You Have Been Initiated

[Castlecruncher 278]

So, I'm planning on getting the Beginner Box, and plan to do so by getting some of my friends who have NEVER payed an RPG to join. I currently have one person on board and am talking to another about the possibility.

My question to you is how do I sell it? Not just the good ol' "It's friggin Star Wars." How do I get them on board for roleplaying?

Is it more of a "You have to try it," or is it a conversation? If it is a conversation, what are some key points I should think of?

I have time enough to wait for getting the box, so I have time enough to sell the idea to my possible players. Any help would be very appreciated!

[polyheadronman 171]

This has come up in other threads, but I have yet to see it come up about complete initiates to the world of pen and paper RPGs.

 

Hmmm...  I always explain D&D as Lord of the Rings (current and mainstream movie franchise), where the players play the roles of the Fellowship, and choose their own adventures.  I define the DM as the facilitator of a plot, presenting optional paths for the players to go down.  And then I usually finish up with an analogy about games like Final Fantasy, explaining the XP/level system, and magic items/treasure, etc.

 

I also like to state simply that it's just like when you were a kid playing cops and robbers in your back yard, except there are rules, and you get to more than just run around yelling pew.

 

For Star Wars, that is obvious, you just say Star Wars, and suddenly everybody is instantly interested.  However, if for some bizarre reason that doesn't work, try the above methods.  If they have never played a game like this before, don't beat them down with gobs of info.  It's a fun game where you play Rebel soldiers fighting the evil empire and running crazy missions all over the Star Wars Universe, flying X-wings and shooting up Imps for the glory of the Rebellion!  Tell them it is easy to learn, and that they really get to be creative with barely any math.

 

I would also ask them for a definite commitment.  With my group, I convinced them to agree to play the EotE Beginner Box, plus the free PDF continuation download "The Long Arm of the Hutt."  I said if they didn't like it after that, no harm no foul.  Back to DND.

 

About half way through the Long Arm, they were sold, and we moved on to the full Core Rules and made our own PCs, and the rest is history.  Because of the learnin,' I got them to commit, so that they all really gave it a fair shake, a real good test drive.

 

YOUR job once you have that commitment, is to study like crazy.  Look at those BB rules and read that adventure.  Over and over.  Truthfully, it will be a learning experience for you all, but they are going to have a LOT of questions, so you need to know where to find the answers.  Nothing worse than trying to keep the momentum going when you have to constantly stop and look stuff up.  Part of selling any game is knowing the rules and having the confidence to answer questions firmly without having to thumb through books to back it up.  You want to explain something, apply it, check to make sure they got it and move on with fun-ing.

 

I don't think you can sell the dice mechanics without using analogies.  My favourite example is "you miss the stormtrooper (failure), but hit a steam pipe on the wall behind him (advantage).  It blows open and obscures the trooper's vision, imposing a setback die on his next attack."

 

One last thing and then I'll stop.  This game is collaborative, and not everybody is going to be awesome off the hop.  Take your time and brainstorm dice pool results as a group.  That helps everyone feel like a part of the game, and those who may not be as creative don't feel put on the spot.

 

Hope this helps, and good luck!