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[Mephisto]

My girlfriend seems semi-interested in D&D after hearing me talk about it. I've got a crapload of 3.5e books and zero for 4e. I've got the basic idea of what I want to do, but I need some help from some who are more experienced than I. I also don't want to create an account at a D&D-only forum, so I'm asking the wise denizens of FG&R.

I've got pretty much any adventure you would suggest, from first to twentieth level. I'm not sure whether I want to have us start at first level and potentially work our way up or start higher to give her a taste of some more varied combat.

There's also the adventure itself. I want something that we could finish quickly with whatever character level you feel would be best to start off with. It would ideally be interesting. She liked the Dragonlance books, so I know she's into fantasy stuff.

Now I ask you for help. All of my adventures that I've looked at so far assume four PCs. I can possibly control two, increasing our possibilities. I don't want to overload her with multiple characters on her first play, though. Considering all this, what would be an appropriate starting level and adventure? I'll likely take all character creation responsibilities.

As a side note, I could possibly get any 4e book. I would prefer to stay with 3.5, though. It's the only one I have experience with.

Braindead Edit: Possibly more important than any of the above - this will be my first experience with DM-ing. I would prefer an adventure that's easy to DM, but it's not a requirement.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Well first off, let her know you've never refereed before, so you might get some things wrong.

Second, figure out what kind of movies, books, video games, etc she likes. Doesshe like the hack and slash? Does she like the roleplaying and social interaction?

There are a lot of awesome adventure ideas that you can't do with (or would be difficult with) a whole party.

Third, you don't want to make her too high level because she will get bogged down.You don't want her too low-level because she'll die right away Third level would be a good choice, probably a Fighter or Rogue (3E, I dunno about 4E). Spells are a bit complicated. Make up a few pregenerated characters and let her choose one. If it dies she can grab another one and approach it different way. Let her know that in a regular game she'd make up her own character from scratch.

Fourth, short play sessions. Don't bog her down with an 8-hour standard game. Right after lunch is a great choice too, because you're both carbed up and thinking straight, and pleasant, and not tired like you would be after breakfast and dinner. Likewise, pick a day you're both in a good mood. First impressions and all.

Fifth, regardless of what else happens, there must be a happy ending. Again, first impressions. People remember their happiness level of their experiences based strongly on the ending, or the "punch line". This may be hard to do though, and I haven't experimented with it yet.

Sixth, provide some direction, but make it obvious that she can make her own decisions. She may not follow the plot anything like you expect, and as a new referee you'll have a little trouble adapting on the fly. Be patient and relax. This is also why being rested and well-fed helps.

I'd suggest a town-style mystery where the whole town is hiding some secret, and they just hope the stranger who rides in doesn't get involved. Maybe a lawman of some type.

Or a prisoner escape, finding lame and improvised equipment on the way, through some caves and such. I believe the old adventure was called Scourge of the Slave Lords.

[Mephisto]

I may have decided on A Dark and Stormy Night. It's for four first-levels, so we should be fine with two or three at third level. Despite the name, it's got a happy ending. It's not horror, as the name would suggest, either. The whole thing could likely be done in half an hour, like I wanted. I'm still going to read up on some other town-style events. She likes mystery.

Thanks for the help.

[lordnincompoop]

A Dark and Stormy Night, eh?

[Mephisto]

The name has little to do with the story. Lightning from a magical storm strikes the door to an ancient tomb. The PCs find it some time later and take refuge from the storm inside. It's not particularly dark and the story could take place during the day. The writing is decent.

Still, I think I've decided to look for something else. This one's pretty combat-heavy (hah, there are maybe four encounters in the whole thing) and I want her to actually experience role-playing.

[Rooster]

Tomb of horrors.
No, really.
Unless you don't want to break up...
In that case pick something else.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Yeah Tomb of Horrors and six dozen pregen characters is a good way to spend several afternoons, one random unavoidable death at a time.

For town adventures, please remember this: don't make everything hinge on one point. Whether that's a conversation with a certain NPC, or finding and understanding a certain clue, or whatever. Because your player(s) will miss it.

Think about it like this. The plot point that lets the town game move forward is a lot like a secret door leading to the rest of the dungeon. If they never find that secret door, they lose access to the whole dungeon. Instead, secret doors should conceal bonus areas (bonus danger, loot, weirdness, or all three), or provide a safe resting spot, or a shortcut, or a way to bypass some severe danger. That way, missing the secret door doesn't stop the game. But finding it is rewarding.

Same thing goes with plot points in a town. There should be a way to reach the end of the adventure, though the optimal outcome may require clever detective work or just being lucky enough to grab the right clues.

Imagine a situation where the PC has to decide who is guilty of a certain crime. The simplest approach is just to walk around asking people, and fingering the obvious culprit. A better outcome is to investigate with mind-reading or good social skills or bribes of work or money, to discover that the obvious suspect was framed by the actual bad guy. The best outcome is to discover that the actual bad guy is doing other bad guy stuff and is doing this to get the obvious suspect out of the way. Coming to the "better", more complete conclusions should be worth bonus EXP and perhaps reveal treasure. Perhaps the real bad guy is smuggling Black Magic Candles and by arresting him the party can find his stash of Candles and money.

[Mephisto]

I read through Tomb of Horrors after seeing it mentioned. I bet she would be up for it. Not sure I want to create an appropriate number of characters, though.

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll definitely use some of them.