#1 Attend a Practice
This seems
like a no brainer but I feel that it needs stating. Local fight practices are
not only a place to get better, but also a way to give back to the community.
When you attend fight practice, you offer a chance to new players to see the
diversity in our player base. I
understand that people have time constraints, but try and make a commitment to
attend once or twice a month. Not only does that help the community, but it
helps you as well!
#2 Offer Help
The chances are very good that
there will be more first timers than experienced players at first. Talk to the individual who is running
practice and offer your assistance to take a new player one-on-one. Also, see if you can take two newbies aside
and have them fight each other while you offer helpful suggestions. You’re
thinking, “But, Diana. I’m not a good fighter.” Well, Jimmy, you see, it
doesn’t take a great fighter to be a trainer.
All you need is patience and consideration. They will need help with the most basic of
concepts, at first. If you do think that someone is beyond your training
ability, offer to bring them to someone more experienced. They will be happy with any direction given
to them.
#3 Don’t Be a Show-off
Don’t be
that guy. Obviously, you can beat them.
They have been playing for less than four hours. It’s like teaching a
3-year-old the rules to candy land then stacking the deck. Yeah, you’ll look super cool, but what’s that
worth? Instead of just trouncing them, talk them through what you are doing and
why. Explain how long you have been
playing and that you once started off flinching while swinging wildly, too!
Don’t let them win, but don’t make them feel belittled. We all started
somewhere.
#4 Talk About Cheating
There’s
that elephant in the room. It’s something that people don’t like to face, but
it’s a normal part of any game, and it’s not the end of the world. Explain to
them that calling shots is hard! Even the best of us misses shots at times.
Being a newbie and missing shots go hand in hand. It is usually not done on
purpose, but it should be pointed out and corrected, though not in a negative
tone. Just remind them that it takes a time and effort to get good at fighting,
but even longer to lose the stigma of blatant cheating, especially when you’re
new and this is the first impression you are going to make on people.
Let’s not forget to make sure
we are fighting cleanly as well, since it would leave a bad impression that cheating
is okay. It could also make someone not
want to come back a second time to practice. Be mindful of yourself and hold
yourself to a higher standard, especially when training new players.
#5 Workshops
Most
college campus practices have workshops for weapons making and clothing. Try
and attend them and offer as much help as you can, even if it’s just offering
to cut things out. Anything is helpful
and it can make a huge impact on newbies continuing to play if they have their
own weapons and garb.
#6 Make Newbies Feel Welcome
Remember,
this is the Realms Community. It is
built on the foundation of fun and goodwill. Without that, the game becomes bitter
and curmudgeon-y(Wordsmithing!). Remember:
·
Be kind
·
Welcome people with a smile
·
Treat others as you would like to be treated
·
Participate while at practice—lead by example
You are the Realms first line of defense against stagnation
and dwindling newbie populations! Remember the things that I said, and you’ll
be a great teacher.
I would like to leave you folks with some insight from
players who recently started Realms and began at UConn, WPI, and UMass Lowell,
respectively:
Nataliya Kostenko: One of the things I always found was that a lot of veterans always do
really good one-on-one training really well but then when it comes to line or
team battles, newbies are left to fend for themselves. So, one of the things I
always found most helpful was when at UConn practice we'd do a buddy system and
someone more experienced would stay near me in a line and teach battle field
awareness or take me on the flank with them or something like that. I also
think it's helpful when, after the battle they explain why they told you to do
things.
Rae Nistler: Neil
[Kusleika] almost always warms up with me with short sword. I know he holds
back and he'll do the same thing over and over until I learn to correctly
counter it.
I saw how you[Diana!] were training your squire, Chalan.
By watching her in line battles or being near her. It looked super helpful, then
taking her aside and correcting, reminding, explaining, etc.
I like when more experienced players even at events
give/yell instructions to/at me. Like, stay in line, slow down, shield up, or
if I'm off by myself... get over here. Our just tell me what my job is in a
group. The more simple the instructions the easier.
David Benoit: The veteran players who attend the Blackwood and UMass
practices do a really good job at coaching new players through line battles.
They often spend time between battles to discuss and demonstrate team fighting
techniques.
When I first joined, they would have us practice
"dotting the i" as an individual and "crossing the T" as a
group. We would even do the exercises without weapons/combat, just to hammer in
the concepts.
Another thing I find helpful is that they always
encourage us to fight outside of our comfort zone. Sometimes it's fighting with
weapon combos we aren't comfortable with. Other times it's fighting at a
disadvantage such as a shorter weapon combo than our opponent, a two-on-one
match, or starting in the center of a grand melee circle.
One of the most valuable things for me is definitely all
of the one-on-one time that many of the veteran players spend with us. They are
always excited to teach us and help us improve. This community is so warm and
welcoming, which is really powerful to a new player. I think the environment
that the veteran players create for us is as helpful and important as any of
the individual fighting tips they provide. It's what motivates us, and keeps us
eager to come back for more.In closing, let me say that everyone has to start somewhere. One day, this first practice newbie you are helping may be a future paragon of the game, and he or she will look fondly at their days when that player really helped them feel welcome.
