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[Cthulufaic]

-snop-

...unless you mean they're only letting you do things specifically mentioned in the book...

Yea thats what I'm worried about, just considering how we did character creation.

So just so I understand you're new to this game, the gm is new to this game, you're annoyed that he wasnt letting you make dnd jedi  for the first session?

nah, its just that it feels like its gonna be a generic adventure, since he let us do whatever with whatever races and whichever classes and he didn't give us any context or anything to help us create our characters.  I mean it'd probably make sense, since this is erryone's first time playing, but I'm just getting the feeling its gonna be railroaded a certain way.

[Sirus]

That doesn't sound all that unreasonable for a bunch of newbies.

[MrWiggles]

Yea. If hes new, and everyone else is new, then railroading is the way to go. You have to be pretty comfortable to just be announcing the none sense you're doing in an invisible game, which without the the rails, is just kinda floundering. With confidence, in your table ability to improv, to work within the shared narrative environment, that floundering can become boundless. Generally new folks have to work up bit of courage to say goofy things, that their character is doing, while also trying to keep even the small subset of rules in their mind, IE their character abilities. You're going to get 'milk runs' for an unknown bit of time.

[Kadzar]

-snop-

...unless you mean they're only letting you do things specifically mentioned in the book...

Yea thats what I'm worried about, just considering how we did character creation.

What do you mean? No Variant Human, Feats, and/or Multiclass? Core only? Or just you talked about various character abilities and they said they'd be interpreting them RAW? Because, as others have said, when you're just learning to play the game this is a good way to go.

As for advice, being a player isn't hard, certainly not anywhere near as hard as being a DM. As long as you're not actively being terrible, no one will care. To that end I suppose I have a couple tips:

1. Make sure your character will work with the group. This probably might have come up during character creation, but it's also useful to keep in mind all the time. The reason that evil characters that kill innocents aren't welcome in most parties isn't because such characters are inherently wrong to play, but because their actions generally go contrary to the party's goals. Generally, you should be asking yourself, not only, "why is my character with this group?" but also, "why does this group let me stay?" If you're more trouble than you're worth, and if the characters don't like your character at all, and there isn't some higher power or something that binds you together, you should either adjust some things, or your character should leave the group and you make a new character. If you're acting against the party and they know it in character, there should be a really good reason why you're still together; otherwise you should arrange for the characters to go their separate ways, and you should make a new character.

2. Don't hog the spotlight. Remember that D&D is a team game. Even if you can do it all, doesn't mean you should. You should give others the opportunity to shine, and, if you want to be really good, set them up to be awesome. Give them magical buffs, talk them up in the taverns, stand next to enemies so they can get sneak attacks (if they're rogues). You may be the protagonist of this story, but you're not the only one.

And, of course, in general, don't do behavior that would be considered unacceptable in normal social interaction: being on your phone all the time while your friends are talking, making things sexual if people aren't cool with that, etc. I think that about covers it for not being a terrible player in Dungeons and Dragons.

PreEdit: I see I've been ninja'd, but the latter part of my post still stands up.

[MrWiggles]

I SCOOPED YEA!

[sjm9876]

-snop-

...unless you mean they're only letting you do things specifically mentioned in the book...

Yea thats what I'm worried about, just considering how we did character creation.

So just so I understand you're new to this game, the gm is new to this game, you're annoyed that he wasnt letting you make dnd jedi  for the first session?

nah, its just that it feels like its gonna be a generic adventure, since he let us do whatever with whatever races and whichever classes and he didn't give us any context or anything to help us create our characters.  I mean it'd probably make sense, since this is erryone's first time playing, but I'm just getting the feeling its gonna be railroaded a certain way.

If no one's played before, genericness is a big plus IMO. RPGs require you to break some habits and make others, and a good generic adventure can be good practice. Plus there's very little stopping a generic adventure turning into something with quite strong themes and plot, which can be tailored to the group far more easily than going from the start.

In fact, the mentality of 5e is that the first 2 levels are your characters backstory. I actively prefer starting campaigns in generic adventures because the actual game can be built of the consequences of the players actions there. In general, creating a generic adventure to start means he can get to know how people play before getting more specific. Obviously this probably hasn't consciously crossed his mind, but it can still be advantageous.

[Jimmy]

Agreed. Due to the setup of my current game, the group's developed a goal of restoring a castle to act as their base of operations in preparation for pursuing further character goals. The first two levels set the tone of the game, and you get a feel for the interplay with the characters.

[Cthulufaic]

alright, so the first session ended just 20 minutes ago and uhh... it was GLORIOUS. 

Spoiler: story (click to show/hide)

We're doing the Haven Cross pre-made adventure and holy shit did we fuck it up.  We had a fighter(me) a cleric a bard and a rogue.  The bard and the rogue were (in game) brothers and con-artists, so they made a plan for the rogue to steal something and sneak out while the bard was distracting everyone else.  In short, the rogue stole a book but got caught, jumped out the window and took 6 out of his 10 health in damage and was aboutta be killed before we managed to convince everyone that he was attacked by the true thief who ran off, in no small part to the bard casting illusions.  Later, completely unrelated, the rogue pissed off the local guards and was at 1 health on the ground.  I went to take him to a local temple for healing while being escorted by 2 guards.  Heading back, I convinced the guards to let me carry him,  then I SPRINTED into an alley and COOL AID MAN'ED THROUGH A WALL into a house and eventually escaped into the forest on horse-back(after decking the old-lady stablemaster and stealing a horse) with 2 guards in hot pursuit.
Eventually I was shot off my horse, and thankfully the guards chased it deeper into the forest.  My rogue friend managed to heal me back to 0 and I passed my saves to get me back up.  I was at 1 health, but i managed to double it through my second wind, and I started climbing trees to escape.  The rogue managed to get a few hits in before being dropped by the guards, when I knocked down part of the tree onto the guards which dropped them low, and after throwing a few torches(one of them hit for 4 damage so its worth) I made it to another tree and knocked THAT one down too, killing the guards.  After a few more rolls to make sure I dont get caught, I manage to make it deep into the forest and losing them.  In total, the bard and the cleric got the 1st quest, the rogue died super hard, and I escaped and am a wanted man.  Total exp gained: 200 for me and thats IT.  6 HOURS OF FUCKERY AND IT WAS HILARIOUS.

[NullForceOmega]

Congrats, sounds like a great run.

[NRDL]

Wild ride from start to finish.

[Rolan7]

We got off-topic talking about a... certain female-only Gangrel merit meant for Circle of the Crone sisters.  Then we tried to steer the conversation back to the game.  We were about to knock on the door of a creepy doctor who may be responsible for Malkavianism.
"He attacks with his hallucinogenic manstruation".
We r mature gamers XD  No wonder we make so little progress per session these days.
Well that and discussing minute details of the setting (we've been stuck in a 1920's recreation via ghost-house for a few sessions).

Okay we're inside the doctor's manor and...  The doorman offered refreshments.  The malkie and malkie-gangrel are doing heroin, laudanum, and inquiring after "canniboids".
I'm doing sparkling water because I'm a proper lady :|  Trying to ignore our pretense:  That we require treatment for syphilis.

Naturally, all the drinks were drugged...  Gangrel:  "Oh no!  They drugged my laudanum!" *passes out*

[TheBiggerFish]

....
>they drugged my laudanum
That's kinda the point.  ;P

[Sirus]

I was under the impression that drugs don't affect vampires. 

[SOLDIER First]

Magic drugs.

[Rolan7]

They can, though usually we have to drink them "through" a human.  We haven't had a chance to go partying for a while though (and last time we did, we went quite overboard and got abducted by hunters).

While we're in this simulated 1920's world, caused by spooky haunted manor magicks, we're actually human.  Relatively weak and powerless, though temporarily free of Malkavia, and able to experience the sun and nature.  My character is rather conflicted between wanting to stay in this dream (she was ghouled in the 30's, though she hardly remembers that life) and needing to complete the mission her sire assigned her.

She's even rather disgusted by the rest of the party.  Previously this was hidden under a mask of quiet obedience, but here in the dream she's been exchanging snide barbs like a normal person.  Ironically I think it's bringing them together as people.

Anyway, we're in the 1920's to gather information on Malkavia.  Death is no threat, in fact it's generally the way out (though sometimes we just respawn, it's not clear why).  We do keep derangements and lose spent willpower points normally, though.

The last thing that happened was... rather explicit brain surgery.  On my character.  She claimed to be allergic to anaesthetic so she could stay awake and learn, trading cooperation for information (she is tough as nails, and this worked fairly well).  The doctor is no sadist and finds her cooperation convenient, if a bit surprising, and is discussing his work rather freely.

She also demanded to watch the procedure on her "Dreadful, disgusting" companions

What he's doing is very weird, though...  He's inducing immortality in a very odd way.  He carefully cuts up the subject's hindbrain, removing certain "unwanted" bits.  Seemingly inducing a state of torpor... in *humans*.  And a sensation very similar to the initial embrace.  At this point, before WW2, he only has the first half of the embrace though...  The euphoria, death-like experience, and the draining of blood.  We've seen the result in the manor: slow, seemingly immortal zombie-like creatures.  But at that point he somehow had access to Malkavian vitae, which he administered via IV.  The results weren't true vampires but, essentially, he seemed to be scientifically creating insane vampire zombies.

This is what he did to my character, except without the vitae part.  Like half an embrace, one that ended in unspeakable diablery-like horror instead of dark rebirth.  She's currently a bit mindless, but I think that'll end once she dies.

He probably found the vitae source during WW2... many of his notes were in German, which my character fortunately learned as an Allied medic in the war (where she met her sire).  I may need to ask the GM for a reminder about what they said.  This is all so weird, I needed to take notes before I forget.

....
>they drugged my laudanum
That's kinda the point.  ;P

Indeed
Basically we all got laudanum, the Gangrel just asked for it.  My character asked for water but figured she was being drugged, the point was to get captured.  She almost stayed awake, even.