Question about introducing people into role playing games

[CptMoses]

I am an average dm. I've ran a decent campaign in the past but I'm planning to start one again with a new group of friends. None of them have ever played a role playing game before. I personally enjoy d&d 3 & 3.5 and they told me they would prefer a more hack n slash experience over a story driven/talking to npc's one. I'm just wondering the best way to go about getting them into the game without making it overwhelming.

[Ezechiel357]

Streamline the character's sheet: remove all competencies, do not plan skill challenge. If skill is needed, improvise a test using the characteristic + half level of the relevant class, otherwise nothing.
For example: for any outdoor survival skill (tracking, identify animal/plant, build), only druid, barbarian and ranger can take it.
For social skills (psychology, detect lie, interrogation & cie), only bards, priest...

It is rough, but it is simple and will meet their requirements.

Or even more simple, don't do skill roll: if they have the required class in their group just say "The ranger, with his keen eyes spots the trail left by the gobs. However, he is not sure of their number", or "Despite your best efforts your are not able to get information in these streets: either nobody knows what you are looking for, or they are so scared that they refuse to talk to you".

Of course, makes pre-gen, maybe level 3, so there is a bit of varieties in powers without being overwhelming. Have Power cards ready for each of them (there is various free software on the net which let you print or customise those).

Then have a good scenario, even if it is only hack and slash: they could play a group of orcs and gobelins (don't bother with racial abilities, just reskin barbarian, ranger, shaman or fighter for orcs, and thief, sorcerer for gobs) with the task of gathering intel on a tower in the swamp, which will make a good spots for an advanced outpost.
They might get attacked by another clan of orcs who also want to control the tower, they might fall on a human caravan which was ambush by something (which would let them think that the swamp is not unhabited) and some jellies or other mindless creatures transported by the caravan are still around, etc...

I just found that outdoor hack slash is  more interesting than the basic door/room/monster/treasure.

[Gogmgog]

I would recommend using a published adventure.  That allows you to focus all of your attention on the players, without also having to think so much about what's going to happen next.  A good published adventure is likely to have a good flow of hack'n'slash action with well-balanced encounters, which means less floundering and less player frustration.  Also, if the players haven't gamed with you before, I think that seeing you work from something printed helps the players to feel that there is some structure and authenticity to the events that are unfolding, which is important.
At any rate, with brand new players who want a hack'n'slash game, I would definitely be very prepared.  Don't make up the game as you go.  Prepare a good, tight scenario.
Try to give them a reason early on to all work together.  (If that seems obvious to you, then good.  Some games encourage rivalries or a certain level of initial distrust between the PC's, which can be a lot of fun for experienced players, but is very hard for new players to manage.)
Also, there should be a crazy hermit.   There should always be a crazy hermit.

[Teapot]

If it's not published, keep the first few adventures simple. Not slow but not too complex. Find out why this town hasn't sent in their share of the crops this year, goblins stole our wagon so go get it back and so on. Give them pre-gens but take a minute to ask them what they want to do. Start them with a tutorial fight in media res so they get to roll dice and get an idea of things.

And write down all the number junk for them with the math showing in the hopes that it'll get them to understanding faster.

[GloriousMess]

Based on my own experience, I can offer advice depending on whether your friends like the intricacies of the RPG system more than the world. My regular group has a player that is very much into the details of the rule system, and loves working out powerful builds and non-standard approaches to classes or roles. I sympathise with that, but at the same time you can't offer more rule-based gameplay just because one person likes to roll dice. I always say the world and thus the story is the most important thing.

If you're going for 3.5 then it would probably be best to give them characters you've rolled up, and perhaps use a simplified character sheet. Focus less on what they're doing and more on why they're doing it, and don't be afraid of gratuitous rule bending or dice fudging if it means the experience is more fun. A hack'n'slash is great but Ezechiel357 hit the nail on the head: use simple encounters with simple monsters, and perhaps throw in one big thing at the end as a finale.

Oh and I notice this is your first post, just like this is mine. Yay!

[nasus]

All of the above is good advice; published adventures will save you *so* much time and effort.

I'm not sure if this is a possibility or not, but having an experienced, helpful player amongst your newbs is beyond useful. Your group will feel like he's on their side and follow his lead when they feel stuck (which can happen to a lot of new players, especially if they're not overly familiar with the genre). If someone experienced is not available, one of your potential players may be interested in going through the rule book and getting a feel for things. They can then take the place of the "experienced" player. If that's not an option either, then have an NPC be a part of the party; a Strider to their hobbits, if you will. These options all boil down to the same idea, really: an in-character help system.