In questions about how to learn new systems, or teach them, a common suggestion is to run a single-session game with pre-made characters and a pre-made scenario.
- In your experience as a GM and/or player, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach, compared to simply jumping in with character creation and running our own campaign from day one?
- I'm sure the answers vary with the group involved; what are indicators that it would be a good choice for a particular group?
- Does the efficacy of this strategy also vary with the system?
Answers from experience are preferred, please.
Best Answer
I started with pre-gen characters for a single session twice (GURPS IOU, and Serenity). I found it very helpful, and those systems are very different in crunchyness. It helped for three reasons: