Would it be a good idea to have a game start for a bunch of new players with them having been captured and put into a...

Would it be a good idea to have a game start for a bunch of new players with them having been captured and put into a gladiatorial arena, with the goal of having to fight their way out?

Attached: 1520594194554.jpg (900x1200, 147K)

If you provide your players a constrained environment, they will do everything in their power to break out of it. That's the nature of player autonomy.

Don't plan on the arena being a place to deliver any sort of important story or character.

>If you provide your players a constrained environment, they will do everything in their power to break out of it. That's the nature of player autonomy.
>Don't plan on the arena being a place to deliver any sort of important story or character.
No shit, that's kind of the point. I want to give them a motivation to make their own choices, so that they truly understand the game. An arena would just be filled with random NPCs anyway.

Then it's a good idea, go for it. Some GMs don't realize that's the point and fail at the constrained start. Clearly that's not the case here.

This will only work if the players are willful and prepared to impress themselves upon the world.
That is usually NOT the case with new players. What is your backup plan if they don't immediately seize the reins, or more likely to happen, one player becomes the main character and the other players are relegated to being sidekicks?

It depends on the group but it's not the worst intro: it gives them a reason to be together and a quick intro to the game and combat. As says it's something to build from, and you can make plenty of hooks out of it.

They're in an arena, unless they just stand around to get slaughtered, they're going to fight their way out. Not only will it give them a chance to become acquainted with the combat engine early on, but they'll also have to engage in RP with the NPCs, unlike what I've done before where I start in a dungeon crawl which doesn't really encourage RP as much.

Like I said, what is your backup plan to make sure everyone has a part, rather than the player with the most guts?
If you didn't have a group of rookies, I wouldn't care, but I've brought enough new players in to know that is a very real problem to consider, especially when the wannabe protag is willing to shout others down.

>They're in an arena, unless they just stand around to get slaughtered, they're going to fight their way out.
What if they simply don't decide to break out and decide to keep fighting as gladiators?

>especially when the wannabe protag is willing to shout others down
Or the unwilling protag who keeps being pushed into the leader position because he has that kind of personality. Or the silent player who enjoys being in the background and won't give you cues as to how much they're enjoying the experience.

But honestly his biggest fear with new players should be the ones that think tabletop RPG is another kind of passive media, designed to be consumed and not interacted with. Usually they just need some proper guidance, but their disappointment could just sour the whole experience before they start trying.

What's wrong with that?

If I feel that one player isn't letting the others make decisions, I'll just go around the table and ask each play individually what they want to attempt to do.

There is no real plot and players could get bored quickly. New players often lack initiative and thus need to be guided to some extent until they learn to think for themselves. A lot of them view RPGs like video games
>Well if I am in the arena there must be a reason, I will just hang out until something happens

My point being OP should have a back up plan in case his players simply don't bother to escape as they expect something else to drive the story. So he might want to create a throw-away NPC to plan a break out with the players should they lack the initiative to escape on their own, or perhaps have a riot in the cell blocks or something.

Might be a good chance to use this as a plot hook. Maybe make them into career gladiators? Might be some difficulty in presenting situations that are not, “kill everything,” but it can work as a backup plan.

If you want to give them the hint to make their own decisions, some hints as to other possible actions could work. Maybe mention that the guards have fainted because of some intruder that wandered into the arena? This can prompt the players to think that this might be their chance for escape,

All of those are things I've thought of, yeah.

>Might be some difficulty in presenting situations that are not, “kill everything,”
The bigger issue with that is that the players aren't building up a sense of autonomy, so even if you present situations where they have some options to forge their own path they may not use those options unless directly presented as "would you rather do A or B?"

There's another problem of people just going their own way. There's literally nothing preventing the athletic members climbing out and throwing the weaker members to die.

Escape scenarios are almost always everyone for themselves.

If you must confine them put them on a ship or train or a caravan. Putting the entire group mid travel at least aligns their goals

Would it be a safer idea to just start them in an inn and have an NPC running from the law ask them for help?

It's cliche as fuck but whatever

Yeah, well apparently my arena idea was shit and that was the best I had.

It CAN turn into shit. It seems like you really don't have contingency plan for
People scattering different directions
People never leaving
PvP I'll be the champion that will buy myself out

This.
You can not plan on your hook actually working, and with new players, the odds are even worse. Experienced players tend to see plot hooks and will bite to get the game going. New ones may not even see the hook.
Take the time at the beginning of the game to forge camaraderie between them, and the arena idea has a much better chance of working. Further, an npc that gives them a greater link to the world would be a boon, in this situation.

What if one of the NPCs in the arena is looking for people willing to bust out?

Different players/characters will have different risk thresholds. If you want unified party action, you need things that sweep everyone involved into the same wave.

Classically these things were natural disasters. You could have a plague that starts popping up in the quarters of the gladiators, killing them off without impunity.

In the end, always plan a repelling/pushing force with an intensity you can freely manipulate, and an attracting force that you can freely toggle.

That, but my advice would be to take it slow.
Your initial goal really is to get a group dynamic going, introduce the players to the setting and a sense of autonomy and group cohesion.
Also, take some time to explain the game, your campaign, and your (ie their) expectations. The biggest problem I have seen for new players is that the experienced GM will not give them a frame to work on, then the GM gets mad when people who have no idea how the game is supposed to work in practice fuck around.
Is this a heroic campaign? Tell them. Is it a gritty experience, or more lighthearted? Warn them. Ask them if there are any themes that would make the game unfun (not unpleasant, but unfun, there is a difference).
Personally, I'd spend the first 3 sessions just at the arena allowing them to see the world, interact with a broad range of npcs, witness things good and bad. Have an elder npc father figure there to patch them up when they get hurt, warn them to look away when it's gonna get grisly, snitch a player some food when they are being punished, then show him being flogged for it.

What if, towards the end of the first gladiatorial game, the arena starts getting flooded because the editor wants to dispose of the fighters?

Too soon, wait for a while, and drop soft clues, like groups being herded to specific areas to rest, certain people being "sold", gear being moved to higher levels.

There is an obvious, immediate way to stop the situation, so no it wouldn't work. A repelling force needs to have at best non-immediate solutions to resolving it. For instance:

>The mines no longer have ore and the local economy is dead
>The BBEG's forces destroy your sleepy village
>X thing that takes a long time to build has been destroyed by Y, which was the only thing holding back Z from being an immediate danger to livelihood

You don't have to threaten their lives directly, just how they live. Though threatening lives is often a great way to minimize leaks in your plans.

I'll probably run a mock-up session with my council of fellow DM's, to get a feel for the arena idea and see what does and doesn't work.