An article by Steve Hatherley

(Published in the Convulsion 98 programme book)

I don't like describing roleplaying to other people because I don't know how to do it. Not in several brief sentences, certainly. I've tried comparing it to novels, to theatre, to make-believe, but the simple truth is that the best way to learn about roleplaying is to sit down and play. But that's not what people want to hear - they want to know what roleplaying is all about, without actually experiencing the process. And so the explanation becomes wordy, fragmented and (usually) a little confused.

So when my financial adviser asked me what Runequest was, I stumbled slightly. The question came out of the blue, although I should have expected it: there were a pile of Runequest books in her eyeline.

She hadn't heard of roleplaying, so I made my usual efforts to describe the chaos we all enjoy. At least she was open-minded - some people are impressed by this strange, creative pastime. At its best, roleplaying sounds exotic and unusual. Unfortunately, it's an uphill struggle with those who know enough to be discouraged. Gaming is often ranked with other anorak hobbies like train-spotting. It's unfair, but it's true.

Back to my financial adviser. I explained all about roleplaying and, to my horror, she sounded interested. "How," she asked, "should I go about trying roleplaying out?"

Ah...

I cut my teeth on Traveller, the basic set. Back when I was a nerdy sixteen year-old, I was entranced by one of Games Workshop's adverts, and sent away for a little black box and three booklets. I was completely perplexed - how did you play this strange game, with no board, no objectives, no nothing? (And no advice, no introductory adventures, and I didn't know anyone else who played...) Well, I managed. A friend came around, we rolled up characters, and shot them. Thus I was hooked.

Well, I wouldn't recommend that way of learning to anyone. And I can't think of a single game I'd want to recommend to a complete beginner. Sure, there have been a few games aimed at inexperienced players published over the years, but they've either been aimed at the younger end of the market (Prince Valiant) or have been wishy-washy New Age tosh (Everway). Not really my financial adviser's scene. So, after a moment's thought, I realised that my only real option was to run a game for her. But if I did that, what would I run?

Now, over the years I've found myself introducing the odd newcomer to roleplaying. Most of them have been girlfriends (not necessarily mine) and there have been a few casual friends and colleagues from work. But it's always the same question: what to run?

This is an important decision - that first game is make-or-break for most people. It affects their entire view of roleplaying. This is crucial for two reasons. First, new blood is vital to any hobby, and gaming is no exception. Second, roleplaying desperately needs wider recognition - and that recognition needs to be positive. There has been plenty of bad press over the years, and everyone who goes away with a positive view helps redress the balance.

So, what to play? Well, I hope I learn by my mistakes. I once ran a Cyberpunk game with a newcomer. Bad mistake. This new player didn't have the grounding in science-fiction that the rest of us took for granted. So, she floundered and struggled and eventually gave up.

I learnt an important lesson: never run anything heavily steeped in genre. Most newcomers tend to be ordinary folks, with ordinary interests. In fact, very few of those I've introduced has had any interest in the usual gamer topics. Most of them have (I'm delighted to say) been downright normal. And, although I could be wrong, I'd probably have to count my financial adviser as a normal person.

This therefore excludes 90% of the games on the market - including all the science-fiction and fantasy games. It also excludes year-long home-grown campaigns that the players are utterly familiar with. It definitely excludes Runequest, which has to be one of the most anal, trainspotterish, anoraky games I have ever played. Newcomers need something short and self-contained - don't confuse and alienate them.

So what's left? Well, the best game I've found for introducing newcomers is, perhaps surprisingly, Call of Cthulhu. I say "surprisingly" because, if played in true Lovecraftian style, CoC is a futile, soul-destroying game brimming with despair. But CoC has several points in its favour. First, the game is rooted in a period that everyone identifies with. Whether you set the game in the 1890s, 1920s or 1990s, everyone knows what's feasible and what isn't. On the other hand, not everyone knows what trollkin are.

Second, horror is a universal emotion. Everyone has seen a horror film or read a horror novel. While the Cthulhu Mythos itself might be lost on some, Call of Cthulhu follows traditional horror conventions faithfully. Something else to identify with.

Third, the game usually ends with the investigators triumphing over evil. A successful adventure generally leaves players feeling good at the end of it - and this all helps provide a satisfactory opinion of roleplaying. (Sometimes adventures end in tragedy. One of the most moving experiences I've seen involved a newcomer whose character had been bitten by a werewolf and had caught lycanthropy. The other characters just gave a her a gun loaded with silver bullets, and left her to it. I can still remember her anguish. Then again, she hasn't played since so perhaps that proves my point.)

Fourth, Call of Cthulhu's realistic background tends to curb player excesses. In 'looser' campaigns I've seen characters go on the rampage, looting and pillaging without a second thought. Is that really the image of gaming we want to promote? In CoC players usually (although not always) act with some degree of responsibility.

Other games also work well. I'd pretty much recommend anything historical - which is where GURPS scores. Historical games have recognisable backgrounds. It can be fun to mess about with them (wizards in revolutionary France, for example), but keeping the background broadly historical allows easy access for anyone.

But for myself and my financial adviser, Call of Cthulhu it is. And if it goes okay, who knows? Perhaps I'll have a convert.

Copyright © 1998 Steve Hatherley

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