RPG 201, Lab #1 ~ Orientation

Welcome to the first lab of the course.  Here we'll be talking about the orientation process directly as it relates to game play, both for the players and for the DM.  Note that much of what we'll cover does not just refer to players who are new to role-playing games.  We are also talking about players who have not played this particular system or genre.  We are also talking about players who are starting in a new campaign under a new DM, even if they have played the same game with other DMs.  Every new table and every new system is an orientation process, though it is true many players act differently.

Let's start with the players.  Imagine if you will, that you're all new players sitting down to a game table for the first time.  As you settle in, you look around at the others: you listen, you make a note of things that are familiar or unfamiliar ... and you watch for things that will both reassure you and give you cause for reservation.  This is easier if these are friends, or you have one or two friends present; but you may notice your one friend is acting differently with these strangers.  Whatever your confidence level, you recognize that you don't fit in, not yet; and to compensate, you will either act extrovertly or introvertly.  You will either speak a lot to try to control or influence the others to let you into their circle; or you will act guarded and reserved, protecting yourself until you are made to feel welcome.

There are things influencing your actions.  If you are very familiar with the game, or with role-playing in general; if you have played for a long time; if you've DMed; you'll feel more confident that anything you have to say will be treated with respect and you're liable to say more.  If the others seem friendly or more nervous about you than you are of them, or you're older, say, or otherwise there are reasons to think you're their match materially or intellectually, you're liable to feel a greater degree of control.  If your passion for the activity is very great, if you're emotionally invested or very excited, you may not even notice your level of confidence and comfort, even with total strangers.  These are all things that have been noticed as psychologists have studied, for example gamblers, who are often in situations with strangers or participating in uncertain games of chance.

Your sense of confidence or control depends much on your ability to self-talk yourself in and out of situations, your ability to process large amounts of information and how comfortable you are made to feel by persons in the environment.  Many have had bad experiences with other players who were unfriendly, even abusive, who used their positions as "the old guard" to lord it over the noobs and such; and many have had good experiences, where you were made to feel a part of what was going on as soon as the dice were rolled.  Obviously, we want to create the latter situation as a DM ~ but as players, much of your experience in orienting yourself to a new game depends on your personality, your social skills and your sheer intention to play as you insist.

This doesn't always work out.  Sometimes, players are so insistent that they step into a new environment and immediately set out to control the game's agenda from top to bottom.  They dictate what they want, they ask questions that push the boundaries of the written rules, they speak of their vision for the game being played and they challenge the DM and the other players with their in-your-face attitude.  They want to skip the orientation process, move straight to the place where they are redesigning the campaign to make it suit their needs and they are often oblivious that this is what they're doing.  Most likely, due to their confidence, they've been allowed to control other game spaces; they don't know how to insert themselves into a game any other way.

It may be comprehensible but it is bad behaviour.  An existing game or one that the DM has conceived from scratch deserves to have an orientation period.  The player needs to recognize that before they can change what's on the table, they need to observe it and see how it works.  Orientation means that the player is bound to orient themselves to the situation ~ not the reverse.

The DM runs a game with a vision.  It is not necessarily the right vision; it may not be a defensible vision; but for the new player, it is the vision being played.  Until the player is able to see the vision as the DM sees it, and thus speak to the DM about that vision on the DM's level, orientation isn't the time for adjusting that vision.  But we can talk about this more, later.

Very well, how do we, as DMs, enable new players to see that vision?  We're asking here that players assimilate a lot of information and that they familiarize themselves with all the aspects of the game environment: how characters are created, what characters can do, how combat is resolves, how the DM will tend to present NPCs, what sort of stories will be told, how the setting is structured and how it functions as a world ... and ultimately how our behaviour as players affects that world.  This is only the beginning.  When explaining all of this to the player, remember that there's a real limit to how much a player will learn before resisting.  Only a small part of that resistance is the players' brainpower; the rest describes the players' decision to balk at some point because the process is confusing, apparently purposeless or is coming too fast.  We are responsible for more than merely orienting the player; we need to do so in bite-sized chunks that make the player want to continue learning more.

Dedication is encouraged by making the player feel welcome and comfortable in the group once they're introduced.  Once they've joined, resist the urge to rush into the game ~ give time for the new player to interact with your group BEFORE you start playing.  There's no need to rush!  The interaction between the group will be more positive in the long run if everyone is comfortable talking to one another as people.  A half hour of pleasant chatter can save hours of conflict and bad feelings later on.  But don't have new players introduce themselves and don't put them on the spot with questions.  Let the conversation develop organically; if the new player feels control and confidence, they'll say a lot and your old players will listen.  If the new player lacks confidence, the player will listen to the conversation and glean from that.  Exhaustive communication full of content isn't the goal ~ comfort is the goal.

While you as DM may feel a compulsion to get the game started "on time," you should realize that evaluation between humans is a necessity ~ and will go on while you're trying to start your game, spoiling focus and undermining this opportunity.  New players are a disruption; that can't be glossed over by keeping everyone busy.  There's a lot for the new player to get through, so take your foot off the gas and make time.

Ensure that you and your players are generous with the new player; have dice you can lend them if need be, writing implements, snacks, drinks, whatever would be usual for the group.  No one should be sitting watching others eat and drink because they forgot to bring food themselves.  Feel free to encourage them to bring their own the next running and say clearly, "We all share," so they know that whatever they bring they may need to share themselves.  If they are consistently lacking in the future, this will help pressure them to change their ways; or definitely expose them as the sort you don't want at your campaign games.  Finally, if you have players that are very personal about their dice, and don't like to share, have a set of communal dice that everyone can use if game equipment is forgotten.

It's your responsibility as DM to give them a complete understanding of what you'll expect from the new player regarding their responses during game play and their responsibilities.  If you want them to have their actions ready before they're called on, make sure they know it, they understand it and that you'll berate them for failing to live up to that expectation.  Say it gently and kindly ~ because later, in the heat of the game, you'll say it with great frustration and that will be worse.

Explain house rules and any rules that would normally be viewed as sketchy or fuzzy, particularly rules that are widely known for being played in hundreds of ways, such as alignment, spell use, infravision, perception, trap searching and so on ~ effectively, anything that there exists a flame war online about.  This clarity will help reduce conflict at your game table, as your particular version of "the way" your game is played at this table is made clear.  Once again, the matter can be addressed when the player is experienced; for now, they need to learn how things here are done.

If players have full knowledge about how your game works, they'll know exactly what contributions they're making ~ and that will give them a feeling of significance, of being "in the know" and therefore less of an outsider.  The new player, like the old players, need to feel that they're valued, that their actions have value, that they have a role and a place in the game.  Giving them the power to make informed decisions enables them to put their personal strengths and character powers to good use, creating a sense of appreciation from the other players early on.  Once the new player becomes more relaxed, assured and familiar with your game, they will make fewer mistakes and gain an increasing level of commitment and immersion to your game.

Outline the game's policies and procedures outside of play: when breaks are taken, when eating and drinking is allowed, how much silliness or horseplay is appreciated, specifically explaining where the lines are.  This is an uncomfortable subject and many DMs will not want to address these things ~ but with new players it should be seen as necessary, as this will reduce much drama later on.  The same goes for player absences from sessions: how do you handle them, what is too many, how absences should be communicated ahead of time out of respect, how much notice that you and the players deserve if someone isn't going to show up.  What is your policy on repeated absences?  Do you have one?  For all these things, you need to consider that not every new player will be a good fit for your campaign.  You need to establish your position ahead of time so that you can prepare for the conversation later on where you have to boot them.

As unpleasant as this is, have a checklist for ALL the orientation you think you need to give for new players joining your game.  Some have transformed this procedure into a "session zero" concept, but really it's just a reflection of practices in business or in education, where your first day of work or your first day of class consists of an orientation program or lecture.  No one likes it.  It works.  It establishes a sense of investment: we took the time to train you, we took the time to bring you on board, we took the time to explain all the crash landings you might make in the future.  You invested the time to let us teach you these things.  Your investment and our investment helps create a sense of social responsibility between us.  This further helps you consider your attendance, your behaviour, your respect of other people, as something that matters.  Really, you can read piles and piles of research on the subject.

Knowing what to communicate, and doing so from a list, won't guarantee that the player will understand or hear it, but the player won't be able to say, "No one told me."  Make notes on your orientation list for things that were questioned and with a later session you'll know to repeat those things specifically for further clarity.  Reminding the player on fuzzy subjects gets ahead of the frustration and defensiveness from players who try to bluff their way through things they don't understand.  You should know from experience as a DM that many things about your game are bound to be misunderstood or misinterpreted for a long time ~ even by your old players, who will also benefit from these orientations as fuzzy elements of play are cleared up.  Never rely on saying anything once and expecting the players will understand it perfectly.

Encourage the other players to join in with the orientation.  This should not be a dictated line of points, but a friendly conversation all around.  Much of the orientation can be made while a new player rolls up their character, chooses their equipment and asks about the campaign.  NEVER, ever, ever, introduce a new player with a pre-made character sheet just so you can get the game started off the mark like a sprinter in a race.  Very few players will "get it" from this much context, many will soon quit your game and most that stay will make endless mistakes because they simply don't know how things are supposed to work.  This will frustrate other players and you, for nothing but the sake of an hour that could have been spent specifically bringing the new player up to speed.

Physically put your new player next to one of your more gregarious old players, one who will be helpful through the game.  Let the gregarious player mentor the new player, answering questions quietly, pointing out details on the character sheet the new player may have missed, helping with advice about equipment and so on.  Encourage the new player not to get fancy about their choices of skill, spell or weapon; opportunities can be made later to upgrade either.  Simple works best for now, it will be one less complexity to worry about.  Depending on the player's experience, you may want to dictate these things, or even the player's class and role, explaining that this too can be adjusted after several sessions.  It depends on what you and the player feel you can handle.  New players will often be grateful if they are asked to make fewer decisions.

If you are building good parties from the start, you should find one or two players who will graciously carry out the role of mentoring the others.  As a DM, you can then share this responsibility; you can relieve your burden by assigning players to help each other and by specifying the positions of the players around the table, so that you can seat players who are having trouble nearby and leave contented, confident players in the furthest chairs.  Don't let the best players seize the seats next to you; they don't need your help.  They're only seeking those places so they can block other less active players from participating, by seizing your full immediate attention as much as possible.

Every player, new or old, should always be encouraged to ask questions and expect answers.  Long answers can be addressed briefly and discussed at length in post-session discussions, which can sometimes go on for hours if players don't have to rush away.  A good campaign needs plenty of off-game discussions; no campaign can be healthy if players arrive minutes before the session starts, leave minutes after it stops and casual dialogue never has a chance to bloom.  If time is a factor, then schedule chatter sessions outside the game environment from time to time, at the bar or a restaurant, to let players divest themselves of thoughts, reservations, issues or any other matter relating to the game.

Explaining the game up front will save time.  If you don't take that time now to clear up matters, you'll still be orienting your players on those same matters ages into the future.  The more times you half-explain things, the more inconsistent your explanations will seem and the less valuable will be your time spent.  Lazy instruction will only end in your thinking somewhere down the line, "How many times do I have to explain this?"  You will only a few times, if you explain it patiently and not on the fly.

Most definitely, include in your orientation the overall vision of the game you'll be running.  For now we can say that "vision" is something that transmutes through your game much like the reconstruction a human experiences following a series of ruptures; it is the sense of how the game should be played from the viewpoint of someone who has made mistakes and now realizes their personal responsibility in making the game work.  Visions require investment and a big picture grasp of hundreds of elements forming together into a whole.  New players, even after orientation, will see only a small splinter of that whole.

Finally, remember that orientation is not a one-time event, but a continuous process.  Even long-time players need to brush up on some game elements that haven't been touched on for a long time, as does any DM who plays a very wide game.  The complaint about DMs who must look up the rules all the time is only valid with regards to rules that are used every session.  Rules or parts of the campaign that have remained unused for months or even years always deserve a fresh look.  The players are not the only ones who need continuous orientation.  DMs are responsible for orienting themselves as well.