It’s the ideal situation for a Dungeon Master:
“Hey [insert your name here], you play that D&D game, right? I’ve always wanted to try it out, especially after seeing it in [insert relevant TV show/movie here]. Do you have any suggestions for how to make that happen?”
It’s like someone asking a cult leader if they happen to have any Kool-aid handy. The parallels are actually eerily similar; you tell them you’d be more than happy to show them a whole new world, invite them down to your basement, and then….
You absolutely bog them down with the overly-complicated intricacies of character creation and game mechanics, and after about two hours you send them along their merry way without a single moment of playing D&D.
Check these out:
Don’t get me wrong; character creation is an incredibly enjoyable aspect of the game, especially for those of us who *cracks knuckles* have been doing this for a while, but it isn’t playing D&D. And it sure as shit isn’t what they had in mind when they were thinking “huh, that game looks like fun.”
Meanwhile, to this poor would-be player, they just spent a feature film’s length of time learning the rules for the most intricate board game they’ve likely ever played, did some random math, and essentially birthed a character on the fly. They’re now being told that all that information will come in handy when you all get together next week (barring any inevitable scheduling conflict).
Session Zero is important. We all agree with that. But when it comes to introducing a new player to the hobby, I truly think that a lot of DMs do a disservice to the game by thinking that a person’s first experience of DnD has to be with all system firing.
None of us vets would have the best time playing a quick one-shot with pre-made character sheets that outline the most basic of class abilities. We love D&D for the depth of the system, the long-term roleplay drama, and the breadth of creativity afforded by TTRPGs — but that all requires a familiarity with the game that new players are not going to be able to pick up in even a few sessions.
There’s a reason why the Beginner’s Guide comes with pre-made character sheets, and an abridged version of the rules. There’s a reason why, when Deborah Ann Woll is asked by Jon Bernthal what D&D is, she doesn’t pull out a blank character sheet, or walk him through how stats work, she just sets a scene, and asks him what he wants to do. That’s the heart of D&D, and it is quiet easily achieved with a single D20 and two people’s imaginations.
The rest can come after.
So if someone expresses interest in trying out some D&D, for the love of the gods, just let them play some D&D. Even if it isn’t the full D&D experience as you know it.
Check these out: