Okaaay... (Help with newbies and Yrth needed)

[zorg]

What about predesigned templates, at least? (I can convince him, I can convince him...)

[GoatRider]

How about what Doug Cole is doing on Saturday with the start of his new 4e campaign? He's going to have an "introductory" session with pre-generated characters, and run them on rails through some back story for the setting, during which most of the characters should get killed off. It sounds like it should be a good practical introduction to the rules, as well as a good way to flesh out a back-story before the main game.

[NorthSaber]

Originally Posted by zorg

That was more or less what I had in mind. But if Jürgen is unhappy with Pregen, that's that. :)

Well the players could still make the characters they want, with the GM providing them verbal options at each stage ("how strong would you like to be? remember that the stronger you are, the less effective you can be in other areas.")

[Jürgen Hubert]

Originally Posted by zorg

What about predesigned templates, at least? (I can convince him, I can convince him...)

This would cause me more work than I want to deal with.

[the adventurer]

I think your friend needs to lighten up. I'm a devoted Christian and I don't throw hissy fits when my religion is warped by a Fantay Setting. Great that he's all for his Religion, but maybe Roleplaying isn't the best hobby choise for him.

Or you could play something contemporary that doesn't even involve religion, like Superheroes, or Space Opera.

[Godish_Bugar]

Originally Posted by the adventurer

Or you could play something contemporary that doesn't even involve religion, like Superheroes, or Space Opera.

I take it you haven't read Dune. ;)

[the adventurer]

Well ok, Dune and Star Wars have Religious Themes, but at least they're fully fictional in the most part and don't make you play around with real world religions and their butting of heads.

[the adventurer]

Oh oh I just thought of something, why not get a copy of GURPS: Religion? Surly that book would be a great resource for not botching general Muslim world views.

[skaville]

Originally Posted by the adventurer

I think your friend needs to lighten up. I'm a devoted Christian and I don't throw hissy fits when\0\05{\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0ped by a Fantay Setting. Great that he's all for his Religion, but maybe Roleplaying isn't the best hobby choise for him.

Um, personally i would´nt think it´s a matter of lightening up or holding back the hissy fits.. Religion is a tremendously personal thing, and being a member of a religious minority probably no cake walk nowadays.

If it were me running a game for a devout moslem, i would need to discuss expectations and boundaries with him/her first.. but are you sure you want the hassle of handling a real-life belief system?

After all, making him play a "viking" to avoid moslem culture in the setting would be weird, too.
If i were you, i´d settle for a setting without gods.
(Only Dark Sun springs to mind, but there must be others)

When it comes to GURPS for newbies, heres what i do; Let them pick advantages and disadvantages, because that helps roleplaying a lot.

Then i run them quickly through char-gen, making low-level characters (30-40 pts or so) so they dont have a mass of skills or manouevers to handle at start.

During gaming, i give out double xp for a while. This gives them a great deal of incentive to check the skill lists and muck about with the rulebooks when they want more shiny skills and advantages for their points.. and this way, they learn the rules pretty much without realising it.

Anyway, good luck with it. Oh, and keep us posted.

[nanoboy]

I'd start 'em out in a monotheistic nation, but it might be fun to send them on a jaunt to somewhere like Nomad Territory. You know, get your Muslim friend comfortable with the role-playing experience and then expose him to something new. And besides, it's not like the Nomads are the pinnacle of morality; they're pretty crazy, really.