the first step Player Decisions in "The First Step"

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

I recently got Cosmere RPG books, and am starting to read them so that I can GM an adventure. I'm currently reading The First Step, as it seemed like a good place to begin. I have some familiarity with TTRPGs (D&D), with a small amount of GM/DMing experience (in case that's relevant for what info/technicality level you post).

My question is about the player decisions (see: "Part 1 Choice" beginning on page 9) and how to describe "things." As I said, I have very little experience GMing. From my understanding, this is what I (as the GM) would do for the first scene in Part 1 Alethi Ambush:

(After explaining some basics/giving out character sheets)

1. Read the text describing the scene and "bandits" arriving.

2. Ask each player what they want to do: "Everyone, what would you like to do? You have four options: 1. Search for gear or something useful [or paraphrased], 2. ..."

3. Once all the players choose an option, I resolve them in order (A->D) as follows:

4. Say, player 1 (p1) chose option A, to search for equipment. I read the text under "A: Search Gear" and then say "What is it? 1. A weapon, 2. A [spanreed], 3. ..."

5. Let's say p1 says they found a weapon. I flip to the next page and look at A1.

6. I read the text there ("you pick up your weapon, ...") and then say "Did your character pick up a... 1. Dagger, 2. Shortbow, 3. Shortspear, ..." For shortspear and sidesword, do I read the thing about Alethi norms regarding spears and lower-classes?

7. Wouldn't the player just say they are familiar with it so they have an advantage (I assume expertise gives an advantage)? Unless they are into roleplaying.

8. Ask them where they are headed (listing the options) and have them make the skill test.

9. Now, I encourage them to describe the results? Wouldn't that be difficult sometimes? (Maybe it would take some practice, which is why this is a warm-up.) For example, GM: "ok, you fail to reinforce the troops. Describe 'how you throw yourself into the fray, but the lines continue to falter and break.'" happens." Player: "um, I run up to the soldiers and fail. The lines falter and break." Do I show the players these prompts/decisions, or read it to them? I guess maybe the descriptions aren't too hard, at least most of them. Honestly I remember playing D&D and having the DM say something like "how do you hit the enemy?" "How do you finish it/them off?"

I took a quick look at Part 2, and it seems like there is still a lot of this "choose one:" type things. At the start of this guidebook, it said how players may feel constrained roleplaying-wise in part 1, but it should lessen later on. I guess it seems like a choose-your-own-adventure.

I guess it kind of makes sense, since the players will be building up their character personalities, connections, and all that.

Basically, are the steps above how I would proceed? (Maybe with some paraphrasing.)

Have any of your DMed or played this (or Stonewalkers) yet? Any general tips?

Edited January 5 by Theory
Fixed title typo (I think).

[Jult]

So, The First Step is a bit unique because it is extra "hand-holdy". It's actually even suggested that you could play it solo if you wanted, which is pretty uncommon for a TTRPG book. Hence, the choose-your-own-adventure type writing.

I didn't actually run through it with any of my players, but I did use it solo as sort of a tutorial for running a session. I think you have the general flow of how to run it correct.

In "normal" books like Stonewalkers, you'll see much less instructions in that style of "if you pick option A, then turn to scenario 1". Instead, you'll be provided with major plot points and will need to more or less improv how you move from point to point (with a bit of helpful guidance/tips from the book here and there).

I feel like Stonewalkers flows much more naturally (especially in larger groups).

As far as general tips go:

1. Be ready to improv. You might have a roadmap of the story, but your players don't. It's normal for them to venture "off-script" since they haven't read the script. Subtly shepherding them back to the main story while saying yes-and to their random ideas is a delicate balance.
2. Have a few random NPC character names/descriptions in your back pocket so you don't need to make them up on the spot. If they suddenly decide to go see a doctor/innkeeper/librarian/etc, this is a handy way to make sure they don't all wind up being named "Doug".
3. Have the players roll for stuff often. And let them do some narrating while they do it. It makes them feel more involved and buys you a few seconds to think.
   ex: They want to know what a Fabrial they found does and you haven't decided yet. Have them do a Deduction Test, but also ask them how familiar their character is with Fabrials and how they are interacting with it. Are they pressing buttons, shaking it, smacking it, just evaluating the materials it is constructed from? By the time they explain all that, you'll hopefully have decided what you want it to do. Basically, just keep them busy instead of taking an awkward pause to think.
4. Keep an NPC around nearly all the time. This should be really easy if you have a Radiant, because their Spren will be around. But if your players get stuck on a puzzle or can't figure out where to go, it's so much less immersion breaking to speak through an NPC to give them hints in-game instead of the DM giving them advice above the table.
5. Review your party's character sheets. You can't trust them 100% to do their own homework. Try to have a general idea of their skills and abilities. And make sure they've actually "equipped" their gear. I've had players go through entire fights without realizing that they weren't factoring in their armor to their defenses.

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

1 hour ago, Jult said:

 

Thanks for all the tips! Would you recommend soloing First Step or running it with the players? They may benefit from being introduced to the basic mechanics. Also...there may only be 2 players, hopefully 3 and - if I'm lucky - 4 (which I know is the recommended minimum). Also, they have not read Brandon's books. Should I give them the "Welcome to Roshar" material that was linked to in First Step and the guidebook?

If I end up having a small party, what would you recommend? Just having less/weaker enemies? I may be able to get up to 3 or 4, I'll see.

[Jult]

20 hours ago, Theory said:

Thanks for all the tips! Would you recommend soloing First Step or running it with the players? They may benefit from being introduced to the basic mechanics.

If they're new to TTRPGs, then it might be a good idea to have them play the First Step or even the Bridge Nine adventure to get a feel for things. I did have my group play Bridge Nine before Stonewalkers.

There is a sort of awkward time gap between Bridge Nine and Stonewalkers because they aren't designed to go together. Bridge Nine obviously takes place before the battle of The Tower in TWoK which happens on 1173.9.6.4. And then Stonewalkers seems to start somewhere around 1173.10.4.1 (7+ weeks later). But if your players haven't even read the books, I doubt they'd notice. 2 of my 3 players are walking Cosmere encyclopedias, so I try to pay attention to that stuff. 

I haven't really looked into figuring out the dates for The First Step, but I imagine it's late TWoK since Resi's motivation in that story is him being mad at Adolin for their arena fight in TWoK Chapter 58.

 

20 hours ago, Theory said:

Should I give them the "Welcome to Roshar" material that was linked to in First Step and the guidebook?

I'd give it to them, just so they have some background. You may also want to give them a peak at the Stormlight Starter Rules. It's a shorter introduction to the rules of the game. It doesn't go into as much depth as the Stormlight Handbook (kind of like the Player's Handbook vs the Dungeon Master's guide if you're familiar with DnD).

 

20 hours ago, Theory said:

If I end up having a small party, what would you recommend? Just having less/weaker enemies? I may be able to get up to 3 or 4, I'll see.

I only have 3 players, and they do feel a bit outnumbered sometimes during premade combat encounters. They sort of took care of this themselves by adopting a few stray bridgemen NPCs who fight alongside them (they're planning to have them as Squires later). The downside to this approach is that you might actually wind up with too many participants in a fight and it slows things down.

What I do to get around this is I separate the NPCs from the PCs in combat. For example, if an encounter is supposed to be 6 Parshendi attacking your party. I might just say "the bridgemen are going to hold off the 2 Parshendi on the right". That way I can shrink the number of enemies that my players actually need to fight, but I keep some of the drama of there narratively being a lot of enemies. And I DO do some rolls behind the screen to see if any bridgemen fall, but not anywhere near as many as I'd need for full combat.

Maybe check out the "Mass Warfare" section of Chapter 13 in the Stormlight Handbook? They have some tips on making a battle feel largescale without keeping track of dozens of initiatives.