What to run as my first adventure?

[zuljita]

If you want to run I Smell a Rat, you'll need to provide the delvers with some help. Some hirelings or something similar could go a long way. If you make a 125 point cleric and a couple of 125 point melee (maybe a mace and board guy to stand alongside the holy warrior/knight and a spearman to attack from the second row), you'll have a group that can get some things done in ISAR, but it'll be dangerous as all get out. if you change all of those to 250 pointers you'll have a full party but you'll be in danger of running the whole show. A serious option is to make the 2nd half of the party in NPC's to fill in gaps and let each player run 2 characters: one you built and one they built.

[Kromm]

If I'm introducing people who really, truly aren't up to speed, I tend to do what others have said.

I kicked off the campaign that inspired GURPS Dungeon Fantasy all those years ago – and which ultimately led to the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game – with a simple tomb raid. There were three big tomb chambers, each with a trap on the door and a different kind of low-end undead inside: skeletons, zombies, and mindless lesser mummies, armed with a wide selection of random weapons (axes, flails, maces, spears, swords, even whips). These crypts were connected by tunnels that snaked past niches concealing minor treasures and more zombies, and that linked up at a door covered with symbols and sealed with complicated locks. Beyond that portal was a huge room with lots of zombies, behind the zombies was an altar, past the altar was a secret door, and through the secret door was the boss mummy and the real treasure. This gave people a chance to deal with traps, doors, and locks; interpret weird symbols and identify monster weaknesses; and fight foes with a range of weapons and tactics (and as monsters go, zombies are great because they're easy to kill and nobody thinks it odd if they just charge and do All-Out Attacks).

The treasures merit special note: Instead of a small number of high-priced and/or high-powered items, I gave the party a large number of "stocking stuffers." These included healing items (that's where the balm of regeneration and gem of healing came from), a few potions and scrolls, lots of average-quality weapons (appreciated, as at least a couple of PCs were using clubs instead of swords at first), plus a bunch of "plot token" items like mummy wrappings and ancient stone tablets that could be exchanged for various items and favors in town. One of the coolest parts was the delver with Armory skill building a little forge from bricks taken from the tombs, firing it up with everything flammable, and working the "worthless" armor some of the undead had into a couple of bronze breastplates . . . I said, "You'd need a natural 3 for that to work!" and the player rolled [•][•][•]. :)

[Bruno]

The Dinky Dungeon we've used to introduce various people to the very fundamental idea of dungeon delving (no related videogame experiences, for example) is very elemental.

There is a 10' wide corridor, it runs about 40' ahead. Then it turns left. 20' down the corridor is blocked by a portcullis with a blanket hanging on the other side.

On the other side of the portcullis is a 30' x 30' room with small, not very dangerous, spear-wielding humanoids (kobolds, goblins, imps, whatever's system appropriate - skeletons would work too).

The spear-wielders probably hear the PCs coming, and will certainly hear PCs struggling to lift the portcullis. If someone sneaks up successfully, and then gets the portcullis up in record time, they are caught by surprise - otherwise the goblins/whatever sneak up behind the blanket and poke their spears blindly at the erstwhile portcullis lifter.

Players can retreat back the way they came safely without consequence, the goblins don't give chase. This is important - teaching new players that retreat is a valid option and the GM won't cruelly punish you for "cowardice" is a golden opportunity.

They can also try to talk to the goblins, and the goblins feel safe behind their portcullis (particularly if you already tried to open the gate and failed) so they're willing to do so. This is another important object lesson: You don't have to kill everyone, and you certainly don't have to kill everyone immediately. Since they could try to talk to the goblins, it's good to have a trap door or third doorway or something that leads to another, "real" dungeon with a little more substance (like Kromm's dungeon).

They can try to find the other entrance to the dungeon if they do retreat; it takes them to a mirror image hallway that connects to the far side of the goblin room: they arrive at the goblins backs where it's a regular old locked door, not a portcullis-blanket-trap.

If they get into the room (either entrance), they find goblins to fight (or walk politely past if they negotiated), and a small bag or box of modest-value treasure, some rations and torches and whatever misc. delving equipment they forgot to pack that the GM wants to give them another shot at. They can buy them from the goblins, they're willing to sell at a modest mark-up.

[InfinitePudding]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone :)