First game for many new players - advice please

[mollari_uk]

Hi,

I'm going to be organising a game for up to 6 new players. What do people think is a good way of doing this?

We'll have around 3 hours to play and have one table (8ft x 3ft) most people have an idea of which race they'd ultimately like to collect.

I'm wondering if one big game is best with multiple races or try to fit in lots of smaller games.

Obviously we could spread this out over a few weeks but this might be the one chance to get everyone hooked.

 

[Burger]

In 3 hours you're pretty unlikely to fit in multiple games, especially with new players who will need to look up a lot of rules - in fact you'd be lucky to fit in one game! I'd do one big one, say 1 Battle point per player. If you allow too many ships each turn will take forever.

Either do it as 2 sides with 3 players per side (Shadows/Centauri/Drakh/Dilgar vs ISA/Minbari/Narn/EA) or a free-for-all (make sure playes are equally spaced out).

 

[Shadow Queen]

In 3 hours you're pretty unlikely to fit in multiple games, especially with new players who will need to look up a lot of rules - in fact you'd be lucky to fit in one game! I'd do one big one, say 1 Battle point per player. If you allow too many ships each turn will take forever.

Either do it as 2 sides with 3 players per side (Shadows/Centauri/Drakh/Dilgar vs ISA/Minbari/Narn/EA) or a free-for-all (make sure playes are equally spaced out).

my games take 2-2 1/2 hours

 

[H]

In 3 hours you're pretty unlikely to fit in multiple games, especially with new players who will need to look up a lot of rules - in fact you'd be lucky to fit in one game! I'd do one big one, say 1 Battle point per player. If you allow too many ships each turn will take forever.

Either do it as 2 sides with 3 players per side (Shadows/Centauri/Drakh/Dilgar vs ISA/Minbari/Narn/EA) or a free-for-all (make sure playes are equally spaced out).

my games take 2-2 1/2 hours

yeah, but we assume you know what you are doing ;-)

but i concur with burger, 3 fleets per side, use the lowest initiative from each side as they slow down the fleet, then players can chose in their "teams" which ships move when. you could do free open initiative, but for 6 new players it might be a complete pain in the backside!

 

[Green_Knight]

teaming up new players is a good idea,
give everyone only one ship and let them play.

Suggestions are:
Shadows - Scout
Centauri - Centurion
Drakh - S'dravasch
Dilgar - Targath
vs
ISA - Whitestar
Minbari - Tigara
Narn - T'Loth
EA - Hyperion

 

[Taran]

An 8x3 table says you should do 2 3-player free-for-alls. that'll give you a pair of 4x3 tables and fewer people per game. The games should go quicker.

I have never played a game of anything (aside from DnD) with 6 players in the same game that took as little as 3 hours.

 

[inq101]

GK's sugerstion is good. Keep things simple, one ship each (or a squardron of 2 smaller ships) but I'd suggest using slightly larger ships as battle level has most of the interesting stuff, plus it means you can put an Omega on the table which is THE B5 ship allong with the Whitestars.

Give every player their own mission but have them work in teams, eg. the Narn player wants to destroy the Centauri ship while the Shadow player wants to get close to a planet/station/etc. to drop off Mr Morden.

 

[mollari_uk]

teaming up new players is a good idea,
give everyone only one ship and let them play.

Shadows - Scout
Centauri - Centurion
Drakh - S'dravasch
Dilgar - Targath
vs
ISA - Whitestar
Minbari - Tigara
Narn - T'Loth
EA - Hyperion

I like this suggestion. As this is a precursor to everyone choosing a race and buying some ships I might say "pick 1 war ship or 2 battle ships of your choice from your prefered race" Then have 2 sides made up of a mixture. That way everyone sees what each of the races do, learn the rules, and have very little to control themselves.

 

[Burger]

The only problem with that would be that some races have an advantage, and others a disadvantage. For example Minbari would do well: there would be very few stealth-reducing methods available (no scouts, no other ships to hit first)... Hyperion would do badly due to Boresight and low initiative. Apart from those two issues, the ships as suggested would make a good battle

 

[H]

yeah, maybe drop the minbari ship, you don't want people despising stealth from their very first game ;-)

 

[Burger]

Unless you do it at Battle, and make it a Troligan :lol:

 

[H]

Unless you do it at Battle, and make it a Troligan :lol:

thats not a bad Idea I tried trollis, I see them more as a fleet ship, but I did take an omega to half damage in one salvo at 4" range.

ok, if everyone took a battleship, keeping the same fleets

Shadows - Stalker... hmm, bit breakable
Centauri - primus, looks damn cool, and is recogniseable
Drakh - strike cruiser
Dilgar - um, you know I dunno what dilgar have!
vs
ISA - WS Gunship
Minbari - Trolligan
Narn - G'Lan
EA - Omega

you get several iconic ships here in the G'Lan (near enough eh) omega and primus, and something different but not to annoying in the geg and raider carrying strike cruiser (plus a recogniseable raider) the low stealth troli, and the shadow stalker is recogniseable too (scout) even the WS gunship is recogniseable as a whitestar class ship

 

[Shadow Queen]

In 3 hours you're pretty unlikely to fit in multiple games, especially with new players who will need to look up a lot of rules - in fact you'd be lucky to fit in one game! I'd do one big one, say 1 Battle point per player. If you allow too many ships each turn will take forever.

Either do it as 2 sides with 3 players per side (Shadows/Centauri/Drakh/Dilgar vs ISA/Minbari/Narn/EA) or a free-for-all (make sure playes are equally spaced out).

my games take 2-2 1/2 hours

yeah, but we assume you know what you are doing ;-)

but i concur with burger, 3 fleets per side, use the lowest initiative from each side as they slow down the fleet, then players can chose in their "teams" which ships move when. you could do free open initiative, but for 6 new players it might be a complete pain in the backside!

getting beer going to the bathroom getting more beer (our club is in a pub)

 

[Bostich]

Assuming you're the only one who knows the rules/ships properly:

Take some time to familiarize everyone with how their ships work, what the special traits mean, the turn sequence etc...

Make sure people with beams know how beams work, people with stealth know how stealth works, etc..

Make sure everyone understands interceptors and fighters.

Have lots of cheat sheets handy.

j.,

 

[mollari_uk]

The only problem with that would be that some races have an advantage, and others a disadvantage. For example Minbari would do well: there would be very few stealth-reducing methods available (no scouts, no other ships to hit first)... Hyperion would do badly due to Boresight and low initiative. Apart from those two issues, the ships as suggested would make a good battle

But that would only be a problem if all the players were separate surely? If it's 6 ships from 3 races Vs 6 from another 3 races there should be enough of a mixture.

I'm considering this to be the sides (based on what people are interested in)

Centauri
Shadows
Vree

Narn
ISA
Minbari

Absolute balance isn't an issue. I can't see one side having so much of an advantage as to spoil the game. It's just a demo after all.

 

[H]

seems reasonable sides, the vree can easily be explained as rogue elements, (not rogue elephants, they are completely different)

 

[Locutus9956]

I have never played a game of anything (aside from DnD) with 6 players in the same game that took as little as 3 hours.

You've played a DnD game that tool LESS than 3 hours (total) with ANY number of players? Blimey that must have been some crazy players and/or one EVIL GM:

Player1: I open the door to the Inn
GM: A ancient reddragon flies over and fire breathes on the whole area.
Player2: DRAGONBREATH!? But we're a level one party!
GM: Correction you WERE a level 1 party, you are now level 2 kebabs. :twisted: Bad luck guys, end of campaign, I'm going to the pub!

 

[Taran]

Well, no. Actually, most of the official adventures only take 2-3 hours with a competent GM. Less with an incompetent one because he'll stick a low level party into a high level fight...

 

[Estalies]

when i demo'ed the game i did a modified version of the Battle royale scenario. everyone gets one raid for the first game, learn basics. Second game was the same scenario at battle level for a bigger ship or a pair of ships. Doesnt take too long for both games (damned white stars)

 

[Shadow Queen]

i started with 1 ship each, then i did escort duty but that sucked big time so i do Ambush at Beta 3. And did a Shadow Isa 1 war point