TOPIC: Tokens for 1st time players

First of all thanks to everyone for their feedback and experience with this topic.

My original plan.
- tube of rare/uncommon tokens for each slot and pass around the room so everyone was fully equipped.

Realized from feedback that this could very complicated for newer players and may ruin the experience, also an annoyance for coaches if arrival was late. Aka Bad idea.

Current plan.
-Rare weapons.... Melee and ranged. Couple armor tokens to fill in the "I don't have good armor" some Hp boost totem paints, spare rare +1 TE that I have. Maybe a enough condition tokens for everyone; if one person realizes its effect to be beneficial to remind everyone else. Also some Healing potions for everyone for the HSWAAGD moments.

Let it be known that tokens are not loaners and can be kept. (Again talking about tokens from 2019/18 sets so nothing extreme)

As others have said, it is important not to be pushy so that you don’t rob folks of the glory that comes from surviving on one’s own resources and wits, if that is their choice. It is admittedly a hard balance, though, especially when we want run on HC or NM for the XP. (Easier once we have gotten the xp.)

Here are a couple of our approaches:

1. Try to be the first in the room.

2. As people arrive and get situated, tell them that our chief goal is for everyone to have a blast. And if they think they might have more fun borrowing tokens, they need only ask. We can provide as much or as little help as they want.

3. We are lucky to have a full set of ten synergy charms and always offer them to the group, and the group always takes the extra HP (I just show the coach the tokens). For me, this is the very best thing for new players because it makes them a little less worried about survival without being too pushy or intrusive with their builds. (Fortunately, we’ve never had a new player die on us, even on HC, except on the rainbow bridge.)

4. If the rogue is new, I always offer to lend rogue box tokens and teach them to practice in the training room, but if they fail, first use thieves tools, then use FOP: Raven, then use Rod of Persuasion and ask for healing. And use Libram to both treat themselves and help the party. Amazing how having these tokens in one’s pocket improves rogue confidence. These tokens almost never even get used!

5. Levels are trickier. This year with the Eldritch bonus, we now have enough rings and charms of heroism to level up the whole party, but I have found that offering levels can be a little more intimidating to new players who are often freaked out enough about managing the Level 4 card. I generally try to read the room and see if it looks like someone might get a kick out of level 5.

6. In some circumstances, instead of lending tokens to lift up the party, we nerf our own builds or play style to the level of the party and try to make sure that everyone has the chance to feel like they contributed. (Admittedly, this is way easier when we are doing a repeat run of a dungeon.)

OK....need a translation for PUG.

Angela D Cabrera wrote: OK....need a translation for PUG.

PUG is shorthand for Pick Up Game

Arnold wrote:

Angela D Cabrera wrote: OK....need a translation for PUG.

PUG is shorthand for Pick Up Game

Interesting. I always read it as Pick Up Group, as in a group of random players with no previous coordination. Either interpretation works I guess.

I recently did a PUG at Origins with 5 or 6 newish players where we had one person providing 10 awaken synergy charms and boosting everyone to level 5, that we did HC on. It worked quite well boosting confidence to everyone, he even outfitted a few of them as well I think without handing over tokens and just showing the coach what armor they have. So just basically keep the game simple for newbies, slide and solve puzzles.

jpotter wrote:

Arnold wrote:

Angela D Cabrera wrote: OK....need a translation for PUG.

PUG is shorthand for Pick Up Game

Interesting. I always read it as Pick Up Group, as in a group of random players with no previous coordination. Either interpretation works I guess.

I also thought Pick Up Group

Edsel wrote: I recently did a PUG at Origins with 5 or 6 newish players where we had one person providing 10 awaken synergy charms and boosting everyone to level 5, that we did HC on. It worked quite well boosting confidence to everyone, he even outfitted a few of them as well I think without handing over tokens and just showing the coach what armor they have. So just basically keep the game simple for newbies, slide and solve puzzles.

First off welcome to the forms, and I’m glad y’all had a good time.

I’m glad it was kept simple as well

Edsel wrote: I recently did a PUG at Origins with 5 or 6 newish players where we had one person providing 10 awaken synergy charms and boosting everyone to level 5, that we did HC on. It worked quite well boosting confidence to everyone, he even outfitted a few of them as well I think without handing over tokens and just showing the coach what armor they have. So just basically keep the game simple for newbies, slide and solve puzzles.

That's a great point: Beyond maybe the 1 thing (like the Darkrift DR mentioned earlier) to remember, keep everything else you loan out stat-only or class-ability specific (like the Rouge stuff), to limit the mental load, and also the tokens lent out during the dungeon.

As a coach I would just say be careful I’ve seen veterans trying to outfit new players as their faces glass over and they completely lose touch with what’s going on because there’s too much information coming at them too fast