Ankheg: переводы

→If everyone at the table is new to RPGs, it will take a little more effort to get going, but hopefully you can share the responsibility of finding how the rules work and what’s going on. Watch a few games being played online. Search for “streaming RPG” or “actual play RPG” and you’ll get a ton of links to videos to watch. Try a couple of different ones to get a feel.

→Maybe, in fact, you want to start by just watching a session of your friends playing to get an idea of what’s going on and what kinds of things you can expect. You’ll likely see that everyone’s having a lot of fun and feelings of intimidation fade quickly.

→Don’t worry about all the rules and the genre conventions and the books involved. No, you really don’t have to read that whole book (or this one) before you can play. Ideally, someone else in the game has played before, and they can help show you the ropes. You shouldn’t feel like you have to do work to play a game, and if you’ve got someone who has experience, they can help get you past that and straight into playing the game.

→Many RPGs have big rulebooks, seemingly complicated rules and instructions, and weird settings. Even the very premise of an RPG itself—that you and your friends pretend to be different people in imaginary situations—is pretty unique. It’s not like playing chess or soccer or charades. But that’s okay. That’s why you’re giving it a try, because it’s not like other games.

→1. Don’t Panic.

→If this is all new to you, there are six bits of advice you should take to heart before you make your first die roll.

→#### Playing An Rpg For The First Time

→If none of these ideas work, you’re not out of luck—you just have a bit more of a challenge. You’ll have to read the rules of the game, get an idea of what you’re doing, and then find some friends to join you. You’ll all have to work together to figure it out, but you can do it. It’s the way many people started early on, of course, because there was no one to teach new players or invite them to an existing game. Back then, everyone was new and there were no existing games. Look at it like this: following this method is the surest way to get to play the game you want, the way you want, right from the start. You and your friends will all learn the game together, and that’s a bonding experience. And you won’t have to worry that some people are more experienced than others, because you’ll all be at the same level.

→However, the absolute best way to learn to play an RPG is to have an experienced friend invite you to play it with their existing group. Now, this is a luxury that not everyone has, but if you know and like someone who already plays RPGs, you’ve hit the jackpot. They’ll very likely be thrilled to teach you the rules and show you the ropes, and before you know it, you’ll be gaming with them.

→Go to a store that sells games. This is a great resource. The person behind the counter can likely tell you about local game groups that are active, and maybe even which ones are looking for players. Often, the staff of the store hosts games themselves. These games will be at specified times, and they’ll even teach you how to play in a demo, so all you need to do is show up.

→Obviously, one of the main requirements for playing an RPG is having a group of people to play with.

→#### Finding A Game Group

→You’ll find many employees in a store to be helpful, and even other gamers there to shop will be happy to tell you how a particular game works. Expect them to be opinionated, of course, but you’ll often get the information you’re looking for. (Or even more—gamers can be very passionate about games!)

→While most stores go out of their way to be welcoming to new players, it can still be intimidating to be surrounded by a bunch of new games and people that you’re unfamiliar with. Take a friend with you. Even if that friend’s never been in the store either, they can help navigate this new world you’re entering. You can also call the store ahead of time if you’d rather and ask if they have any demos or programs for new gamers.

→There are stores in many areas—sometimes even in smaller communities—that focus on selling RPGs (and usually other games like board games, miniatures games, and so on, and they might also sell comics, plastic models, model trains, or materials for other hobbies). If you’re fortunate enough to live near a store that sells roleplaying games, pay them a visit. It’s not just a good place to buy games; the people who work there can often answer your questions about how a game works. They might even run demonstrations (“demos”) of games that you can join in, or host a regular game group that meets right in the shop that you can join or maybe just watch.

→##### Go To A Game Store

→In other words, you’ll learn a lot.

→Watch a few of these, and you’ll absolutely get the idea of the dynamic between the GM and the players. You’ll get a peek at how the rules work for that particular game and the kinds of things that characters do. You’ll see GMs come up with answers to player questions, even the ones they weren’t necessarily expecting.

→You can do a quick search online and find literally thousands of videos of people playing games. Some of these are extremely professional with a setup that is “cheated” toward the camera. Others are much more casual and are like a normal session around a table that just happens to be on camera. Both are entertaining and instructive.

→When people asked me about the “strangeness” of RPGs, my advice was always “Just watch a game for ten minutes, and you’ll see that it’s harmless—maybe a bit goofy—but imaginative fun.” I stand by that answer, but if you weren’t already playing, sometimes it was hard to find a game to watch.