The Rules of the Game
How can you teach someone to role-play? Here's one system
by Thomas M. Kane

Have you ever tried to teach someone
how to role-play? The rule books make no
sense to a beginner; they contain reams of
data but almost never actually explain how
one plays. The game master (GM) and
players must teach new players the rules,
clearly and entertainingly. Although every
new player learns in a different way, there
are certain processes that you, as the GM,
will always need to explain.

Before the game
A new player has to have some desire to
role-play before he will listen to your
explanations. Tell him about exciting adventures-
you have had (but don?t overdo
it). Explain the setting of your campaign
and suggest inspirational reading, such as
mythology or fantasy novels. These early
?lessons? need not be dissertations?
deliver them long before the game, in
normal conversation.

Beginners want to start playing immediately.
Unfortunately, most role-playing
games consist of an unstructured crossfire
of ideas, questions, and jargon, all of
which quickly bewilder a new player. Give
the new player a short introduction before
his first game. Make it both. direct and
simple?never ramble about ?escaping
inward? or ?exploring the realms of your
imagination.? Explain that each person
pretends to be a character in a story and
simply tells the group what he or she
wants to do. And since the player characters
(PCs) might not be able to do everything
their players want, dice are used to
decide if they succeed or fail.

The concept of telling the GM which
actions your character is taking; then
receiving the results, is the core of all roleplaying
games. Make sure that the new
player understands how role-playing
works. Many new players can barely
conceive of a game without cards, game
boards, or other equipment. When a new
player finally understands the
sequence of
play, he often worries that role-playing
rules are too simple?that all players do is
talk. Assure him that the GM plans adventures
in advance, and that role-playing is
as challenging as any game.

After outlining the sequence of play,
describe your functions as the game?s GM.
Explain that you are both an author and a
referee?whatever you say is true, even if
players disagree. The GM maintains and
controls the game environments for the
PCs. You might have to steer the new
player between two opposing misconceptions.
Some new players feel limited to
making prescribed moves. My first
fantasy-game character carried a spare
suit of plate mail throughout his first
adventure because there were no rules for
throwing it away. Other new players must
be reminded that they are playing a game
with definite rules. They must abide by
the dice rolls and cannot ?fudge.?

Finally, make sure that your student
knows that he does not need to kill the
other PCs to ?win? (and that such actions
may, in fact, cause trouble in the game).
Explain that the party shares the same
fate, be it happy, tragic, or neither. New
players should know that adventures do
not always end in either a gain or a loss.
Victories may later seem Pyhrric, while
defeats can prove to be ?blessings in disguise.
? Once a new player understands the
general process of the game, let him start
playing. Answer further questions only
when he asks them.

Fitting in
On page 111 of the AD&D® 1st Edition
Dungeon Masters Guide, Gary Gygax suggested <Integration of Experienced or New Players into an Existing Campaign>
that novices play their first roleplaying
games alone, without interference
from experienced players. However, most
GMs have no time to run separate campaigns
for beginners, and most new players
resent being segregated. Let newcomers
play an introductory adventure in
your regular campaign. Before the new
player arrives, make sure that the experienced
players will be polite. Never let
anyone ridicule a newcomer. Both the GM
and the party must listen to the new
player and encourage him to play, reacting
enthusiastically to good suggestions and
setting aside terrible ideas with reasoned
but respectful comment. Established players
can nurture the new party member
while role-playing. In fantasy games, tough
fighters may give terse and cynical warnings
about the adventure to come, while
intellectual wizards might recall their own
apprenticeships and take a special interest
in the newcomer.

Every new player needs a character, but
many new players become bored while
rolling one up. Be sure that the new player
understands that generating a character is
part of preparing to play, not the game
itself. Briefly explain that in role-playing
games you pretend to be another person,
and randomly generated statistics (created
by dice rolls) show how strong, smart,
dextrous, etc., the imaginary character is.
Point out that as characters gain adventuring
experience, they generally (if the game
allows for it) become more powerful. You
might compare rolling up a character to
dealing out cards in a poker game. Your
character?s statistics?like a poker hand?
determine how you will play. Then let the
new player choose between playing a
prerolled character and generating a new
one. If a game?s PC-generation system is
prolonged, a pregenerated PC would be
best; offer a choice between two or three.

If the new player wants to, roll up his
own character, do not complicate the
process with unnecessary detail. Height,
weight, and other details seldom matter in
a first adventure. Explain what each important
statistic means and how it is determined.
Let the new player participate, but
do not flood your student with data. When
the new player gets to choose something,
such as race, class, or alignment, mention
only the most attractive possible choices.
In most fantasy games, fighters and
thieves probably make the most satisfactory
beginning PCs. Clerics require especially
sensitive role-playing to avoid
seeming effete. Magic-users die easily, and
the rules for spells are complex. If your
new player wants to play a magic-user,
you should probably wait until later to
explain the difference between memorized
spells, known spells, and spells written in
the spell book.

In games with an alignment system, new
players might not understand concepts
such as ?lawful? and ?chaotic.? Most new
players become even more confused when
they are given a list of which alignments
believe in individual rights and which
might condone murder. You can describe
alignments by pairing fictional characters
with their ethos. For example, if the new-
comer to an AD&D game has read Tolkien,
you could say that that Aragorn was lawful
good, Frodo was neutral good, and Tom
Bombadil and Galadriel exemplify two
different views of chaotic goodness. Similar
archetypes appear in most fantasy
literature.

New characters should always be good
aligned. Only a skillful role-player can
portray a villain without behaving like a
psychopath, and new players usually feel
uncomfortable about willfully choosing to
be ?evil.? Do not make lawful or good
alignments sound prudish. Almost all
fictional heroes, even dashing scoundrels,
would have been good guys in fantasy
games. Use Robin Hood as an example.

New players should not buy equipment
before the adventure; they seldom know
what a mace is, much less a bec-de-corbin.
Instead, let each character buy what he
wants after the game begins. The PCs
should probably begin in a small town,
where they can buy equipment without
the distraction a city offers. This not only
starts the game faster, it lets new players
discover for themselves what they will
need. It also lets them experiment with
role-playing without endangering the
entire party. If the new PC teases a shopkeeper,
he may have to borrow somebody
else?s iron spikes. If the new PC insults a
dragon, everybody in the party might get
roasted

When the player has a character, either
newly rolled or pregenerated, analyze its
strengths and weaknesses aloud. For example,
?You?re strong and clever, but
somewhat unattractive. This character
might make a good warrior? Usually, one
or two sentences is enough. However, if
the new player seems interested in your
description, you might add some background
from your campaign, such as: ?You
were born in the Barbarous Plains. That
makes you an unsurpassed horseman?
and a fierce-warrior.?

On with the game!
Try to start the game within 20 minutes.
If the new player still seems confused, just
say, ?Tell me what your character wants to
do.? As the new player watches more
experienced players role-play, he will
probably begin to understand the game.
New players often try to wheedle hints
from the GM. If this occurs, keep him
from becoming frustrated, but make it
clear that PCs have to solve their own
problems. When the new PC is in a party
with experienced adventurers, get them to
give advice to the new guy. If nobody in
the party can help, try to have an NPC
provide the answer or at least make up
some reason to offer information. Maybe
the new PC heard a bards song about a
similar situation or was warned about it as
an apprentice. Most people learn board
games by making random moves whenever
it is their turn, thus gradually finding
out what the rules allow. In role-playing
games, this ?turn? may never come. Whenever
a new player seems ignored, the GM
should ask the newcomer what action his
character wants to take. If possible, force
the new PC to do something heroic?alone.

During the game, a new player will face
most typical game processes, such as combat
tables, ?plusses to hit,? and terms such
as ?PC,? ?NPC,? ?player,? and ?GM? or ?DM.?
Keep the game going, but give a short
explanation of each such concept. Usually
a sentence is enough, such as: ?This is the
eight-sided die.? Explain dice mechanics as
early as possible, including percentile rolls
and abbreviations (like ?3d6?).

New players learn best by playing,
whether they completely understand the
rules or not. Once the new player feels
comfortable role-playing, you may introduce
more complex rules. You can start by
showing the entire party the module they
just explored (assuming you aren?t going to
use it again). All players, new and old,
enjoy hearing about things that might
have happened and how clever they were
to evade the many enemies who opposed
them. This also gives you an excuse to talk
about spells, treasure, maps, monsters,
game balance, and all other features of a
typical adventure. However, avoid talking
too much or giving more answers than the
new player wants. Keep the new player
interested!

After the first adventure, new players
need personalized characters. They know
enough to use one properly now and
should start accumulating memories and
experience points. If you used a prerolled
character, take it back and help your student
roll up a new one if he wants (or let
him keep the prerolled one and play that if
he likes it). Even when the new player has
already rolled up a character, he will need
statistics for height, weight, and anything
else you ignored before. Let the new
player know that a PC leads an imaginary
life in your campaign world and exists
even when not adventuring. Give a new
PC a history, friends, enemies, and living
expenses.

A new player becomes an expert by
glancing through the rule books, turning
rules and ideas into a vision of the game. If
you dare, lend new players your rule
books. Otherwise, let them skim rules
during slow parts of the game or arrange
a trip to some bookstore that allows
browsing. You can also recommend fiction
that represents your campaign. Be ready
to suggest which books the new player
should buy, but remember that newcomers
are usually not ready to spend
much money. New players will probably
not use anything more than the rule books
allowed for players to use. Of course, a
beginner can play with nothing but dice.

Special warning: Be aware that the
AD&D game is not an "advanced" version
of the D&D® game. Some people recommend
that novice AD&D game players
learn the D&D Basic Set rules first. However,
these are two entirely different
games, each quite complex but not using
the same rules system. Either one is fine in
itself, but confusing them will only lead to
serious frustration later! Similar problems
might exist with other game systems that
were revised in later editions?e.g., Game
Designers? Workshop?s TRAVELLER®,
MEGATRAVELLER®, and the since renamed
TRAVELLER: 2300? games (the
latter now being the 2300 AD? game).
Know your rules!

When you introduce the rules, avoid
scaring beginners with gargantuan piles of
books. Newcomers should respect the
rules but not feel compelled to memorize
them. You can compare role-playing rules
to the Chance and Community Chest cards
in Parker Brothers? MONOPOLY® game;
players must obey them but do not have to
study each one in advance. New players
should know that role-playing games constantly
change and expand. Explain that
since players want rules for anything that
might ever happen, new guidelines will
always be possible. You might even encourage
beginners to design optional rules
of their own. This can mollify players who
envy the GM?s license to ?cheat.?

There are certain mistakes that almost
all beginners make, and GMs should watch
for and correct these. For example: In the
AD&D and D&D game systems, remind
newcomers that lower armor classes are
more protective; therefore, a suit of plate
mail + 1 actually subtracts one point from
the wearer?s armor class. Also, emphasize
that shields improve a character?s armor
class by one?not reduce it to - 1. New
players need to know that ?monster? often
means nothing more than ?NPC? ?any
nonplayer character.

When a game uses foreign currencies or
imaginary money, watch moneychanging
closely. Most new players have a very hard
time converting gold pieces to silver or
dollars to francs. Some GMs just call gold
pieces ?dollars,? but if you let new players
develop a habit of this, they will probably
never stop, and that makes the game seem
slightly less realistic.

The novice adventure
A new player forms countless prejudices
and expectations during the first game.
You should use this opportunity to shape
the new player into the sort of gamer you
want in your campaign. Use a wide variety
of challenges and settings. If the entire
adventure takes place underground, a
newcomer might not understand that any
surface world exists.

The first adventure must accomplish
three things. First, it should demonstrate
the game. This is why you need a varied
assortment of encounters. Second, it
should summarize your campaign world.
Let the new PCs meet important NPCs and
expose them to the stories, geographical
features, etc., of your milieu. Third, it
should build expectations for the next
game. The new players should face some
exciting challenge and overcome it. Do not
let the new player PCs fail, because in the
first game it is more important for new
players to feel triumphant than to enforce
every rule of game balance. Have the
beginners find a small reward; even a few
silver coins will excite them. Then make
them anticipate even better successes. Let
them learn about magical items to lust for
and expensive luxuries that they would
buy if only they were rich. PCs will pursue
these things for lifetimes.

The first adventure should have a simple
plot. Since the new players do not understand
the rules yet, they should not have
to concentrate on understanding your
storyline. This innocence lets you use all
the fun tricks that experienced players
might consider hackneyed. New players
feel proud to be hired by the village chieftain,
and animated skeletons still terrify
them. Fantasy-game GMs could also see
the introductory D&D modules B11 King's
Festival and B12 Queen’s Harvest for other
novice-level adventure ideas.

The GM cannot tell a new player every
thing, and new players remember things
much more completely when they teach
themselves. Unfortunately, most rule
books assume that their readers can roleplay.
Therefore, this article includes a
short introduction to role-playing in the
following section. Have the new player
read this section, and if he becomes interested
in a game, so much the better!

How to play
Most games simulate something people
want to do. Perhaps they recreate emotions,
like triumph. Maybe they demand
certain skills, like military strategy. Chess,
for example, is almost exactly like war.
And there is a type of game, called a roleplaying
game, which tries to simulate all of
life. The players assume the parts of characters
in a story, and all of their experiences
are played out in conversation.
Playing a role-playing game is like creating
a fantasy, science-fiction, or adventure
story from the players? imaginations. The
characters that the players control have a
task or conflict to resolve during each
game session. The game, like life, does not
always end with a winner or a loser. Some
game sessions end well, with the players
getting what they want, but others prove
to be more difficult.

The setting and plot of an RPG session
are invented by one player?the game
master, or GM. The GM prepares long
before the game by making up the plot
and goals of the story. Work like this is
much like writing fiction?but the GM
does not decide how it will end. The GM
draws a map of the imaginary area where
the game is supposed to take place and
writes a description of various locations
on the map, as if for an encyclopedia. One
place might be a tomb guarded by evil
spirits, while another might be a peaceful
farm. The GM will reuse this map in many
games. In this way, a campaign develops?
a continuing plot with a consistent theme,
like a long novel.

As mentioned, the other players take the
roles of characters in the story. It is important
to distinguish between ?players? and
?characters.? A player is a real person who
plays the game. A character is one of the
people in the story. The characters that
the players control are called player characters,
or PCs. Everybody else in the story
is invented and controlled by the GM.
These people are called non-player characters,
or NPCs.

You play an RPG by talking. The GM
describes the background for the story
and what each PC sees and hears. After
considering this, the players tell the GM
what they want their characters to do;
these actions can be anything that a real
person might do. The GM then describes
the results. By using the map, the rule
books, and common sense, the GM tells
the players where their PCs are and what
happens to them.

At some point, a character will want to
do something that he might not be able to
do. For example, if a PC shoots an arrow at
a target, he might ?hit or miss. Dice rolls are
used to simulate these chances. The results
are compared with tables that show how
difficult these feats are. Ideally, there would
be tables for everything a PC might ever do
in a game. Some game systems have an
incredible number of rule books and gaming
materials. Many beginning players
complain that this is too much to read. The
truth is, almost nobody knows all the rules.
Players have their PCs do whatever they
want and look up rules when they are
needed. Creating a believable, exciting tale
is more important than following the
books. Often, a GM is forced to invent new
rules to cover unique situations.

Different sorts of dice appear in various
role-playing games. These dice often do not
have pips?dots showing what number you
have rolled. Rather, each die face has an
Arabic digit, such as 2 or 19. The most
commonly used dice have four, six, eight,
ten, twelve, and twenty sides. (Ten-sided
dice are sometimes numbered zero (10)
through nine.) In descriptions of roleplaying,
dice rolls are often abbreviated
with the letters ?D? or ?d.? Notations on dice
rolls usually involve two parts. First is a
number showing the number of rolls to be
made, then a number showing how many
sides that the dice to be rolled must have.
Rolling 3d6 means rolling three six-sided
dice and adding the results from each die
into a total score. Dice rolls can also be
abbreviated by giving the range of the
appropriate die; for example, a roll of 1d6
is often abbreviated 1-6, and 2d12 is 2-24.

There are also references to d100 or
percentile dice, which are used to generate
a number between one and 100. Two
ten-sided dice are usually used, of two
different colors. One color is the tens die.
and the other is the ones die. The same die
can also be rolled twice, first for the tens
digit, then for the ones digit. Thus, if the
first roll is a 3 and the next roll is a 2, the
number generated is 32. If the first number
was 0 and the second was 3, the result
is 3. Rolls of 0 and 0 represent 100. Percentile
rolls are useful when a chance is
expressed as a percent. If a PC has a 60%
chance of swimming, 1d100 is rolled. If
the number is above 60, the character
cannot swim; if the roll is 60 or below, the
character can. Percentile dice are also
used to roll large random numbers.

Before the game, players fill out character
sheets which describe their PCs. There
are many things to know about a character.
Is he strong, weak, clever, or stupid?
What sort of skills does the character
have? Some of these things are determined
by rolling dice, and others are selected by
the player.

Basic attributes like strength, intelligence,
and dexterity are called ability
scores, and one generates them by rolling
dice. A PC is trained for a certain profession,
such as fighter, thief, or magic-user
in fantasy games. The player may choose
what sort of job his character is trained
for. In many games, PCs might not be
human, so a player may also get to choose
his PC?s race, such as elf, dwarf, or gnome.
As a PC plays the game, he will gain experience
and become more skilled at whatever
he does. Experience is measured in
experience points, which are awarded for
completing successful adventures. When a
character has enough experience points,
he may gain levels, increasing his personal
powers. High-level characters often gain
new skills and can improve their old ones.
The same character can be reused in
many adventures. Eventually, characters
develop complete histories, as if they were
real people.

Dice, rule books, and paper are the only
equipment needed for playing RPGs. Some
players collect tiny lead figurines which
resemble their characters. These are
props and can be moved around to simulate
what is happening in an adventure.
However, you do not need figures to play.

Although fantasy games are used most
often here in examples, role-playing games
have been written to recreate adventures
of all sorts, including stories involving
medieval fantasy and ancient mythology,
modern espionage, postnuclear ruins,
science-fiction starships, Vietnam war
patrols, 1920s gangsters, and cartoon
comedies. The rules for different games
will vary, and few will use the same terms,
rules, and equipment. But if you can play
one RPG, you can play any of them.

The most important rule for learning
how to play an RPG is this: If you don?t
know, ask. You can learn any RPG by
watching how the other players act in the
game, but always feel free to ask questions.
The more you know about a game,
the better you can play it and the more
FUN you?ll have.

And the FUN is worth it, too.