I've been thinking that third sessions of a new game are like third sessions of a new relationship. Only if that relationship is a group relationship. With crazy people. I'm only slightly kidding. I think.
But I do believe there is some semblance of truth behind this. In that first game session, you're getting to know your new characters. In some cases, all the players are the same as before, so you go in knowing generally what to expect from them. In other cases, players have come and gone, and new ones take their place. You (as DM) have that sense of trepidation as you try to figure out what the new players are going to bring to your table. Are they rules lawyers? Will they be quiet? Are they just there for hack and slash? Are they hoping to punch dolphins?
But by that third date, or third session, you have an idea if it is going to last (even if for awhile), or if you should just cut bait and look elsewhere and start over. You have a feel for them, they have a feel for you. You can tell if the makeup of the group you have as players is going to gel together or if they are just too different. And after this third session, I have a really good idea that I'm going to be having a lot of fun.
As I prepared for this new game, I seriously changed the scope of the game. It wasn't going to be a "traverse the entire continent" type of game. It is taking place solely (to begin with) in Tethyr. And I wanted to assure, that with all the various options out there for races and classes, that I didn't end up with some crazy combinations such as half-celestial pegasus gunslingers. So I offered my players a bonus Forgotten Realms regional feat if they stuck with the core races and classes.
I started off with having 8 players. By the second session, I was down to 6. It seems that that is where I'm going to stay. Which I'm kind of glad for, as I wasn't looking forward to 8 players in a few levels when they start getting multiple actions/attacks in a round. The characters in my game are a human ranger, two human fighters, an elven cleric/bard, a human wizard, and finally, a half-giant psionic warrior (for one oddball in the group, and I like psionics). The more years I've run games, the more I've come to be bothered by all the books that include more races. I find many of them interesting, and as a player I'd like to play many of them. But as a DM, I grow weary of not having the rest of the world react to a walking zoo carrying swords and staves through their towns.
Through 3 game sessions, we've had one battle. Just one. 1 in nearly 30 hours of gaming. Not quite 30, since we still can't get past the various distractions we all have (including my football), and my having to take care of my kids as well while we game. But even with just one battle, this is one of the most satisfying beginnings to a campaign that I've ever had. Other than that first battle, meant to introduce the villain of the early part of the campaign (and her minions), I've prepared nothing else. Everything that has happened since has been all due to the decisions of the players.
Going back to discussing new players to a game, I have one is this campaign. I knew nothing about him before he showed up to create a character. He was new to Pathfinder, so I still had no read as to what kind of player he was. But early on in that first session, he took lead of the group and hasn't relinquished it. He's been the one to guide the group, and with that, he's guided the game. Even with opportunities for battle, he's held back, being cautious, but wanting to make sure that if there were to be a battle, it's on the group's terms, not the enemy's.
As for this last session, I don't know when I've laughed quite so much during a session, while in character. And it wasn't me, it was the rest of the players. And it's all come down to roleplaying. I didn't have any intentions of having an NPC be part of the group, but the half-giant psionic warrior has a very young blue dragon as a companion. I started playing him as greedy (so shocking I know) and sarcastic towards most everyone and everything, but in particular to the half-giant. As he's been swayed into believing that there is a horse-like god named Silver that is responsible for all of the gold and silver that keeps coming his way. He believes that he's the prophet of Silver. That character has kept everyone laughing.
But it goes deeper than that. They enjoyment came from the reactions of villagers to some of the group's ideas. From the human ranger who was happy to go home and decided to dance when the cleric/bard began playing her pipes, and found an attractive woman to dance with. And watching as her father came in and everyone looked shocked at him. Just everything worked so great, and brilliantly, that all the players at the end of the game said they had a wonderful time. I'm very thankful that I have a group that does enjoy roleplaying, and not just roll-playing.
But in a week and a half, there will be blood...
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