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It's easy for us who know how to play D&D or other TTRPGs to take some things for granted. My wife reminds me that when I was teaching her and her friends to play that I failed to explain a core, unwritten concept, that they only later discovered after several sessions. What was that concept? I guess you could describe it as the "illusion of choice?" Or, perhaps, "the myth of the right answer?"
My wife is a very resource-minded and deliberate individual. These traits carry over into her roleplaying. Her early days of D&D were plagued with the fear of making the "wrong" choice. I think many new players can relate to this. It's as if they treat the game as a "choose your own adventure" book. Decide poorly, turn to page 47, and you die. Game over. In reality, we know that good GMs and DMs do not run games this way. This fear of choosing wrong resulted in my wife and her friend group trying to avoid as much conflict in game as possible. If one hallway smelled of orcs, they chose the other hallway. Obviously, as DM, I then had an ochre jelly or some other baddy ready for them down that path. Once they realized that there isn't a right answer and that you can't win the game through a successful series of correct decisions, they relaxed and started enjoying the game more. I kept this lesson in mind when explaining "how to play" D&D to my brother-in-law over a recent beer. Off the cuff I came up with a plausible example of gameplay that involved milking info from the town guard. I explained the core mechanic:
I was reminded of all this recently when reading through the Pathfinder 2e Core Rulebook. On page 14 of that text starts an "Example of Play." I'm sure other books, including D&D books include something like this, but I was really impressed with way Pathfinder laid it out. I wish I had this on hand to give my wife and her friends early on in their TTRPG education. Asking a bunch of new players, "What do you do?" can be overwhelming for them. The Pathfinder example illustrates rich options that are a mix of roleplay, mechanics, and out-of-character elements. I strongly encourage you to track down this short section of the Core Rulebook and give it a read. I will definitely be using it (or a version of it) as I bring new people into the hobby. One key part of that "Example of Play" touches on initiative. In 5e, Dexterity is a god-stat. It impacts some important skills, some attacks, your armor class, and your initiative. I was struck by how Pathfinder 2e uses Perception for initiative instead, with the option of using other stats as appropriate. In the example from the Core Rulebook, one of the characters gets to use Stealth for initiative since they were hiding when the fight began. I love this. I'd like to experiment with using this system in my 5e games. I could see Insight being a good skill to use for initiative when negotiations with a thug or bandit goes sideways as the character intuits that the foe is done talking and is ready to pull his blade. What are your thoughts on this? What other skills might be used for initiative in the right situation? Also, how do you explain the broad brushstrokes of D&D to a curious new initiate? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter (@rjquestgiver). Thanks for reading!
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AuthorD&D 5e enthusiast. Creator on DMsguild. Supporter of creators, content and good times. Follow me on Twitter @rjquestgiver Archives
July 2021
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