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Make character creation part of the first adventure or have individual solo adventures that do this and then link it to a final set of scenes (or adventure) bringing the stories together.

I just started reading my backers' PDF of Lone Wolf. TOR needs a similar treatment. It teaches you to play the way a video game does: you just jump right in, and it slowly adds rules while explaining what they do and how to use them. Sheer genius.

Thanks for mentioning the Lone Wolf Backer PDF. I hadn't checked my email. Now that I have it downloaded I want to read it. Unfortunately I have to work. Bummer.

Glorelendil wrote:I just started reading my backers' PDF of Lone Wolf. TOR needs a similar treatment. It teaches you to play the way a video game does: you just jump right in, and it slowly adds rules while explaining what they do and how to use them. Sheer genius.

It's like it's all part of some kind of strategy or something!

Glorelendil wrote:I just started reading my backers' PDF of Lone Wolf. TOR needs a similar treatment. It teaches you to play the way a video game does: you just jump right in, and it slowly adds rules while explaining what they do and how to use them. Sheer genius.

Teld thee so.

Jon Hodgson wrote:

Glorelendil wrote:I just started reading my backers' PDF of Lone Wolf. TOR needs a similar treatment. It teaches you to play the way a video game does: you just jump right in, and it slowly adds rules while explaining what they do and how to use them. Sheer genius.

It's like it's all part of some kind of strategy or something!

Weird, eh.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to keep my eye on the website!

Rich H wrote: Teld thee so.

You (and Zed) did. I just didn't realize (maybe I didn't read carefully) that you meant this format of "just jump right in without reading ahead...we'll teach you what you need as we go along." I thought you meant just simplified rules, cheaper binding.

I've long felt that the sentence you see in most RPG rules and supplements, "Read this thoroughly before starting"...or rather the design that makes this sentence necessary...is one of the biggest limiters of RPG popularity.

Lone Wolf does a good job, of what I've read so far, but I bet there could be even less reading before starting.

Looking at it so far, it does an awesome job. The design and layout being just as important in this regard as the text. I'm very impressed.

On a side note, I'd love to know what you think of my Lost Caravan adventure, Glorelendil. It was a real challenge to write this - introductory adventures are harder in many ways than writing other ones.

Rich H wrote:Looking at it so far, it does an awesome job. The design and layout being just as important in this regard as the text. I'm very impressed.

On a side note, I'd love to know what you think of my Lost Caravan adventure, Glorelendil. It was a real challenge to write this - introductory adventures are harder in many ways than writing other ones.

Oh! Where do I find it? Will absolutely take a look.

One thing I like about the Lone Wolf layout is the boxed area at the bottom of the pages explaining different aspects of the game. I'd love to see a TOR version in which the various starting characters are talking in first person, each with their own mannerisms and points of view.

I've been trying to think of ideas of how to introduce TOR's systems slowly. Some examples I've been thinking of:
1) Brand new characters only have daggers, with a super-easy inaugural fight ("Giant rats in the basement! Must be an adventure starting!"), without having to think about individual weapon stats. Then partway through their adventure they get real weapons, and the skill points. Getting cool-stuff is always a morale boosting award (with the risk that new players will think it's a loot-centric game.)
2) As discussed extensively in the context of Zed's Theft of the Moon adventure, each pre-gen hero has a Reward or Virtue that plays a distinct role in the first adventure.
3) Each character starts with one trait and one speciality, likewise chosen to have specific roles in the adventure, or at least they are specifically referenced in the notes for the LM.
4) Initial character sheets would have just one AP for each row.
5) Each character sheet comes with notes on development options, including traits, specialities, and favoured skills to choose from. The adventure includes a short Fellowship Phase, during which they are allowed to pick from the lists. The Favoured Skill rule is then explained. Up until this point there are no favoured skills, and no favoured attributes.

Etc.?