Introduction for new players

[Zaki]

How would you explain The world of Thedas to new players, who have never played the DA game and have no prior knowledge of Thedas?

How much would you tell them?

[Caldarion]

There is a small intro pdf which I found very helpful. You should be able to find it under resources on this site somewhere. It gives a nice overview of Thedas, and if you are just starting out, have you played the Dalish Curse yet? Great intro adventure.

Good luck!

[Zaki]

I know it is. I tried with a group and it was great. The problem is I can't use it with the my current group because 3 of the 7 players were apart of the other group. Any other intro adventures?

[Tiger's Heart]

@ Zaki
Can you clarify which adventure you did with your first group? Did you do the Adventure from the Quickstart Guide: "An Arl's Ransom" (http://grfiles.game-host.org/dragon_age ... tGuide.pdf) or did you do the "Dalish Curse" from DARPG Set 1?

My group of 4 players started with the Dalish Curse as level 1 PCs, and nearly wiped on the first encounter. For a one off to introduce a new player to our group and DA, we played An Arl's Ransom. I think both could be tweaked fairly easily to allow for a larger group like yours (7 players) without too much effort.

Tiger's Heart

[Zaki]

I tried the Dalish Curse already. But with another group of 4 players(3 of them are also a part of my current group). They nearly got wiped fighting the blood crows

hmm I'll look at An Arl's Ransom. Thank you

[Zaki]

I read An Arl's Ransom through and I like it. But I need to twist it abit, because I am planning to play a few years before the blight. Any suggestions?

[Tiger's Heart]

Darkspawn and the taint still exist before a blight, they are just far less common, and therefore much scarier as people did not know what they were. The exception perhaps are the dwarfs who are all familiar with their ancient foe (even surfacers like the pc in this adventure - if you use the pre gen characters) and obviously the Grey Wardens.

The other thing to note is that The Architect is active in the time of the Ferelden rebellion against the occupying Orlesians. This would give "his" darkspawn or tainted followers reason to be about gathering subjects for his research etc from any time since before the start of the Dragon Age until the time of DA:A, after the end of the blight - and after that it would depend on how you want the story to go.

When my group played through this, they took some hard turns straight away from the intended story line by taking unforseen actions... The Allies and opponents you throw at them can make a huge difference as well. The biggest impact upon this story will come from your pc's and if you are using pregens (that are pretty balanced) or letting your players create their own, which might not be so. Remember also to use GM fiat to throw out a save if it is needed to avoid a TPK. I had a horse land a vital kick on a blight wolf in the Dalish curse, and the Circle Mage in Arl's Ransom should also have healing, or a hidden healing potion that can be used if need be.

Let me know if you need any help.

Tiger's Heart.

[Etarnon]

I started recruiting a new group for Dragon Age recently, and all they had played was 4th Ed D&D.

I told them:

It is a Dark Age fantasy land where the elves have been opressed, and now work mostly work in cities as an underclass that is prejudiced against. Armies of cursed creatures and monsters ravage the land every few centuries. The Dwarves rarely leave their caverns, but some of them do, and never look back. They make strong warriors. There is not a lot of magic, combat is quick and allows you to do stunts (like feats) at 1st level without having to pay for them, and withought having to plan out your PC. It's gritty, and easy to die, therefore there is a lot more storyline, and roleplaying going on. A lot of it is about the politics and being double crossed and left for dead, then going back to stab that guy in the eye. There are only three classes, Rogue, Mage, and Warrior."

A young woman asked "Can I be a close up fighter with a two handed sword? I want to get right up in their face."

I said "Certainly."

She arranged to roll a PC, and a few more said "I'm in."