Roleplaying games present several
challenges for newcomers, whether they’re new players at an
experienced gamemaster’s table or enthusiasts seeking to run a
particular game for others. Aside from the initial leap complete
neophytes must make in understanding the roleplaying game experience,
gamers must also learn a set of rules governing character abilities
and actions in the game setting; though some might argue most people
have at least some experience with both “roleplaying” and rules,
gaining those from “let’s pretend” play activities from their
childhood and game mechanic concepts drawn from more traditional
family board games or sports. But not everyone has prior experiences
from which to adapt to some roleplaying games’ more exotic
settings.
One reason Dungeons & Dragons
remains so popular – aside from being the first commercially
successful roleplaying game – thanks in part to its generic fantasy
setting, one that relies on familiar tropes from popular media such
as the Lord of the Rings films based on J.R.R. Tolkein’s
Middle-earth epics; stories, comics, movies, and television shows
based on Robert E. Howard’s Conan character; magical fare like the
Harry Potter franchise; and many other sources such as those listed
in D&D’s own infamous “Appendix N.” Warriors and
wizards fighting goblins and orcs in subterranean caves and ancient
ruins; these trappings hearken back even to the most basic Western
cultural legends of King Arthur, Beowulf, and the tales of the
Brothers Grimm. These media and cultural foundations help players
easily grasp the setting concepts behind D&D than other
more esoteric game worlds.
Some other games don’t suffer from
player unfamiliarity with their setting. Nearly any game based on a
licensed media property has a loyal fan following intimately familiar
with the universe...some of those fans also share an enthusiasm for
roleplaying games which they indulge in themselves and sometimes seek
to share with other fans. Take your pick: Star Wars, Doctor Who,
Battlestar Galactica, Firefly. In these cases gamer-fans
have to overcome the challenges posed by roleplaying game rules alone
instead of both mechanics and an unfamiliar setting. Not familiar
with the setting? Just sit down for a few hours with a DVD set for
one season and immerse yourself in the setting.
Game designers and gamemasters do their
best to present roleplaying game settings in familiar terms.
Sometimes they can use a “crutch” to help impart the gist of a
setting by drawing comparisons to familiar films, television shows,
comics, and novels. For instance, one might describe GDW’s
Victorian space fantasy game Space 1889 as Zulu meets
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom novels. One could compare Vampire:
The Masquerade and other World of Darkness fare to
roleplaying games based on Ann Rice’s vampire novels or the
Underworld film franchise.
Sometimes game settings draw
comparisons to other games or established genres. At the time of its
release, Fantasy Flight Games’ Dragonstar was billed as “D&D
in space” (though one might argue the Spelljammer setting
holds that distinction). Wicked North Games’ Westward could
easily be described as Wild West steampunk on another planet. R.
Talsorian’s gorgeous Castle Falkenstein used comparisons to
genre films and literature plus a healthy dose of fantastic artwork
to bring its Victorian steampunk fantasy alternate earth to life for
gamers. Aside from its groundbreaking game mechanics, Monte Cook’s
visionary Numenera game also boils down to familiar if morphed
fantasy tropes merged with lost science fiction bits amid the ruins
of an extremely far future, all enhanced with inspiring
illustrations.
Really esoteric and original
roleplaying game settings can’t often draw on widely understood
cultural elements. A few titles I’d consider “esoteric” come to
mind include Skyrealms of Jorune – with which I regrettably
have little exposure – and anything based on M.A.R. Barker’s
Empire of the Petal Throne setting, including the recently released Bethorm: Plane of Tekumel game from adventure gaming
luminary illustrator Jeff Dee (a subject I’ve discussed before).
Some newcomers to the roleplaying game hobby might find some of the
more exotic settings mentioned in earlier paragraphs just as
esoteric. (As an aside Wizards of the Coast’s Everway game
from 1995 remains largely forgotten primarily because of the
inaccessibility of its setting – despite some groundbreaking game
mechanics elements – at a time when many fans really wanted a game
set within the rich world of the company’s wildly popular Magic:
The Gathering collectable card game.) Certainly most provide at
least a setting framework – if not comprehensive material on
locations, equipment and treasure, meta-plots, characters, and
potential adventures – though this often requires considerable
reading and comprehension from an often voluminous core rulebook.
Some of these game settings are so
intricately and deeply designed that players really have to immerse
themselves in the source material to understand how to game in that
environment. Aside from reading the rulebook’s relevant setting
materials (possibly including some rule sections, too), what methods
do gamemasters use to acclimate players to new and obscure setting
material?
Media: It’s not always
possible to find a corollary between existing novels, comics, film,
and telelvision shows, but this remains one of the best ways to
orient newcomers to at least the spirit of an unfamiliar if not
esoteric setting. Sometimes the roleplaying game itself offers
supplemental material specifically tied to the esoteric game itself;
for instance, The Man of Gold, M.A.R. Barker’s first
novel set in the world of Tekumel. I’ve occasionally dabbled in
this kind of setting orientation myself; long ago in the days when
Star Wars was all but a forgotten media property (the early
1990s, before the Timothy Zahn novels appeared), before embarking on
an epic Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game campaign with friends,
we all spent a day watching the classic trilogy (particularly because
one player had managed never to have seen the Star Wars
films before...).
Internet Surfing: Wandering
the seemingly infinite halls of the internet can provide newcomers to
an esoteric setting with some exposure to informative elements, from
professional and fan-produced artwork to sites with game- or
setting-specific material, actual-play reports, and encyclopaedic
wikis filled with cross-linked information. Run a Google search on
“Tekumel” and one finds a host of blogs, illustrations, maps, and
comprehensive websites offering lots of setting information to
absorb.
Player Handouts: Gamemasters can
use a variety of handouts to both inform players and put them in the
mood for the game. I’ve created information handouts for a variety
of games in the past, usually focusing on knowledge the average
character would possess. In some cases these include outlines on how
players accomplish basic tasks using the game mechanics, but often
they incorporate useful setting material. I even recall compiling a
list of slang terms used in early Star Wars novels for my
player orientation sheet used in running Star Wars d6
adventures at conventions (apologies for referring yet again for my
involvement with the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game).
Solitaire Tutorial
Adventures: Frequent readers might recall I
particularly enjoy solo tutorial adventures and have frequently discussed the subject before. These brief scenarios using programmed
entries (similar to pick-a-path-style books of yore) to enable
readers to dive into both the game setting and mechanics right away.
Granted, this often requires sharing the rulebook with players
(sometimes a limited resource), but it’s a good starting point to
steer newcomers for quick immersion in both the game system and
setting. Even such an esoteric setting as Tekumel has used this
technique; Theatre of the Mind’s edition of Adventures in
Tekumel presented much of its player-oriented material and
several scenario books in the form of playable solo adventures (and
some with lengthy narrative portions imparting the intricacies of the
setting). I’ve used them to orient myself to new settings that
interested me as a gamemaster, particularly West End’s Paranoia
second edition and the multi-genre TORG.
The issue really comes down to how much
investment players are willing to make in learning the setting beyond
the time and focus required to comprehend the essential game
mechanics. Not everyone can sit down, read, and absorb a hefty
rulebook, nor are they always willing to do so to fully understand
every game in which they wish to dabble as players. Familiarity with
the setting genre goes a long way in enticing them to play and
rewarding them with an entertaining experience (instead of a game
session filled with complete bafflement). Some settings seem
interesting but remain so foreign – despite various strategies to
inform potential players – as to remain essentially
inaccessible...a regrettable condition given the number of
high-quality, esoteric game settings available today.
Comments....
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