Introing new players to sorcerer

Hey, I'm about to GM Sorcerer for the third time tonight, and one of my players is new to Sorcerer and fairly new to indie games in general. It's not quite the same thing, but I've been thinking about those issues too. (I also bought Charnel Gods recently.)

From the Player's Side
Don't talk about "Narrativism" or any of that other jargon. Don't say Sorcerer is totally different from all those other games, etc. It could confuse the new people, and it might alienate the more experienced players; there's very little benefit.

At the same time, it's important to explain a little bit about what Sorcerer & Sword calls "author stance." Author stance is when a player makes decisions for a character that further the player's goals for a story or session with an in-character rationale.

There's a good example of this in Sorcerer & Sword involving a lost ring. Another example: Character #1, a spy, has been discovered and needs to find a hiding place. Player #1 thinks it would be cool if his spy met the disgrunted princess, even though the spy has no idea she exists. So, Player #1 says, "My guy, hearing the clanking footfalls of the guards, vaults over the crenellated wall and lands amid moonlit rose bushes--some royal garden, no doubt! Cut and bleeding, he can hear a young woman gasp... 'Come no closer or I shall call for the guards,' the princess warns."

Tell the players to dream big for their character concepts. The sorcerers really must be the biggest bad-asses in the world. Not just, "My guy is a lot tougher and more mystically powerful than other dudes, but, y'know, not so much that he stands out." Tell your players to think up the most deranged, wacked-out, over-the-top, larger-than-life character possible. In Charnel Gods, by the rules there's a pretty good chance that your character might destroy the world, and the concept should be worthy of that.

Also, remind them to include at least a couple sympathetic or redeeming features. Watching an incorrigible thug go on a rampage is a lot less interesting than watching a well-intentioned but flawed thug go on a rampage.

Make sure you run the binding scenes for the demons. This (a) provides a lot of information about who the character is, and why the character got involved with demons, (b) helps establish details about the master/demon relationship, (c) provides details about the setting, (d) can help people get a grasp on the dice rules. Take your time with this; let every player suggest details, complications, and reactions in the binding scene, so that everyone is involved creatively at all times.

Also, make sure each player has a solid kicker. A kicker usually has three elements: the character's status quo, something that makes it impossible to continue the status quo, and a reason this cannot be ignored.

And one of the more fun rules: Sorcerer page 19 - "The announced action moves the plot along significantly: +2 dice." Translation: anything that totally screws over another player (or a major NPC) is worth a lot of bonus dice. If a player is ever in doubt, do something that will mess up another player's plans.

From the GM's Side
Stitch the kickers together in the simplest possible way, using the relationship map or other backstory.

Don't come up with a plot ahead of time! Just relationships and agendas. For me personally, it is very hard to resist "over-plotting." If possible, do not include any 'villain' characters (at least in your own mind)--just have really assertive or aggressive people caught up in problems.

Don't over-prep, either. Come up with enough material for the night's play, and nothing beyond that.

I tend to ignore demons, treating them as superpowers or gadgets. This is wrong. In almost every scene, make sure that a demon is present and exerting pressure, especially the sorcerer's bound demon. This can be as simple as demanding a Need, or acting on its Desire, or pursuing a grudge/relationship with an NPC.

My games of Sorcerer end up more crowded than a Russian novel. Each kicker requires a swarm of characters; the "back of the sheet" has a bunch of characters; there's a lot of demons too. I'm going to try handing off a bunch of these to the other players, because it's way too much for me to keep track of.

The other thing that's important is that failing a roll should be as colorful and interesting as a success--particularly in combat and rituals. I'm going to encourage other players to suggest consequences and colorful details to make play more interesting.