I Was Terrified Before My First D&D Session — Here's What Actually Happened

I was overwhelmed my first D&D session — a new environment, new faces, and a new game I had never played before. As an introvert, it was a literal nightmare. But I had recently been researching tabletop games and listening to some actual play podcasts — shows where you can listen or watch groups of (usually) entertaining people play unscripted game sessions. I was thrilled at the prospect of being able to come up with my own story amongst friends. I had the benefit of having a group of friends who were also interested and had been putting together a group of their own, so I decided to join and check out what it was like.

My First D&D Session

As I showed up to a friend of a friend's house for the first time, I started having second thoughts. We had a massive party size compared to most groups — 8 people at its peak — with some familiar and unfamiliar faces amongst them for me. I wondered if I was in the right place after all. But once the game started, there was no turning back. I was enthralled. The intimidation of the complex game mechanics and mathematics associated with everything was immediately replaced with awe at how the game effortlessly highlighted each player's character in unique ways — both functionally and personally.

As our party breezed through a goblin camp, subduing the underlings and converting their leader into a follower of the party, I realized the 300+ pages of rules, the judgment of strangers, the bleakness of the ice cold basement — it all mattered much less than I had thought. The silver lining of it all was being with a group of people who were there for the same reason as me: to live vicariously through these characters that we had created to be cool, funny, silly, and ultimately badass in this story we built together.

How to Start Playing D&D

My intro to TTRPG was tough, but I had an in that many people do not have — some familiar faces with their own wealth of knowledge to guide me through entering this hobby. But if I had one piece of advice to someone attending their first session, or even considering it, it would be simple: just do it. Have faith in your fellow players to welcome you into their circle with open arms — it is very rare for a table to be unwelcoming or impatient with a new player. Everyone in the hobby remembers the nerves they experienced their first session — they just don't tell you that up front.

Trust that the table will help you wherever you are — whether you need to create a character, understand how to play, or need advice on what decisions to make. This is a team game: when one person at the table succeeds, everyone succeeds. In that sense, everyone is here for you and wants to see you win, even the Dungeon Master (although sometimes, it may not feel like it... You'll see what I mean).

Beginner D&D Tips

The great thing about this hobby is that there are so many aspects to it, and each unique aspect appeals to everyone differently:

• Role-playing: Some people love creating characters and bringing them to life for the table's enjoyment.
• Combat: With a limitless combination of "skill tree"-like components, there are endless possibilities for character builds and enemies to face — always presenting a unique and exciting challenge.
• World-building: Some people love to manage the games, devise dungeons, and build expansive worlds for others to explore.
• Drop-in play: Others just want to create a character, drop in, and start hitting stuff.

Sometimes groups decide to drop rules they don't like, or implement new ones that feel fitting to the table. The point is, while all of these different components can be overwhelming, they're meant to be fun — so you decide what you like and stick to that. Everything else will come in due time.

Where to Play D&D

Look for places in your community to try it out — ask friend groups if they're interested, attend events at local card and hobby shops, and search meetup.com for beginner-friendly groups and communities. If local options are limited, there are great online communities to explore — startplaying.com pairs you with groups actively looking for players, and Discord has plenty of LFG (Looking for Group) servers dedicated to just about every system.

You might not vibe with the first group you play with — that's totally normal. It's just like finding your group in real life: did you finish high school with the exact same group of friends you went into it with? Probably not. TTRPGs are the same way. Likewise, the first game system you try out might not be your cup of tea. There are hundreds of systems out there, both big and small — use your early sessions to figure out what you do and don't like about the hobby and do research on systems that resonate with that. If you can nail down what about tabletop games excites you, I promise you there's a system out there for it.

Wrapping Up

If you're currently on the fence about trying a TTRPG, I guarantee it will be a good time if you walk into a session with small goals of having fun and learning about the hobby. You've already made it this far. When I first started my journey, I was a wide-eyed novice stopping play every 2 minutes to ask what was going on. Now, I'm the person heads turn toward when a rule gets brought into question (yes, I'm very fun at parties). I started right there in your shoes. The only difference is that I jumped in and never looked back. So, what are you waiting for?

In our next post, we will be exploring ways to get involved in TTRPGs before getting to the table. Sign up for the newsletter so you don't miss it — we'll be covering exactly how to get your feet wet before you ever roll your first die.