So in the next couple of days I will be starting a game for some players new to SR. Does anyone have an opinion as to if its better to throw them off the deep end and hope they swim in the first game... or should I start them off on a very simple run to get them into the realization that combat in the D&D style (stand and deliver) will likely get you killed?

Start with a simple run. I recommend "Parliament of Thieves" from Shadowrun Missions. It's availiable from the Shadowrun main page.

Simple run is good. Best, really.

I've got a Shadowrun Resources site with a few things specifically designed for new players. You might want to check it out.

Disclaimer: My post may be unwarranted if you're already a relatively experienced GM, but you didn't really say whether it was just the players were new, so I figured I'd throw in my two cents anyway.

I'd advise against starting them out too fast or getting too crazy with things like ambushes or booby traps unless you're willing to live with a somewhat slow paced game. You see, my first real mistake as a Shadowrun GM was making things a bit too difficult and a bit too random than I probably should have. I didn't actually kill anyone off, but some edge was burned, gear destroyed and the group was too inexperienced yet to feel very confident in their decisions even without the negative feedback. Naturally, they became considerably more cautious, but sometimes that just meant they were jumping at shadows enough to really slow down the pace of the session. In fact, it may be a good idea to ask yourself how much more deadly than D&D you really want Shadowrun to be in the first place and tweak your game accordingly. Some good ol' paranoia and tactical awareness is a great thing to cultivate in your players, but in my experience a small dose can go a long way. As always, YMMV.

Aaron is kindly hosting some of my material and if you check under "Free Adventures" you'll see an adventure called "Cold Blood" which I wrote specifically to introduce people to the system gently and introduce the basics of Shadowrunning bit by bit. Also on Aaron's site, under Miscellaney are a few other useful things for new players / GMs. First thing I'd recommend are the "knasser's questions" which I actually wrote to ease the transition from D&D to Shadowrun. Also is "knasser's house rules" which is very short and lists the things I felt were absolutely necessary to fix some problems (I don't like house-ruling unless I have to). Finally, there is "knasser's What Would Samurai Do?" which graphically illustrates just what augmented attributes mean. I found that useful to give players a feel for just what they are and are not capable of.

Wow! That was some serious self-promotion. I feel dirty now. But I hope it helps.

K.

It doesn't sound like they're new to RPGs in general. Do you know what playstyle they favor?

The first time I played Shadowrun (under our very own DocTaoTsu) he gave us a fairly simple scenario which could be solved in any number of ways, from clever planning to a bit of the ol' ultraviolence. He wanted to see which way we'd play it, so that he could plan future adventures accordingly.

It's something I plan to do for new groups in the future.

YMMV, You May Move Verticaly?

The Doc proves to be very clever here. I think I have to take note.

Interestingly, I started a new group off with something that deliberately couldn't be solved with violence. The theory in your example is to see what methods the players prefer. The theory in mine was to show them that there were different methods. My assessment of the group based on their characters was that they would assume everything was a dungeon crawl unless I did something to break them out of that.

Don't take the above too simplistically. There was combat involved, but there was a strong consequence for not addressing the other issues. Success was partial, proving my assessment of the group correct. They focused over-much on death and destruction and have forfeited potential contacts and earned enemies. They are also aware that they are earning less money because of their choices. I'm now seeing an upturn in karma expenditure on social skills, etc. and a notable increase in strategy. The mission currently underway is slightly more balanced in that it can be approached in a number of ways. But again, if they pay attention to all aspects of the run, they can come out far ahead of if they just approach it in one way.

I think one of the players is fairly new to RPGs or at least seems to act impulsively, I had him take the common sense quality as a hedge. It also didn't hurt that the other player has played SR before and told him that "we want to keep a low profile and roleplay, not hack and slash". The group is aware of their weaknesses (magic atm, till we get our next player gets unbusy). Anyways I don't plan on throwing them off the deep end before the start of the next year at the moment. I'm also doing better this time 'round as GM and figuring out multiple ways to complete a mission from full out violence to *hopefully* never firing a shot/letting someone else do their dirty work.

Here, I wrote a module for beginning players: http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=11960

There's also some suggestions for starting new players out without killing their characters, such as VR or MILES training sessions.

First piece of advice. If you're all new don't have a Technomancer in the group. It's pain you don't need.

However I've been starting new groups using the same method for some time now because it always works great.

Have them assembled however you want and then have them have the hacker whip up a simulation for them (usuing roughly what they players give him for "stats". You can either just use their real game stats or let them lie a little).

After that have them play something like counter strike but as themselves virtually. Pretty quick they'll realize they're whacking each other in a single shot.

Typically they have a lot of fun with this and once they get the hang of fast paced lethal SR combat the hacker(s) start cheating and doing silly stuff and the mage will summon a spirit to give the rigger a wedgie in the meat world at a critical time or other such things.

End with drinks in game and at the table.