BACKGROUND:
My group of 6 are pretty much newbies in the RPG scene. My wife and I have played D&D or other games in many years past, and one couple that plays in our group have played one other game a few years ago. But the other 2 have never played an RPG until I started up this group. We started with Vampire: The Requiem at request of my wife (she prefers the d10 system), and it seemed like an easy win with having 3 other girls in the group (ahhh Twilight). Ultimately i will ALWAYS be the GM...and unfortunately it is my first time for this...but thankfully being that everyone is pretty new to RPGs, the expectations are not that high, nor are people concerned with an airtight story =)

So we have been playing Vampire, and I think we are about 4-5 sessions in. We are playing a custom campaign that I have been creating on the fly between sessions. Everyone has been having fun...but there have been some gripes...and maybe the majority of them are from me. People like the modern day setting, and the theme, but overall the interactions seem week. Combat is just them shooting their guns at everything...they are a blood thirsty bunch, but one of them would prefer more non-combat activities...so I have tried to comply to varying success. This same person also dislikes the fact that there are no visuals...she has a bad sense of direction and needs some help seeing where things are like in combat...

My 3 biggest gripes about the system are this:
- It's so wide open that no one knows what to do (even me)...
- There is no character differentiation...
- There is a less clear CAUSE = EFFECT with actions and the dice pools

Now granted, these 3 items are not a problem for more seasoned gamers, but we are all new here and need a little help. I am not a bad storyteller per say but I sometimes feel stranded as I am making it up as I go. All the PCs seem the same (no character archetypes), and thusly the experience is not as engaging as it could/should be. And ultimately, no one wants to read all the game books to know about the history/lore/abilities...so this makes the sessions less smooth than I would want them to be.

So enter Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay!

-----------------------------------------

THE QUESTION:
I am planning on running a WFRP demo scenario with weekend with my RPG group. We all want to see how the system works/compares, and basically see if we all like it enough to make a switch...but I have a slight issue...the group has 5 pcs + me (the GM).

Was looking to run the "A Day Late..." Demo, which as you probably know can accommodate up to 4 PCs.

How do I work in a 5th? What would be your suggestion?

Keep these factors in mind:
- Don't worry about components, I have what I need for 5 (I love the WFRP stuff when I saw it so I have been stockpiling)
- We aren't looking beyond this demo scenario story-wise at this point
- We will be playing what we can in one night (2 hours)
- I want them all to be able to get a decent experience with the system
- the group as a whole isn't roleplay heavy

Interested to see your suggestions! Thanks in advanced!

I'd ditch the "A Day late..." scenario as it's only "one combat, one social"-encounter with minimum story. If you would like your players to get excited about WFRP you should choose to run a little more interesting scenario. The Oldenhaller Contract is a classic for a reason and you can download it HERE. It's not for WFRP3 but if you have Sign of Fate you'll already have suitable cultists which you can use. If not Tome of Adventures provides you with the basics.

I wouldn't consider the fifth player a major hindrance. Sure five players have a little less time for their actions than four in 2 hour time but that's your biggest problem. If a combat encounter seems too easy you can always add another wave of attack with bigger opponents. Your players won't know the difference.

I guess I am looking for suggestions on HOW to work in the 5th player? Does she take over Rutger? Do we just make a new character and just include them in the initial storyline?

As for the scenario, I honestly don;t want to have to convert anything. This is as much a "demo" for as it is for the other 5 players. So I think "A day late" provides a number of the mechanics that allow us to see how it all works in one sitting...so I will probably stick with this one.

If you're running a demo, premades are the way to go. I suggest you make a char to run alongside the others, just make sure to put some party hooks (he's been travelling with X, Y or Z) so they can 'tag along' on the mission.

If you don't want to do that manually for whatever reason (lack of books, lack of time, lack of knowing char creation rules offhand), I believe the current issue of the Liber Fanatica had a character of every Career premade to show what one might look like.

...

...

*waits for Jay to jump in with a handy link to the LF website*

Oh, also. Don't worry TOO much about scaling the encounter. If anything add a bunch of ungor henchmen = to the party size to the mix. Point is for them to have fun, which I'm sure will happen (and there's plenty of time later to demo the 'deadly' and 'gritty' parts of WFRP).

Good luck!