D&D General Running D&D Games for "Non-Gamers"... your experiences?

[bloodtide]

I agree that the vast majority of games with non gamers are pure joy. And even if the non gamer game is not all joy: the non gamer will at least play the game.

For gamers is not only bad enough they have huge chips on their shoulders of what they sort of kind of think about the game. A player will get one or more wacky ideas in their head and have them grow into beyond wacky obsessions. And that is on top of all the mess of house rules, random junk and everything else they "think" are rules because their other DM did it.

 

[Crimson Terrain]

I have had great games when I took the time to provide support (primarily in the form of handouts that clearly list what they can do on a turn) and make it clear that it's okay for them to get into character or to just tell me what they want to happen and anywhere in between. I think it really comes down to finding players that are actually interested and being aware that they don't know jack diddly and keeping it as simple as possible for them to engage.