Hello!
A question about new players.
What would you do if the group gets new players after World Burning, in the middle of the campaign proper (when retconning the established setting/world would be impossible)?
What’s the official answer?
Thanks
Gug
Uda
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Have them play some one’s 2ic or bodyguard or other appropriate relationship character (with all of the strictures in place).
-L
Hello!
So, they would not be getting any of the “perks” of World Burning, or should they get something in return (if it wasn’t their fault to come in late)?
Thanks for the answer!
G
We did this a lot in the ‘Burning Nautilus’ and ‘Burning Hjalt’ campaigns, which were played at a weekly game night at a local store, so–in addition to a core group for both games-- there was a fairly high rotation of players who would come and go.
We used several methods to incorporate new players. The first was to have them play 2ICs or other relationships of the existing PCs–as Luke indicates. The second was to have them play GM FONs or other NPCs. Both of these methods worked to get the players into the game quickly, but some players wanted to create new characters. To speed that process, we used the templates from the back of the book. The player slapped on a name–keeping our naming conventions in mind!–and developed Beliefs, with help from the group in terms of identifying the existing key conflicts. These characters normally were in the employ of or somehow connected to an existing PC.
The least preferred method was for the player to create a new character from scratch. One or two did, usually after an initial session of playing a pre-existing character. You hate to say ‘no’ to that kind of enthusiasm.
I’d say we actually found it easier to deal with new players than we did dealing with players who were involved in the early maneuvers and then dropped out or had sporadic attendance. Plot lines were started that just kind of fizzled. For new players, whose continued attendance was uncertain, I tried to give them a key role in that night’s session–sort of like a guest starring appearance in a weekly TV show–but also to minimize plot threads that wouldn’t get pulled.
Mel