Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Bard06 05-14-05, 12:18 PM	Hello. I been dming for a couple of years(standard D&D) and wondering what you guys do when you want convert a group into a new setting. This case being Eberron. I just like how you show and introduce them to it. -Bard06
Gurv 05-14-05, 01:01 PM	I would print out the FAQ for Eberron Newbies (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=254109) and have them read it.
koxler 05-14-05, 03:20 PM	This is something we did in our group that may not work for all but thought I would pass it along. When talking with my players they were very interested in having me as the DM create the characters for them to play. This allowed me knowing the world better than the rest to create interesting characters that fit within the Eberron setting better. Again this is much different that many groups would go about it but as a way to introduce the players to the setting I have found it worked very well. The players found unique, Eberron specific characters that they could have never created without spending the time to read the ECS which wasn't what many of them wanted to do. Assuming they still wanted to create their own characters you could have them run some pre-generated characters for a short one-time session as an introduction to the world. Just my thoughts...
EscherEnigma 05-31-05, 07:56 AM	Sorry to be ressurecting an old thread, but this is the exact question I have. However... I'm not to keen on printing out the faq for them to read. I'll be meetting with my players this week to talk about the campaign I'm going to start, and I think having them read that would really bog things down. As to the second idea of making pregen chars... maybe with limitations I could make that work. They tell me mechanically what they want from their characters, a little about personality, and I sit down and tell them where their char came from. Might work. But what I'm really looking for is a kind of opening speech telling them about the world and get them interesting. Nothing specific, that'll follow as they (hopefully) ask questions about the things that have interested them. I'm looking for something that'll grab their attention and make them WANT to ask questions. And I'm horrible at that sort of thing. So how would you all (y'all? I hate writing it either way... just looks wrong) introduce new players to the setting and get them interested before getting down to details? Thanks for any insight/help.
polt 05-31-05, 08:41 AM	Something I thought about doing, was a bit like when you read City of Towers (the novel). Instead of explaining a lot beforehand, then wait until it come up. "You are now traveling to Wroat, the Capitol of Breland. Breland was one of the nations bla. bla. bla." Or when they meet a Kalashtar for the first time, let them roll knowledge checks, and if one of them roll above 10 or something, tell them a little about the race.
krappleby 05-31-05, 05:27 PM	I believe the easiest solution would be to have them all transported to the realm, for some reason. New realm, which they would have to learn about, This also gives the opinion that none of them know about eberron, so they will learn as they go. I had this problem, with another group where i am actually a player, they had been playing for a while, and i joined in the middle, of a campaign, in RAVENLOFT. It wasnt till i did something i should not have done, that i found out i had special powers, which confused my fellow mates.. Yes. they told me a little about the realm, and made passing hints as to not do certaing things, but learning is half the fun. Dont let them know about the mists that surround the mournlands, let them wander into them, and find out the hard way. It makes the game more fun Just my 2 cents worth.. Cheers. keith
CosmicJester 06-01-05, 03:09 AM	Yes, but not telling them about important things like that ruins a little of the realism. People would argue that their characters would know this, even if they dont. I'm in favor of the knowledge checks for more specific stuff and just some explanation when it does come up. For example: DM: You approach the swirling grey fog that marks the edge of the wartorn province of Cyre known as the Dead-Grey Mist. This eerie phenomenon first appeared...blah blah Player: Are there any negative effects of being in the fog? Dm: Knowledge Geography (or history or local, I'd say) check please...
polt 06-01-05, 07:19 AM	Then just tell them whatever they wanna know, if you think they are entitled to know it. But don't explain a lot beforehand.
Edymnion 06-01-05, 06:34 PM	For example: DM: You approach the swirling grey fog that marks the edge of the wartorn province of Cyre known as the Dead-Grey Mist. This eerie phenomenon first appeared...blah blah Player: Are there any negative effects of being in the fog? Dm: Knowledge Geography (or history or local, I'd say) check please...Bad example, IMO. The Mournlands are going to be something EVERYONE on the continent knows about. Its been three years, and Cyre was the very heart of Galifer. The greatest artists and craftsmen in the land were Cyrians. It was the center of the arts, theater, everything that was best about Khovaire. And it wasn't just conquered, or razed, it was completely wiped off the face of Eberron literally overnight. Millions were killed, the entire continent has been overrun by Cyrian refugees, some of which who were close to the mourning have horrible disfigurements or dissabilities because of it. Everybody knows about the Mournlands, at least to the point they know its there, they know where exactly it is, they know its a horrible place, and that its not anywhere they would want to be.
CosmicJester 06-01-05, 07:04 PM	Good point, a better example would be somthing like Sarlona, or Q'bara maybe, but the technique of requiring a check to find out more specific details stands.
Edymnion 06-01-05, 07:19 PM	Well, with the newspaper system in place, and their habit of printing anything that sounds interesting, I would assume people in the cities at least would know the basics of just about everywhere. It would be the details that would get lost. Like everybody would know where the Eldeen Reaches are, that there are lots of shifters there, and that its a giant untouched forest. They wouldn't know things like the Gatekeeper Druids in the Reaches, however. Or they'd know that there are humans in Sarlonna, but they wouldn't know the Inspired are using phsychic mind control to rule over them, or that the Inspired even exhist. It would essentially be like the knowledge someone in the early 1800's would have about the world. No TV, no radio, no phones, but newspapers and information being carried around the world on ships. That londonite will have heard of China, they can tell you that thats where silk comes from, maybe even know that a "China-man" has yellowish skin and "squinty eyes". They know the basics, but they couldn't tell you any kind of specifics, like what a Samurai is (even though they've heard of Japan), or anything like that. IMO, at least.
Gurv 06-01-05, 09:06 PM	One of the main problems with the ECS is that it does a poor job of seperating out PC knowledge. Not only are major campaign secrets revealed to players who are prone to metagame, but there sometimes isn't even a "but no one knows" clause for the ones who don't. One helpful thing is the What Do You Know (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20040830a) dragonshard, although I think it could have been more specific.
PoeticJustice 06-02-05, 02:31 AM	Once you do start, I recommend running the Forgotten Forge right out of the back of the ECS. It's a good introduction to the adventuring style of Eberron. When you're trying to "sell" Eberron, think about what you're players want and what Eberron brings to the table. It's an excellent opportunity to break with old stereotypes and cliches (fruity elves, loner half-elves, "Drizzts", goofy gnomes, evil orcs, ect.). That's appealing. Also, it lays out the function of psionics in a logical and believable way, which is very appealing if your group has a psionic PC. Mention the "wide-magic" environment rife with living constructs, trains, airships (be sure to mention airships, Players go nuts over them), and the like. My experience with the setting is that what hooks a Palyer is the new races, feats, and crunchy stuff like that. After that, the setting lives or dies depending on how its presented. Don't worry about them knowing a thing, just get them playing on Eberron. Slowly, over the course of weeks and through constant repitition and gentle guidance they will understand the setting.
EscherEnigma 06-02-05, 05:46 AM	Well, I had ideas of how to inroduce the setting before we got down to actually making their new characters. And I was on the way to meet my players. Then I discovered my truck had a flat. And so passed the next hour and a half. Note to those concerned, while it is an unfair stereotype that computer geeks dont' know a thing about cars, it IS true that it did take us longer then it should have to change a flat. We blamed the poor jack placement. Anyway, after that unfortunate ordeal I was too tired to give it a proper run down, but once I got going I had quite a few things to say that got them interested. What I ended up doign was going through the first chapter of the ECS page by page and explainign, elaborating. That seemed to do the trick, 'specially since numerous times one of my players said "oh, that sounds nifty, I think I want to make an XY" and then once I moved onto the next race found something new she wanted to try. After introducing the races I went through those little blurbs on each area and the types of classes you'd find there and expanded on that from what I've read here on the boards, the dragon shards, and in the rest of the book. That seemed to work, and they sounded interested. Sounds like both also liked the sound of the dragon marks and the houses, and both plan to make dragonmarked characters. So mission accomplished, I suppose.