One Minute to Roll

“I have 60 seconds to intro this game on a new game night before my players zone out.”

A paraphrased quote from a FLGS owner when we played Legacy of the Cage on a Sunday evening where they graciously hosted me to showcase the work.

He's right!

These things have to be tight. New games are a dime a dozen, and if the player doesn’t get into the action as soon as possible, they’re gone. That means they don’t buy the book. That means they don’t go home and roll the nights away. They don't start their own leagues and tournaments. The don't tell their friends. They just move on. The FLGS doesn’t get the sale. It’s a miss.

Important note: Legacy of the Cage, at present, doesn’t have a whip-smart intro flow. It’s got the bones but not the beef. Part of the fun of being a solo game developer is I can take feedback way, way post-launch and roll the responses into updates. I consider my games, at present, somewhat fluid and readily modified. I'm working on it. Here's what I'm looking at for inspiration.

Dungeons & Dragons: Stormwreck Isle/Lost Mines of Phandelver

The grandaddy of RPGs knows onboarding. They get new players rolling every hour of every day with dirt simple adventures. The secret? Premade characters and a dirt-simple adventure hook. Sure, the Player's Handbook does the trick if you're going from scratch and want a little more control, but to shortcut all the intricacies and get to the humdinger, you want a grab-and-go approach. New players want action, not homework. These low-cost intro settings get both DMs and players past the starting line with minimal effort and fuss.

Hand out premade character sheets.
Explain how ability checks and the d20 works.
"You find yourself sauntering toward the Dragon's Tear Inn in the ancient costal city of Neverwinter when a courier steps out in front of you, halting your approach. He proffers you a small scroll sealed with the familiar crest of your friend and patron, the noble dwarf Gundren Rockseeker. You take it, eyeing him suspiously and crack the seal. The courier bows and departs with a 'gooday t'yeh' and you resume your stroll toward the Inn..."

Deadball: Use Stuff You Already Have

In W.M. Akers' dice-based baseball simulation, Deadball, you can start playing with stuff you probably already have like, for example, a stack of old baseball cards! Ok, maybe this only works if you're over the age of 35, but you can still snag literally any recorded baseball stat from the Internet and put them into play. Here's what Deadball does best:

Explain pitching and batting targets and how to roll against them.
Grab a team: your stack of baseball cards, a bunch of stats you grab online, or just use the included pre-made teams.
'...And the home of the brave! Play Ball!'

Legacy of the Cage Needs an Onramp

Short story: I'm working on it. I have material that I prepped for a revised (2nd?) edition of the game that I think will lend itself well to the current edition and provide a smooth onramp for new players. Recently, I've had players ask me for a tutorial video or how-to guide and that's severely lacking. I'll be taking cues from the above (and more) well-done intro methods and get you all rolling ASAP.

Keep your eyes on this newsletter and blog for current edition updates and errata.