11 Ways to Learn New Games: Guest Post by Johnn Four

January 28, 2009 12 comments

One barrier for busy people desperately wanting to game master new games is the time it takes to learn new rules. I can barely keep up with my current campaign planning, yet I would love to play and GM many different systems. So, what can you do? Here are a few tips for finding a way to grok new games.

1. GM A Friend

Learning while you GM is going to happen for any new game. This part of the learning curve puts game groups to sleep though, and is going to turn your glorious new RPG into a one-shot when your group votes down a second session.

Instead of GMing a group, hold a few one-on-one sessions with a hard core friend you can call up and say, “Hey, let’s play this new game for a couple hours.”

Photocopy the essential rules, such as character creation or combat. Give the copy to your friend and game it out. It’s fun learning with a buddy as you discover and share new things at the same pace. You don’t have the pressure of keeping several players – and several player types – entertained.

For best effect, isolate certain parts of the rules and game those out a few times. Combat arenas are perfect for learning melee. Galaxy races are great for figuring out ship movement. Olympics are super for skill systems.

2. Play With An Experienced GM

Find a group who’s playing the game you want to learn. Ask to fill-in for absentee players, or to play NPCs, or to just play for a few sessions. GMs passionate about their favourite game always love to recruit new fans. If they know you can only commit for X number of sessions, they can write you into their plot, and even plan a dramatic exit or give you a special story role.

Use meetup.com or one of the online RPG registries to find groups playing your game. Spread the word. Ask around in blog comments and in forums.

3. Play Online

Speaking of the intarwebs, another option is to find an online game to join. You can quest for real-time play with software, try forum games, or join a PBeM. The benefit is you have experienced players helping you figure out the rules and the inevitable ambiguities or weird situations that come up.

4. Ask For Help Online

As you read the rules, keep pen and paper handy and write down all your questions. Swing by the publisher’s website or fan forum and ask away. People enjoy helping.

5. Create A Custom GM Screen

Right-brain GMs look away for a minute. Okay, left-brainers, go through the rules and type out the important charts, make cheat sheets, and create important tables. Print out. Glue to cardboard.

While having this info at-hand will help you during the game, it’s most important benefit is as a tool for absorbing the game rules. By typing stuff in and understanding what you’re putting up on your screen, you’ll learn a lot of the basics. You’ll also learn what type of information is available in the game book.

I also find this method gives me a great mental framework to put all the other rules I learn into. Carving all the facts and factoids into your screen provides a rough skeleton of most major and many minor mechanics important to the game. Everything else is just detail.

6. Create A Bunch Of Characters

Create at least one character for each PC class, type, or archetype. This gives you multi-ball play. First, you learn the rules for character creation. This makes answering player questions easier as well. And it gives you a stack of pre-made PCs to make that first session a “dive-in and get your dice rolling” experience.

Bonus points for copying the characters and leveling them up or advancing them a few times. What you have now is a cast of NPCs. Just add personality.

7. Build A DM Binder

Anyone else have a stationery fetish? Just like building your own screen, this exercise helps you digest the rules. In your DM binder put various reference sheets that you make, photocopy, or print out. Add in setting information, story information, and session #1 plans.

8. Read Actual Play

For those who aren’t aware, several game forums and websites offer actual play reports from players and GMs who play a game and write-up their account of the session. Sometimes dry, sometimes awesome, these reports often fill you in on how a game plays out, including rulings and exceptions. Google story hour or actual play plus your game name.

9. Read The Errata First

This is a weird tip, but give it a try. Publishers often post updates and corrections to their games for free on their website. Download and print. Read first. Not only is this sometimes a great way to get an overview of the game, but it ensures you learn the correct rules first, shaving some re-learnin’ time.

In addition, I often get lost in high-concept parts of rulebooks. Errata often focus on extra rules and rulings. They cover what to do in specific situations. The exact and grounded nature of errata based on minutia makes it easier for me to get examples and see where the authors are going with certain mechanics.

10. Play With Yourself.

Ahem. Create a few NPCs and have at ‘er. No one is tapping their feet waiting for rules lookups. There isn’t five people grabbing for the sole rulebook. It’s a nice, easy, safe way to figure stuff out at your leisure.

You can do several encounters at your own pace, such as a test combat after work every day for a week. Test plays let you flag the important pages and help you navigate the book. If you are using a published module, work through that with a group of characters. Not only do you learn the rules but you learn the adventure too.

11 Attend Conventions

Google for the closest gaming conventions. Contact the organizers and ask if anyone is running your game. Sometimes they’ll put a callout for you on their website. If you call early enough you can guarantee a spot in any listed games you want to learn. Bring water and deodorant, and you’re golden.

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Johnn Four is desperate to learn several new games, including Mutants & Masterminds, Savage Worlds, Burning Wheel, GURPS Transhuman Space, Dark Heresy, Aces & Eights, Reign, Dread, and…..sigh. He looks at his shelf of unplayed games and shakes his fist at the sky.

Check out his new GM Advice blog at CampaignMastery.com. Recent posts include My Campaign Planning Cycle and DM Tool: Scrabble Tiles for Your Minis & Battlemats.