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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CuRoi" data-source="post: 5464841" data-attributes="member: 98032"> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">How hard is D&D to get into for someone who isn't already deeply invested in fantasy or history?</li> </ul>I believe everyone will create their own frame of reference. I once initiated a gamer who was -not- your stereotpical player. This mall shopping cheerleader had however read vampire fiction she enjoyed but had no prior interest in deep investment in fantasy worlds or in history. We played, she loved it and was one of the most expressive players. When I described the fetid smell of an ogre, she would visibly cringe. She took to naming things to her own liking, which was all contrary to the "established" nomenclature, but always seemed to fit. This told everyone she was perhaps more invested than the stereotypical gamer because she was actually relating to the material beyond that stereotypical fantasy frame of reference. So, the key I believe is a fertile imagniaton to work with, and not necessarily any prior deep investment.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Does it expect them to know things they're unlikely to know?</li> </ul>As a DM, I'd rather they didn't know it, so no, I don't think it does. The "blank slate" players are the best because they don't assume the aforementioned stereotypical experience. I can inroduce certain concepts to them and they will use it as the building blocks for their own perspective. If anything, in a narrative driven game, all I need them to know is "what is you character going to do?"<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Or does it throw too many rules at them that don't seem to have any real-world basis? </li> </ul>See above - the rules are ultimately the purview of the DM. It's my job to explain the game and how that is played, but to keep the player immersed in the narrative. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Which version did you start with, and what tripped you up as a rank n00b?</li> </ul>Got my first red box many years ago by selling greeting cards door to door. I was young and frankly, the rules did not trip me up. No, I wasn't a child gaming RPG prodigy <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />, it was because if I didn't understand something I either glossed over it or made up my own way of doing things. The rules seem to encourage that. I think we all do that as we learn to play. I suppose this perspective isn't as helpful as an adult who discovers RPGs and can say where they got "tripped up".</blockquote>

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