About to start running games at a local game store...advice?

[andyskyhawk]

So I am going to be running a game night at a local shop. My brother made a funny Rifts reference while we were playing cards there from which people started asking questions which lead to asking if I would start running games. Most of the regulars have little RPG experience (some DnD is about it). I have a few questions about my next moves.

Should I use pre con characters?
Should I just do one shot adventures (at least until a core group forms)?
How many players should I allow per group? (I've never ran rifts with more than 5, I have ran big 10-12 player dnd games before)
Should I just start a campaign and see what happens?
What are some of your favorite hook, line, and sinkers?

These are the books I have physical copies of and id like to limit it to those.
RMB
Vampire kingdoms
Atlantis
England
Triax
source book 1
mindwerks
Conversion book
Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Aliens unlimited
Systems failure

I also welcome storyline ideas of any kind, thanks megaverse!

[dragonfett]

Should I use pre con characters?

I am guessing you mean pre-gen characters for conventions? Absolutely! If the majority of the people interested in playing have little experience playing RPG's, then they shouldn't be burdened with trying to make a character (especially with one of Palladium's games). I would do one of each class that has something different and unique about it. Like make either one Full Combat Cyborg character OR one Power Armor Pilot character, but not both because they both pretty much fill the same type of role. Make either a Headhunter OR a CS Military Specialist, an Rogue Scientist OR a Rogue Scholar, etc.

Should I just do one shot adventures (at least until a core group forms)?

Yes.

How many players should I allow per group? (I've never ran rifts with more than 5, I have ran big 10-12 player dnd games before)

However many you feel comfortable running for, plus a couple extra on top of that. I say that because your probably going to have a couple of people after the first couple game find that they are no longer interested and not come back, so doing it this way allows for a group that isn't too small afterward.

Should I just start a campaign and see what happens?

I would wait until you have a core group formed before starting any campaigns. This way you can tailor the campaign to the core group.

These are the books I have physical copies of and id like to limit it to those.
RMB
Vampire kingdoms
Atlantis
England
Triax
source book 1
mindwerks
Conversion book
Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Aliens unlimited
Systems failure

I also welcome storyline ideas of any kind, thanks megaverse!

Looking at what books you have, I would stick mostly with the RMB, England, Triax, Mindwerks, and Conversion Book (1 I am guessing), and maybe Atlantis for Splugorth raiding parties that are coming inland into Europe.

[andyskyhawk]

I am guessing you mean pre-gen characters for conventions?

Yes absolutely. Where can I find these gems? Or do you mean just rolling up some characters and passing them out?

[ShadowLogan]

I am guessing you mean pre-gen characters for conventions?

Yes absolutely. Where can I find these gems? Or do you mean just rolling up some characters and passing them out?

Well the only pre-gen characters around (in Palladium products) are NPCs you'll find in the books, most of which will need fleshing out to be complete. You might be better off doing your own pre-generated characters, that way you have tailored Pre-Gen Characters for a scenario you create.

Of the books you listed: SB1 and VK should have NPCs you could adapt.

I thought someone did a pre-gen character thing some time ago on the forums, nothing else you could start a thread in the Rifts Forum asking for pre-gen characters.

[andyskyhawk]

I've got a folder full of old characters I can adapt and work on. But I have always wanted to see Titan the mutant brown bear (sb1) in a game.

[dragonfett]

I am guessing you mean pre-gen characters for conventions?

Yes absolutely. Where can I find these gems? Or do you mean just rolling up some characters and passing them out?

Well the only pre-gen characters around (in Palladium products) are NPCs you'll find in the books, most of which will need fleshing out to be complete. You might be better off doing your own pre-generated characters, that way you have tailored Pre-Gen Characters for a scenario you create.

Of the books you listed: SB1 and VK should have NPCs you could adapt.

I thought someone did a pre-gen character thing some time ago on the forums, nothing else you could start a thread in the Rifts Forum asking for pre-gen characters.

That's not true any more. They have come out with the Rifts Game Master Kit which comes with 20 Pre-Generated Characters (as well as a Bionic/Cybernetic worksheet, combat matrix, and some other things). You can find it on DriveThruRPG for $5.

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/96335/Rifts-Game-Master-Kit?filters=0_0_10152_0_0

[andyskyhawk]

Well that's handy, thanks for the tip.

[andyskyhawk]

Another question. How do you feel about starting players above level 1? I generally start at group around level 4, and with introducing new players id like for them to get the feel of how powerful a spell caster can be.

[Hunterrose]

I am guessing you mean pre-gen characters for conventions?

Yes absolutely. Where can I find these gems? Or do you mean just rolling up some characters and passing them out?

Well the only pre-gen characters around (in Palladium products) are NPCs you'll find in the books, most of which will need fleshing out to be complete. You might be better off doing your own pre-generated characters, that way you have tailored Pre-Gen Characters for a scenario you create.

Of the books you listed: SB1 and VK should have NPCs you could adapt.

I thought someone did a pre-gen character thing some time ago on the forums, nothing else you could start a thread in the Rifts Forum asking for pre-gen characters.

That's not true any more. They have come out with the Rifts Game Master Kit which comes with 20 Pre-Generated Characters (as well as a Bionic/Cybernetic worksheet, combat matrix, and some other things). You can find it on DriveThruRPG for $5.

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/96335/Rifts-Game-Master-Kit?filters=0_0_10152_0_0

I apologize for threadjacking but this looks cool! How useful would it be for a HU campaign?

[dragonfett]

There is also another one for PFRPG.

[nwebster]

I would definitely use pre-gen characters, I played a Rifts adventure with 6 friends and the only ones experienced in the Palladium system were myself and the GM, the other were very experienced in other systems and Character creation still took a couple hours.

I would do one shot adventures, but I would try to keep some kind of narrative from one game to the next for those that stick around from the beginning. Then when you have that core group firmed up you can ask if they'd like to start new with Characters of their own design or start a deeper story with the characters they already have.

As far a Story Ideas/HLS. A lot of times I take the basic outlines from movies. For example: a Suicide Squad/Escape From New York plot could be easily adapted to the CS covertly running a crew of D-Bees, Mutants, Psychics and Magic Users. Compartmentalized missions (one shots), easy to rotate in and out Characters and you can keep a light running narrative from one shot to one shot if you want.

[ShadowLogan]

Another question. How do you feel about starting players above level 1? I generally start at group around level 4, and with introducing new players id like for them to get the feel of how powerful a spell caster can be.

I think it would depend somewhat on the players and what I had in mind and the class(es) involved. For the most part I would avoid it, this way the player can develop he character and its backstory (unless you like writing backstories, and have players that can play with those backstories).

From a certain POV higher level characters don't necessarily always translate into more survivable characters in Rifts. Those extra levels might no do anything beneficial in the long run.

[say652]

Keep to the Book rules as much aso possible, homegrown is difficult to explain to a new group.

[mercedogre]

pre-gen characters, yes, roll them yourself. make more than you need to give each person some sort of choice between characters, stick to OCC's from RMB to start, use the more "exotic" characters later. One shots till you filter out the flakes. Nothing wrong with starting them at level one.