How to Encourage New Players

Send us a text

Ok, You’re going to love it. It’s a great game. And, it’s easy to play.

First, Obtain a 20-sided polygonal artifact (hereafter referred to as the Orb of Random Fate), as well as a collection of various other polyhedral trinkets with sides numbering 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. The Orb of Random Fate should be stored in an arcane pouch (or sock) when not in use. If you forget the sock, this is bad luck, and all rolls will be cursed unless you perform a dance of atonement

Next, Select one of the following archetypes: The Sword-Wielder, The Sneaky One, The Magical Zappy Person, The Religious Healer, or The Other One. Name them something overly complicated like “El’thezarion Moonschard IV, Keeper of the Eternal Bagel” or just “Dave.” Roll a 7-sided die (which doesn't exist, so you must approximate this with a 20-sided die divided by π) to determine your alignment, but only if your favorite fruit is a citrus. If not, your alignment is Neutral Chaotic Nocturnal.

The RoE will describe a scenario (probably involving a dragon, a dungeon, or a dragon in a dungeon). Respond in character using only interpretive dance, haikus, or mimed gestures. Verbal speech is allowed but must rhyme. If you fail to rhyme, your character takes existential damage.

And, that’s how you play D&D.

Anyone who has ever decided to play a new game for the first time and has let their friends explain it to them has experienced this. The overly complicated and ridiculous rules description.

And, if you’ve been playing this hobby for long enough your can really relate. Back in the day we didn’t have the internet and Actual Play Podcasts to watch or listen to so that we could understand how this TTRPG thing worked. We had to read a set of rules, that often had pages numbered in the hundreds to try and figure it out.

Seriously. TTRPG rulebooks make IKEA instructions seem easy.

Convincing someone to take a big chunk of their day, sit down, and play a game, with tomes for rulebooks is a hard sell.

So, how do we encourage new players to give this great and wonderful hobby a go? How do we get them excited about the game? How do we get them playing? And, how do we keep them after their first session?

Encouraging new players isn’t easy, but luckily, thanks to the internet we have the perfect introduction to roleplaying.

I give you 4 minutes and 15 seconds of Debrah Ann Woll, the actress from Daredevil and True Blood, teaching John Bernthal, the actor from Walking Dead and Punisher how to play Dungeons and Dragons.

That is what I call perfection and what we are going to be talking about on today’s episode.

https://youtu.be/JpVJZrabMQE?si=Rv_YyLQ1QNa89Pj0