Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Amaril 01-20-08, 10:31 PM	I'm introducing some people who are new to D&D altogether, and I'm debating whether or not it is wise to attempt to introduce them to Eberron, too. My main reason for thinking it's not a good idea is that they already have their hands full with learning the game. Learning additional material, specifically how Eberron is different than the game presented in the PHB, might be overwhelming. On the other hand, adding 4 new races and one new class might not be too much. Learning the rest of the setting wouldn't be any different than learning any other setting (unless one were to use a nondescript, generic setting). If anyone has had any success in this same scenario, I'm interested in learning how you handled it.
Wed 01-21-08, 07:15 AM	I think Eberron is a great world to be introduced into D&D and also into roleplaying games. My advice is not to overcharge them. Take your time to present the world to them and explain to them only how things work in Eberron, they don't need to know how Eberron is different from other settings, because they don't know how are other settings. Show them all the core races and classes, explain to them how things work in Eberron with good examples and they would learn it. And in your first games don't try to show all the things Eberron have, be patient and they will enjoy the game and the world as much as you do.
naturax 01-21-08, 11:32 AM	People play D&D outside of Eberron? Why? EDIT: My point is, absolutely start them off with Eberron. It's the best there is.
skrap-san 01-21-08, 11:48 AM	One thing i see as great in Eberron when it comes to new players is the foggy alignment. Other than that the focus on pulp and grand adventures helps shoot even low level players of to a cool start.
Thaliost 01-21-08, 12:15 PM	I first campaign started using basic rules, when most of my PC's only knew rules related to their races and classes. I DMed a few sessions in a generic world, and then led them out of the small town, saying: "Look, this world is called Eberron." It worked well, and my fellows did learn Eberron voluntarily a little bit.
Amaril 01-21-08, 12:33 PM	Well, I guess my concern is with changes to things such as the nature of deities, races and other components that have been turned on their ear or deviate greatly from the convention presented in the PHB. For example, half-elves, half-orcs, gnomes, and elves are all very different in Eberron than they are in the PHB. Deities in the PHB are very different from the pantheon worshiped in Eberron. Orcs and goblinoids aren't automatically evil. Player's who have never played a fantasy RPG go into it with a certain expectation of elements (e.g. - orcs and goblins are evil, elves live in forests, gnomes are not metropolitan, etc.). It's easy for experienced RPG players to understand unconventional setting concepts, but for someone who is still learning the entire concept of D&D from a PHB, it's going to be drastically different. My only idea so far is to create my own campaign guide.
Durskut 01-21-08, 12:46 PM	i faced this problem a little bit ago. after much grappling with the issue decided to go with my "traditional" start to a game, which goes like this: *players make characters* *players show up to game and point at map* *i start dming* I recomend more prep than this. (because my party picked zilargo and didn't play nice, ergo they were on the trust's hit list) i would either suggest running the adventure out of the back of the book (especially if you have done so already). an alternative i decided against pits them in Thaliost's situation. the issue is where to start. i couldn't deal with not putting "that eberron feel" in every Khorvaire city/town, so i was going to place it in Syrkarn, Sarlona. this fell through because of the lack of PHB races. In all, Yes go with Eberron. After this either A: run a premade so you can fill in more scenery/help with rules (and not stat out your next npc as they walk up to him) or B: go with the generic rules stuff and sprinkle in Eberron themes till they go into the "big bad world" (just pick starting location well) Edit: just saw you last post Amaril. I think the issues of deviation could entirely depend on the PCs. for instance, if you don't have a cleric (or very religious PC) in the party, just have them glaze over their religion line of the sheet. you can keep other stuff (goblins and orcs) "traditional" if you have them simply opposing the PCs. they may be evil (to the PCs), until you drop in a gatekeeper who saves them. starting location can put distance between the races which have a different feel. If you want to keep the PCs in the dark about being in Eberron, you could simply encourage them to "Keep and open mind"
skrap-san 01-21-08, 12:51 PM	Well i think that if you tell them that its a bit of a different world than the standard world it should be ok. But you could start them of in some small backwater town were some evil gnolls are raiding and pillaging. Then you could slowly incorporate Eberron things and build out from that.
Arcane Guyver 01-21-08, 11:06 PM	New players? Make it PHB-only (with a small handout listing the religions for clerics), set it in a small backwater town somewhere in Eberron, and slowly unveil the curtain. A good starting location might be Nowhere, Breland.
Fenevall 01-21-08, 11:59 PM	I don't think there is any problem with introducing new players to gaming in Eberron. There isn't anything for them to have to unlearn. No worries about things working differently because they've never played in a game where they worked any other way. If you are taking new players into any D&D game, you have to tell them how things work. This is no different. You don't have to explain to them how it works differently from other settings, just how it works in this one. Since they are new players, it might be useful to describe the setting and game to them in fairly generic terms and let them come up with character concepts. Then you can advise them on which races and classes best fit their concepts. If they've read much fantasy literature and are interested in a fantasy roleplaying game, it's a good bet that they DO already know what kinds of characters they'd like the play. Those concepts could change or be refined by what they learn of the game world, but they'll still probably know what they want to play, even if they don't know what the class is called. Example: There are some in the world who gain magic based on their faith in a particular deity or ideology, some who gain magic through study and knowledge, and yet others who use magic through sheer force of personality. At which point some player says, "yeah! I want to be one of those people who draws magic from his own force of personality!" And you can direct him to the sorcerer entry in the PHB. Or, maybe after you've described the Dragonmarked Houses in broad terms, one player will say he wants to be one of those arrogant, flamboyant airship guys or that she wants to be one of those Orion people you talked about who teleport around. The point is that if you explain the setting in plain english instead of game terms, they can tell you what they want to play in plain english. As an experienced gamer, it shouldn't be hard for you to then help them decide which class best suits what they want.
Edymnion 01-22-08, 08:45 PM	New players? Make it PHB-only (with a small handout listing the religions for clerics), set it in a small backwater town somewhere in Eberron, and slowly unveil the curtain. A good starting location might be Nowhere, Breland.Dangit Guyver, ya beat me to it! :D Yeah, Eberron still has a place for "traditional" style gameplay. Start the game out in a little backwater town in Aundair near the Reaches. Classic little farm town in the middle of nowhere, and you can easily make local prejudices and the like reflect the default PHB view of races. Orcs are all evil (because the only time the townfolk run into them is when they go pushing into the reaches, and the orc druids push back), have a small elven settlement out in the woods somewhere and you've got your foresty elves, have the only gnome in town be a trickster, etc. Adventure like normal for very low level generic D&D, and then as they get more comfortable, you can let them slowly move out into the wider world, and find out that things aren't quite like what Backwaterburg said they were.
Amaril 01-23-08, 07:58 AM	I think I'll try that out. Thanks for the suggestions.
skrap-san 01-23-08, 09:49 AM	Your welcome, now you must remember to do the always popular "you sit in a tavern and in comes this guy" scene. (that last part was sarcasm by the way...)
Amaril 01-23-08, 01:11 PM	Actually, they might be farmers who are thrown into the campaign after their homes are raided by a band of [insert monster type here].
Edymnion 01-23-08, 06:12 PM	Actually, they might be farmers who are thrown into the campaign after their homes are raided by a band of [insert monster type here].My favorite way to start one of these is actually the way that NWN2 used (although, I've been using it since before then, it was cool to see it there). Everybody is from the same villiage and grew up knowing each other. Big festival, with different tournament set up to cater to the different classes (archery competitions, duals, obstacle courses, etc), which the PCs will invariably win. The prize being, say, a masterwork weapon that the PC is proficient in (and hence why they were participating in the first place). Big banquet in honor of the winners that night, that gets crashed by <insert appropriate low level monsters here>. Time to put those new weapons to use!