So my friends and I have forsaken gaming (tabletop RPG) since high school. Now most of us have gray hair. A few of us went to ConDUIT (Utah's sci-fi/fantasy/gaming convention) this year and played a round of Call of Cthulhu for the first time. It was outstanding.
So, a number of us have talked our spouses into playing. Cthulhu seems a natural fit for newbs, with the horror / period setting. Does anyone have any suggestions on a campaign to start with? Beyond the difficult task of introducing non-gamers to an RPG is the fact that the rule set is a little more daunting than some other games (Paranoia, the new D&D).
It seems that most of the top rated campaigns are fairly long. I'm not certain if that's a good thing or not. A one-off round of a simpler campaign might be better to introduce everybody, but an unfinished "epic" might lure them back for more.
I'm thinking of starting with the acclaimed Masks of Nyarlathotep. Any thoughts?
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Have you considered trying board game variants like Mansions of Madness or if you need something lighter on the GMness Arkham Horror and it's many expansions? I've played Arkham Horror and it's really quite fun. I believe Scott R who sometimes posts here has played Mansions of Madness and had lots of good things to say about it.
Here are his impressions.
Posted by Aros (Member # 4873) on :
I'm leaning away from the board games. Other than a few wives, we're all veteran gamers. It is relatively easy for us to pick up a new game. I've tried running the Ravenloft game, and the complexity of the rules tend to slow everyone WAY DOWN at first. The Cthulhu board games don't seem to be any different -- if anything, that review makes them look more complicated. The good thing about pen / paper is that the GM can fudge the rules and most people are never the wiser.
We generally lean more toward the roleplaying side and less toward the miniatures. But those games definately look like fun, should these first sessions work out.
My main concern is that a bad first experience can turn the women-folk against gaming forever.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I've played Ravenloft. I'd class Arkham Horror as a titch easier, but your concerns seem warranted.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
quote:My main concern is that a bad first experience can turn folk against gaming forever.
Tru dat.
The other night, I played Mansions of Madness with a buddy, his daughter, her friend, and his wife; I played Keeper. His wife has been burned by gamers before-- an extensive D&D session with hardcore nerds that even *I* would shun, and a couple overly competitive sessions of Settlers had wrecked her for ever gaming again.
I promised that MoM would be completely different. It's cooperative, said I. Everyone else vs. me. And I'm nice. I'm SUPER nice.
You know what? Killed her in three rounds. We totally didn't get invited to her Halloween party this year.