After the first session online for my f-2-f group (who have never played online before) …
I’m assuming a safety tool conversation etc., but my take homes are:
- Offer very simple step-by-step instructions for joining well in advance and ask if they are clear.
- Ensure there’s a shared message group or similar where players can post concerns before or during joining and you can solve issues/reassure.
- Make it clear before, during and after the session that there’s no such thing as a stupid question.
- Pick as rules lite a system as possible for an introductory one-shot to familiarise them with the process and feel of onlibe.
- Use screen-share to run a brief ‘roll for your party’ tutorial at which they all have a chance to demonstrate they can set up dice sets, highlight and re-roll etc.
- Use screen-share to make sure they can find their way around the character keeper
- It was surprisingly that, despite being familiar with spreadsheets a couple of them struggled to multi-task and flip between windows so be prepared to talk them through in baby steps.
- Initially enforce a rotation as players are more likely to all talk at once (the way they do at the table) but they won’t realise how much more difficult it is to make sense of it online until you tell them.
- Manage their expectations in terms of the pace of play as initially they may get less ‘done’ than in a f-2-f session.