarring to players that are not used to that style of gaming. Be prepared!

[Scipion_Emilien]

While I agree with all the pacing suggestions above, it might be advisable to warn players who are new to Ravenloft that things are going to be a little more story-driven than they might be used to.

I began a campaign lat week with 2 RL vets, 2 players that had never played the setting, and one more guy who had never played any RPG at all. You could see the players familiar with Ravenloft searching for clues, while those more accustomed to standard gameworlds sort of chafing at the pace, at one point even suggesting hopping on a ship and sailing to where "Something is happening." Six hours of gaming and two fights might have been a little jarring to players that are not used to that style of gaming. Be prepared!

I had a similar experience myself. I tried Ravenloft with hardcore FR players. It wasn't a success, there were searching for magical explanation for everything that was going on, and they were actually discontent when they found mundane answer to the puzzle. There characters weren't moving in term of development. Those guys were here to slay orcs and get some loot, the game fell apart because of the great difference between the two play style.

[Strahdsbuddy]

I'd like to think the DM rust after not running a game in ten years has nothing to do with it, but I'm certain it does. Session 2 is on January 6th, and I am making it a point to listen carefully to my players and try to make this their game as much as mine. Obviously, I'm not going to throw a dragon in Mordent just because some fighter says "we need a dragon to fight!" I need to get back into the swing of creating things on the fly and making the sandbox game I used to be know for.

We played Ravenloft since our teens, but I think it is a great setting with which to grab a 30-something gamer. I don't need to prove it to anyone on these boards, but I think being up front with your players about what sort of game you are planning to run will prepare them for the inevitable lack of monty haul treasure counting.

[Zilfer]

^Indeed as a pretty new DM, I can say letting your players know upfront is a very good idea. Things can go a little haywire otherwise, especially when they first go from something else to Ravenloft.

Some of my players do grow bored when "nothing seems to be happening."

Pretty much the times I deem they should be trying to find clues, and if they can't think of anything themselves discuss amongst themselves theories of what might be going on. At least it gets their creative mind ticking then, but it doesn't always happen. xD

Good luck with Future sessions!

[Rudolf Weathermay]

Personally I prefer to play with characters who hails from the domains of dread instead of outlanders.

[Zilfer]

So you don't like the barriers that outlanders have! Blasphmy! xD It would probably make it easier, I've had 3 people of my group switch to being natives since we've played. Some have died, and remade a character like that, and another had choosen to do that when we originally played the Ravenloft I6 module.

[Blot]

Personally I prefer to play with characters who hails from the domains of dread instead of outlanders.

I think that's how I'll approach my next campaign (If and when I ever get around to it!). It'll be an interesting change. Would have thought it would make the alienation a little more tricksy though.

[Jack of Tears]

More personal stories; Ravenloft adventures aren't typically about saving the world and even when they are they're told in a series of smaller, more intimate scenarios.

Play with monster descriptions to make them more Gothic and frightening ... kobalds look like bent children with twisted faces, Orcs are slack jawed and large browed men ... make the monsters new and - most importantly - make them feel monstrous.

As you say, the language barrier ... but not only from their domain to Ravenloft, but even the local tongues of the domains. Traders and important people may well speak common, but most peasants will - at the very least - speak very accented and local dialects. For a long time after falling into Ravenloft the Players are Outsiders, make sure their treated that way. (unless, of course, they're playing natives. Even then, dialects and local traditions in other domains should seem strange)

Nonhumans - elves, dwarves, halflings, etc - are not treated like the happy cousins of humans - aside from in cosmopolitan areas they are treated with distrust and, often, as second class citizens. (aside from that few rare domains where they are very common) The demihumans that survive best in smaller communities are those which behave just like humans ... and even so they will often be among the first suspected when things get rough.

There is no adventuring class in Ravenloft ... people don't leave home to travel and look for treasure and glory. Instead people live their simple lives and rarely even venture far from their homes; outsiders and travelers are suspect. PCs who are going to be staying in Ravenloft might do well to actually settle down and get jobs ... this can be its own adventure and really make the game stand out from most settings where characters only get jobs when the players retire them.

Religion isn't merely something priests pay lip service to, but is a very fundamental part of most people's lives; common men and women believe in and pray to their gods regularly. Churches should be depicted more as the monolithic powers they are in our pre-modern world rather than the convenient place to get healing and quests they become in most fantasy settings.

Spend a lot of time building atmosphere, describing the rolling hills and beautiful vistas, then contrast these against the things that happen in them.

Most people prefer to remain blind to the bad things happening around them, and prefer to take care of their own problems. A village in danger will typically try to take its own measures to protect its people, or turn a blind eye to "tolerable" losses when they can't; they don't go posting signs asking adventurers for help.

Every monster has a reason for what it does and a personality. I don't believe in using random encounters in Ravenloft - every encounter should further the atmosphere or the story.

Ravenloft is a place where myths and legends are kept close to the heart and every village or traveling merchant has tales to tell; the mists are featured in many of these.

Mysteries, no monster hunts, are your usual type of adventure. Monsters are often riddles, that is, killing them can often be more involved than just stabbing them with a sword; those myths and legends often hold the key to defeating a beast. (though they are sometimes also peppered with ignorance and misconception) Even "minor" monsters like Zombies can have stories, origins and motives.

And, last but most certainly not least: in the end, Men are the worst kind of monster, George.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I think that's how I'll approach my next campaign (If and when I ever get around to it!). It'll be an interesting change. Would have thought it would make the alienation a little more tricksy though.

A Lamordian in Dementlieu can be just as alienated as a Greyhawker in Barovia.

I love using native characters too. It makes everything more personal, and changes the dynamic from "get the heck out of here and back home ASAP. Forget the poor doomed (artificial?) sods who live in this hellhole." to "fight the good fight, no matter how hopeless it may seem. make this dark world a better place, one life at a time."