RJD20

Friday night. Everyone’s gathered around our large, oak tabletop, prepared to play D&D. Last week, the party fell victim to a surprise mindflayer attack inside a dinky Olfen’s Port tavern, the Red Ribbon. However, instead of feasting upon their surely delicious brains, the mindflayers took them captive. Today’s session begins as the PCs are forcibly marched deep into the Underdark, toward the mindflayer’s sanctum. Every character is blindfolded, bound, and bewildered, terrified of what awaits them below. Before I begin my well-established opening narration, I reach inside a bag precariously poised beside my chair.

From within the bag, I pull out six washed pillowcases. “Darkness is all you see. You feel the sting of cold stone, hear the writhing of tentacles, but see only darkness.” I whisper as I stand, and pass out a pillowcase to each player. “Welcome to the Underdark, adventurers. Here, you’ll need to rely on more than your eyes…Put on your blindfolds.” My players all have di…

Thursday night. I’m wide awake at 11:45PM, unable to corral my thoughts for tomorrow’s D&D session. The group has finally reached the apex of this act: They’re about to do battle with Chieftain Legrogg of the Gorecrown tribe. The corrupted frost giant heads a horde of goblins, ogres, and hill giant that has been rampaging across the snowy landscape of Bassel’s Vale, alongside a cult of lycanthropes. Once they slay Legrogg, the lycan cult will lose their most valuable and powerful local ally. 
Tomorrow night’s session is going to be grand and intense. Yet, I’m having trouble coming up with a few aspects of it. Where should the battle take place? How will Legrogg act? Should the tribe’s name, ‘Gorecrown’ have any significance? Aaagh!
With all these thoughts stampeding through my mind, I turn to my bookshelf and pull out a binder. Scribbled on a white piece of printer paper slipped under the binder’s sleeve are four words: The Tome of Creation. All of my questions, I know, will soon …

Welcome to 2018. A new year is upon us, and I’ve set a goal for myself: I’d like to introduce as many people as possible to Dungeons and Dragons. Whether they’re people who attend my gym, or friends of friends, I’m dedicated to spreading knowledge about the world’s best pastime: D&D.

We all know D&D is thriving. With the advent of online play, people are able to play whenever they’d like, with whomever they’d like, and they’re far more likely to hear about it. People are no longer required to sit down and play at a table (although many still do) and can either spectate, play, or create adventures online.

As a consequence, it’s easier to expose people to D&D. However, I often hear a question asked: How do I introduce someone to Dungeons and Dragons?

Today, I’d like to clearly answer this question.

Over the years, I have developed three methods to charm new players: the slow burn, into the fire, and a modest mix. The Slow Burn I’ll start with a somewhat strange approach I’ve…