How do you introduce players to champions?

[Beazulbob]

I have a game I will be starting soon and it will have 5 players, only 1 of which has experience in the game. I've toyed with a couple was to do so, but I thought I should ask as it has been over a decade since I've GMd new players and am no longer sure what I should do:

 

1) build characters for them, explain them, then let them play until they get the hang of it, then let them build characters.

 

2) ask them what they want to play, build it for them, then explain what the point expenditures mean and how it gives them what they asked for.

 

3) have a build session with the new players and help them build/buy their character

 

4) a method I haven't figured out

[Escafarc]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

If I have the the time I do #3(not all at the same time, 1 or 2 players at a time) if that's not possible then #2 and if that's not possible #1 works too.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

I'd recommend 1.

 

Keep the characters as simple as possible. No complicated builds, no extensive Multipowers. Worry about task resolution (what dice to roll when, basically) during the first couple of sessions. Once they get that down, you can move down the chart to 2 or 3, though the ability to build one's own chararacter isn't a necessity. I have a player who's been at Champions since 1st Edition and couldn't build a character if his life depended on it.

[RexMundi]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

Yeah go with 1, and keep it simple. Think, the Original (And Best) set up for the X-Men. Newer folks are going to have a time of it, especially when you get into what they can DO with their characters.

 

I've done the second option more then a few times, even expanded on it in an interview format. It works well with some people but occasionally you run into that gamer that simply, CAN NOT, and WILL NOT, play something THEY didn't Make.

 

Build sessions can be a lot of fun but can also be trying and time consuming and you then can end up (recently went through this), accidentally creating a bunch of munchkin power gamers. In this case to you gotta watch out for the folks that just, "don't get it" but are fine with you building something they like the idea of (As the budding Munchkin will see that during the session and take it as a challenge to outdo you subconsciously, heh)....Build sessions can bog down a lot to especially when you run into a great player, that couldn't build a hole in the ground if you gave them a shovel. Or the player that constantly wants to play the thing they are incapable of playing well, at all, but that's all different issues....

 

So I would run with the "Build it for them right off the bat..." option. That way you as the GM will also know what type of group you are going to have right at the onset. Once they figure out how to get those character to work, then you can consider letting them build their own, or rebuilding what you gave them.

 

In my mainstream 6e game, which is probably the most complicated setting I've ever scripted out, I pre-generated the characters, and stuffed them into envelopes labeled with "what" the character was. It read out basically like: Worlds Smartest, The Hong Kong Action Hero, Active Duty Military, Street Wise Detective, Secret Agent, etc etc etc ...These were all 275/50 High end Cinematic builds (With NHCM as a campaign standard). They WERE all though, actually 400/75 Super Heroes (Still keeping the NHCM, it's sort of a Modern Pulp kinda setting, like Ed Brubakers Incognito comic or DC's First Wave). So each Character still had, 125/25 left over to "spend" during play if they figured something out, or they could evolve into it over sessions as well.

 

This sorta gave me the best of both worlds. I got for myself as the GM, a set of balanced characters, strong foundation, I knew what was there. The "Can't Build to save their Arse" folks, got most of the hard stuff done for them in a fashion they could visualize, and the "I only play what I build!" grognards, got to "build" into the starting foundation. Sorta combines 1-4 I suppose, heh, It worked well and I've plans to do it again.

 

~Rex....points out that In HERO, once you start spending XP you are building the character, it doesn't matter what was on the sheet before you started once you spend that first XP, you built it......Also, the Champions Genre Book has some half way nice Template character construction set ups. Used those as well. I liked the Random one in the 5e book a bit better for that though, heh. Better element of WTF and had a nice V+V feel to it, heh.

[Big Monkey]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

I'm currently using Method 1 to teach Hero System to a bunch of kids whose only gaming experience is D&D 4E. Its a bit more upfront work, but you can't argue with results.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

I yell "Abort to Dodge!" and hurl the book at them.

 

Seriously, though. The "Hero System in 2 pages" pdf is extremely useful for new players at convention games, which is where I'm most likely to have new players at my table.

 

Simplified character sheets are also good. Mudpyrate's latest export format is friendly to new players.

[concord]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

mostly option 2 and every now and then option 3...

 

option 2 because I am running an ongoing campaign and it is an hour and a half drive for me to where we game... it is easier to communicate with the new player via email then design the character for them... when we get together for a session, it only takes a few minutes to give the player a feel for the character before we start playing... designing the character before hand also prevents the other players from having to sit and wait while a design session is done face-to-face...

 

the last time I used option 3 was several years ago... I had a few newbies when restarting the current campaign...

[Orion]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

I did option 1. Looking back, I think they really didn't have an interest in the Hero System - just were just willing to let me run a game or two. They never got beyond the most basic understanding of the rules, and I couldn't get past their overwhelming need for dungeon crawls and constantly rising power levels.

 

My preference would be to use an existing character from some supplement in a quickie adventure. If none suited them, I'd I toss together one in 10 minutes or less. After going through this basic session and learning a tiny bit about combat and how characteristics and powers worked, we'd brainstorm character ideas and start building. I'd make it clear that they didn't have to stay with this first build, and would be free to modify it in the next couple sessions, or even use something completely different if it turned out they didn't like it.

[Steve]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

In my current Icons campaign, what I did was option #2. I sat down with each of them and showed them the superhero gallery in the 6E Champions books and went down their options in each category. That gave me a basic framework to use in building their characters. My players are all experienced gamers with other systems, so Hero wasn't a difficult stretch.

[Dr Divago]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

In the fantasy game i started some years ago, we did method 3

i was telling them "hey, i can build your char and then explain" but they all insisted "no i whant to kno how can i build my chars and build it myself". then we started a game session to build the characthers. Previously i forwarded them with emails and documents explaining how system works (basics rules), and basis of characther creation.

Then we spent a second game session. Then a third one. And a fourth one. Even because they got, really deep inside their hearth, a munchkineous soul, and they had to know every little secret of the system before building the PC. Of course, was fantasy: so power creation system was unnecessary; i did some spell for the wizard and priest, and they used them blindly with no question

Then we started playing, and i gave them possibilities to change something about the PC after the end of the first adventure.

 

After 2-3 years of playing, they still DON'T know about power creation, still miss something important like "if i add 4 CSL to the damage, how much damage i get?" and "what's a DC?". Just one of them (the wizard) start asking me question about power (spell) creation rule, i explained them in the basics (and that's not difficult, just a little math) and he understood. Obviously, he does'nt know power effect so we need to build spells together.

As a side note: i always been glad to borrow them core rule book and/or basic rule book. But noone ever read them because "it's too big" and "it's in english! there is not a translated version?"

 

 

When i started with a superheroic campaign i gone for method 1; i created their "normal" char sheets and their "super" char sheets; they started for first game session with normal sheet (ie without any superpower nor super stats) and started playing (and understanding the game) with normal simple guy. Everytime they discovered a new power, i gave them a note with a description of their power and game stats. After first adventure they got a full sheet with powers.

After few game session, they got a "buff" of +25 points; they gave me a description of what they got and i did the build

After "first season" (first story arc) they got another "buff" of +25 points, and this time they build their power. Of course noone know power creation rules, so we did together: one by one they told me exactly what they whant and i did the math.

One of them is actually GMing a 6E fantasy campaign (and also write on this forum) so he got no problem and did the build by himself (he also pointed on me an uncorrect building when i put naked advantage inside a multipower u.u )

 

the other ones, still got no intention on reading the books; but mostly because they are mostly not interested in "how this work by the rule" so ok they will agree to build them by the rule but it's me who's interested in rule building so it's me who build the power. But i point them "if you whant, you can read the book and make the power by yourself"

[pinecone]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

I have a game I will be starting soon and it will have 5 players, only 1 of which has experience in the game. I've toyed with a couple was to do so, but I thought I should ask as it has been over a decade since I've GMd new players and am no longer sure what I should do:

 

1) build characters for them, explain them, then let them play until they get the hang of it, then let them build characters.

 

2) ask them what they want to play, build it for them, then explain what the point expenditures mean and how it gives them what they asked for.

 

3) have a build session with the new players and help them build/buy their character

 

4) a method I haven't figured out

 

I've done a version of Numba 1....they play the old guard heros, then make up new characters to rescue the Old Guard once captured, and continue on as the New "Old Guard"

[autosuggest]

Re: How do you introduce players to champions?

 

i know it can be very hard that first game..when they find out they have to do a little math some just cant deal..it's kinda heartbreaking