It is surprising just how tricky this sort of thing can be to pull off. Or at least to pull off well.
Over the years there have been a few attempts at getting new and experienced players together so that the new guys can learn the tricks of the trade off the old heads, and thereby get up to speed quicker (than they otherwise would). But it’s probably only one of those attemps that can be hailed as a success.
The most infamous attempt was a series of games on the Shrapnel forum called Newbs vs Vets. Which started with (unequal) teams of newbs playing teams of vets, and ended with teams that each had a vet leader and a handful of newbs. These games were not really a success (and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Several players, new and old, were never seen again after their experiences from these games).
There have also been team games which were mostly newb teams led by a semi-experienced player, but each team had a vet coach that they could consult for expert help and advice. Again this didn’t go too well IIRC, for a variety of reasons from lack of interest from the vets, and the teams not listening to them when they did offer advice.
I’ve heard of “observer” vet games being run on SA. Which is basically a network game that anyone can log into and look at the turns, but only the vets can play the turns. Not sure how these games went though, but I think you would need a lot of commentry from the vets for it to be of any real benefit.
And of course you have the LP’s that have been done. Some of which are both an excellent read, and have brought many players into the community. Out of all of these ideas, this one is probably the only one that can claim to be successful.
But the problem with all these ideas is that you need to gather together enough veteran players who both know the game really well, can communicate their thoughts clearly to new players, and crucially, have the time and inclination to invest the considerable amount of time and effort needed into making the idea a success.
And there is the further problem that it can be a very bad idea to get “any old vet” for such a project, as some vets actually end up driving new players away from the game (like one of the vet captians in Newbs vs Vets game did), or annoying other vets so much that they simply just drop out. There is also the problem that some vets are only “vets” in the sense they’ve been playing a long time, and not in the sense they actually know or understand the game that well. Vet is a veeeery loose term, and probably both a bad term and one that is largely misconceived by the community, who tend to associate vet with playing skill (but “vet !!!= good player”).
For example the most recent SA LP was a fantastic effort by those involved, but some of the basic errors both in play, understanding and simple game mechanics were quite noticable when I was following it in the first few months. If I was a member of SA then I would certainly have been posting to rant my head off! (but I don’t agree with the concept of having to pay to rant :)). So while the LP was a brilliant and truly entertaining read, there was a fair bit of misinformation floating around regarding the game itself. Which didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the LP, but it did perhaps lower its value as a learning vehicle for new players.
To be honest I think the best results would probably be had from a sort of apprentice system, whereby a new player is paired up with a willing vet, and the vet sends the new player the turn files from one of his active games, along with accompanying text. As if you can get some sort of coach-pupil bond going, then it’s more likely that the pupil will ask more detailed questions, and so start to genuinely get underneath the hood of the game. While the coach will start getting to know the pupil, their level of skill, and how best to get his message across. He won’t have to cater for a wide audiience of varying skill levels. Maybe at the end of the game some/all the notes can be posted to benefit others. But it probably has to be closed shop until the game ends.
This is similar to the idea of a player doing a DAR (During Action Report), but I think there is far more chance of a DAR failing. Not least because the writer always has to explain what he is doing to the lowest common demoninator. As he doesn’t know his audience, so he has to assume they know nothing, and that everythng needs to be explained. But if it’s just 1-on-1 with a new player, then as the game goes on he’ll start to build up a good impression of just what needs to be fully explained, and what can be dealt with in a passing comment. Vet - “My opponent attacked me at Twin Peaks this turn. It was really dumb. Do you understand why?” Newb - “Yep, as he sent loads of archers against your tower sheilded guys”. Vet - “You got it”. With a DAR the writer might need to explain how shields and parry works, or if he doesn’t, someone is likely to ask on the thread “what shield is best against arrows”. This sort of thing just bogs the whole process down and saps the motivation from the writer. (and ultimately leads to the thread dying). DAR’s also don’t post the turn files, so that’s another advantage of the other way.
And I mention this idea as when I first started playing MP I had to drop out of one of my early games on turn 1 due to computer failure. And the vet who subbed in for me later on very kindly sent me his turns and a detailed explanation of what he was doing, and what he was thinking as he played. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say I learnt a lot from this experience and from seeing how he plays. Although it also helped that he also happened to be the best Dominions player ever, and that we think on very similar wavelengths. Plus I knew a lot about the game already, so he could skip the basic stuff and reach straight for the advanced text books.
But I do think that is the best way of doing it. The vet plays the game, and one newb watches via the turn files and an explanation. I don’t think any system where the newb is playing really works, not least because the vet might well start getting annoyed if his advice is being ignored, or indeed if the new player is simply missing obvious things that the vet didn’t think to mention, since they should have been obvious. As speaking for myself, I highly doubt if I could watch a newb play and offer him advice. Since I’d find it too frustrating, and the build-up in annoynace would surely reach a point for me where I would likely say “for feck sake give the turn here and let me play it. Your sloppy play is doing my fecking head in”. I can’t even watch other vets play without this happening, yet alone new players. But there might be a good chance that that is just me :)
