You never played an Pen n' Paper before? Don't worry, you are not alone. Here's the basics:

 

Roleplay

In this game you take on the roll of a character in a fantasy world. You will interact with the world and with the characters of other players through the eyes of the character. This illusion of characters interacting in a fantasy world can only be kept up if you keep the real world and the game world separated, so always mention who is talking and doing things: You, or your character?

 

Game Master (GM)

Each game consists of 2-7 player (more I can not recommend) and a Game Master (GM). The GM controls the game world, enforces the rules and decides what happens during the game at all times. They ALWAYS have the last word! The GM is allowed to change the rules, the story, and the entire experience. But with great power comes great responsibility and everyone makes mistakes. If the GM abuses their power, misinterprets a rule or leads the game in a direction you don't like, talk to them. Don't argue, but friendly reminders are very much appreciated. They have to manage a whole world and its rules all at the same time as managing the group. Cut them slack!

 

Roll to succeed

Because your fantasy character has different skills, like magic, than you in your real-life, there needs to be a way to determine outcomes of actions. This will be done with dice. For example, when your character wants to move a bolder, you have to roll 1d20, one 20-sided die. The higher, the better. The Game Master determines if your roll was a success or not. Dice come in many different faces. If you have to roll 3d6, that means you have to roll 3 6-sided dice.

 

Your Character Sheet

To distinguish a sturdy Fighter from a squishy Mage, each character has different attributes, abilities and skills. These are written down on a Character Sheet. The Fighter would have higher scores in Strength and thus gain a bonus when moving a bolder, while the Mage would have a higher score in Intelligence and thus be able to create a construction to move the bolder or cast a spell that would evaporate it. Everything your character can do will be noted down on the Character Sheet, so that you only have to look at one place.

 

What's needed to play

Nothing, really. Get some friends together - or ask some strangers - determine a GM, to read through the rules and lead the adventure. Then, choose a character you like from this website or create your own, while your GM chooses an adventure for you to play. If you want to play in person print out the Character Sheet, and bring pen and paper. To play, the following dice are needed: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20. You can share them at the table. Alternatively, you can roll online (e.g. typing d20 into Google).

 

Next steps

You like what you read and want to get deeper into the game? Read the rules or create your own character. Or maybe you want to become a Game Master: create your own world and become a god... well, to the player characters at least.