Help!! New to troll lord games

[bigsick]

Hey!

I'm completely new to troll lord games or any games in general of this nature. Im just wondering where a good place to start is. I know one would be buying books and that but which ones? and how do I start the game and all that good stuff? Please help!

[StealthSuitStanley]

First things first...Have you ever played an RPG before? Has anyone in your group?

If so, then I would start with a players handbook for each player, and a Monsters and Treasures for the CK (do be determined later). Each player should read the PH carefully a few times cover to cover. After some discussion, decide who will be the CK. This person should have the M&T at their disposal. The players should not have access to it, or have limited access. I suggest that the CK select a pre-made "one shot" scenario. These are scenarios that have already been written out and will suffice for one game session. My personal favorite is The Beacon at Enon Tor. I suggest you consult this thread for some good links for C&C. Also there is a Master List of modules we are working on.

If you have no one familiar with RPG's, I suggest you go to your local game store and find some groups who may be willing to allow you to play or at least observe a couple of games. This will give you the idea, but in no way should it limit you to their particular style of play.

Good luck and welcome to the Crusade!
_________________
later

SSS

----------------------------

"Size matters not."

-Yoda, Jedi Master

[rabindranath72]

Not to rob TLG of a potential customer, but if you are completely new to roleplaying games, things might seem a bit daunting. What I suggest is picking up a pdf of the Classic D&D edited by Frank Mentzer:
http://paizo.com/store/downloads/wizard ... 48btpy7mvl

There is an adventure that you can play by yourself, plus some nifty explanations of what is a fantasy RPG, and how to setup a game.

There is also an adventure you can play with your friends. I think you cannot find a better introduction to fantasy RPGs.

After that, you might enjoy Castles & Crusades...or you might so love Classic D&D to not want anything else I too, SO LOVE that game, that I usually play it much more than Castles & Crusades (which I love, too).

Cheers,

Antonio

[Lurker]

Bigstick

Welcome.

I agree with SSS & Antino. There is a bewildering amount of games & rules out there. TLG's C&C is a great rules light game & I'm sure most people here started out with the Old D&D so both are a good choice. What ever you do go with a rules light game there fore I'd avoid D&D 3.5 type games. They are very rules heavy.

As to running the game it would be great to get into a game with a good group (as long as they aren't game snobs & understand you are learning the ropes) If you don't have a chance for that again, have everyone clear on the rules (Keep it simple here avoid all the homebrew add on we throw around here for a while) FIgure out who will DM the game it will come down to who has the time, inclination & most importantly ability to vocalize the picture os the setting in his head where everyone can see & understand it.

The first few games should probably be one shot adventures, not a lot of character backgrounds & fluff. There are allot of old adventures floating around. Keep it low level stuff & you might want to give everyone a few extra levels so they can survive all the mistakes they (& the DM) will make at the start. Just get everyone used to the rules and gaming in general. After that you can expand the game & add all the extra stuff.

Also read through some of the older posts here there are some great ideas here from VERY SMART & experienced gamers. Just scan through the thread subjects & read anything that catches your eye. Plus everyone here is nice & very willing to help! Even the "Troll Lords" themselves when you can get a hold of them.
Good luck & again welcome
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society

[Orpheus]

I'd say go with the C&C Player's Handbook and Monsters & Treasure. You can get both really cheap from Amazon (I got both of mine for $27 with shipping!) and you're supporting an actual ongoing entity. If you plan on playing with friends (duh, what else? ) then the availability of the C&C stuff is a bonus since they can easily acquire the material and at a low cost. If you want to go back later and pick up the older stuff for a sense of perspective or to "play it like it used to be" then that's fine. If you guys don't have a problem using .pdf files then you can download all of the older stuff really cheap from sites like paizo.com. My only apprehension about suggesting acquiring the older stuff for a group of people is the actual process of combing ebay and other sites to purchase the materials when you can get a great system easily, which is still in print. Plus it's kind of like having a Playstation 2 of the D&D world: You can play new stuff and play the old stuff easily if you so choose since converting the older stuff to C&C is simple. You'll enjoy any of the options anyone here has mentioned since playing an RPG is just plain fun!

[gideon_thorne]

bigsick wrote:
Hey!

I'm completely new to troll lord games or any games in general of this nature. Im just wondering where a good place to start is. I know one would be buying books and that but which ones? and how do I start the game and all that good stuff? Please help!

For Castles and Crusades, to start, all you really need is the Players Hand Book and Monsters and Treasure.

As for 'how to play', it boils down to a type of interactive story telling.

The person running the game develops a loose plot. Which is not as daunting as it sounds, cause thats what the adventure modules are for, for both begining and experienced players.

So, the game master sets the scene, and the players react as determined by their characters to the environment arround them.

Crisis point situations, combat, task resolution and so forth are resolved by the roll of the die, rather like gambling, to a pass or fail effect. This can move the overriding game in random directions. But thats rather the fun of it. ^_^

Without knowing your experience in other types of games, I really cant elaborate further.
_________________
"We'll go out through the kitchen!" Tanis Half-Elven

Peter Bradley

[Omote]

I also have to agree that the perfect starting off point for fantasy RPGs is the Castles & Crusades Player's Handbook. As mentioned above, there are a few other products that might be better introductions into the fantasy role-playing game in general, but the C&C Player's Handbook would a fine place to start.

If you should ever have any questions, please just post them on these messagboards and I'm sure the friendly people here would be more then willing to help anybody out.

.................................................Omote

FPQ
_________________
> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[Tadhg]

bigsick wrote:
Hey!

I'm completely new to troll lord games or any games in general of this nature. Im just wondering where a good place to start is. I know one would be buying books and that but which ones? and how do I start the game and all that good stuff? Please help!

Welcome, bigsick. Glad to hear of your interest in TLG and role-playing games. Here is another link to a C&C product that gives you lots of options for getting started. It's a condensed version of the C&C game with parts of the player's handbook and the monster book:
http://www.trolllord.com/newsite/cnc/80102B.html

Enjoy!
_________________
Count Rhuveinus - Lejendary Keeper of Castle Franqueforte

"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

"By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes:" - Macbeth

[Catweazle]

Rhus make an excellent suggestion, one which I support wholeheartedly. When starting off it's best not to sink too much cash into the hobby to begin with until you know if it's for you and what your tastes are.

You've definitely made the best choice with C&C, as I feel it's easily the most intuitive game for new players to pick up and get playing almost immediately.
_________________
History teaches us that men behave wisely once they've exhausted all other alternatives.

[jman5000]

Curious. if you are brand new to role playing (I'm assuming), how'd you hear about C&C, and how'd you decide dip your foot here instead of the 800-pound gorilla named Dungeons and Dragons?

Thanks, and Cheers,

J.

[Nifelhein]

Okay, first you must get two books, the Player's handbook and Monster & treasure, then outline a story idea you have, it can be something as simple as assembling knights to rescue a kidnapped princess, or as complex as preventing the hordes of demons from the underworld from entering the mortal realms, after dealing with many occult events in their careers.

The actual way a game plays is often reactive though, with clues and hints, as well as plots being given as the players move around the world you create for them.

The example games should help you on how this works on the table, and using C&C will just make it a whole lot easier for you to begin at the hard life of a GM.
_________________
"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects." - Attributed to Herman Melville.