how to explain.... to someone who's never heard of it

[big teej]

such as

whats DND?
response: dungeons and dragons
whats that?


I have been describing it as a combination of
-lord of the rings
-group storytelling
-choose your own adventure book
-drama club, with rules
"remember how when you were a little kid and played cops and robbers? 'bang bang, you're dead?' and argued over it? kinda like that, but we have rules for who's dead"

examples also include
'dungeon crawl'

'concept of looting and/or loot'

'homebrew'


and so on

so basically

what are terms you've had to define for non gamers and/or new gamers, and how did you do so.

if you see a explanation you feel you can improve on.
go for it.

[Keld Denar]

I just explained it to the girl I started dating as "cops and robbers, except with dice and rules crossed with cooperative story telling". She picked it up just fine with that example.

[Kaww]

DnD: You know how you play games on your computer? Well, we don't have the money to buy computers, so we do it in person by talking.

A collective storytelling game. You munch and hang out with people and usually have a good time. Heh, I almost forgot, you play once a fortnight for months/years and a single session lasts for 7-12 hours.

Dungeon crawl:

Chop chop.

Loot:

When you kill people taking their stuff is perfectly legit.

Homebrew:

You know how you don't like that smoking/drinking law? Well here we can change the rules and usually suffer for it...

[Greenish]

Loot: anything that isn't nailed down and on fire that you can carry away, after killing it's owners.

Looting: putting out the fires and removing the nails if necessary, then walking away with said possession.

Ref. thieving, robbery, muggery.

[AslanCross]

The "make believe, except with rules" is the one I end up using the most. Many people I meet still think it's a computer game.

[Katana_Geldar]

I explained the principles of roleplaying games to my grandfather in about five minutes by rolling dice in front of him. Roll my d20 and add the dice roll to my "attack a monster with a sword ability" and compare against the monster's ability to withstand or avoid my attack. If my number is higher, I then roll the dice for my sword (and this can vary) to see how much damage the monster takes.

Thems the basic principles, people! And he understood it when I said it just got more complicated from there, but it's basically roll, add, compare then roll again and subtract from the hp total.

[Greenish]

I explained the principles of roleplaying games to my grandfather in about five minutes by rolling dice in front of him. Roll my d20 and add the dice roll to my "attack a monster with a sword ability" and compare against the monster's ability to withstand or avoid my attack. If my number is higher, I then roll the dice for my sword (and this can vary) to see how much damage the monster takes.

Thems the basic principles, people! And he understood it when I said it just got more complicated from there, but it's basically roll, add, compare then roll again and subtract from the hp total.

I thought the basic principle of roleplaying was pretending to be someone else (and not because of a distant relative you didn't particularly like spotted you on the street).

[Katana_Geldar]

Yeah, but I was explaining the basics of game mechanics, not just roleplaying in general which a lot of people understand anyway. The two go hand in hand, after all.

[Ozreth]

One person writes up a world with locations and characters, the players interact with this world and its characters with rules and guidelines laid out in a books. Dice are rolled for the outcome of most decisions.

[Kaww]

Yeah, but I was explaining the basics of game mechanics, not just roleplaying in general which a lot of people understand anyway. The two go hand in hand, after all.

No they don't. You have people who like to roll and don't like/know how to rollplay. Iamb has lots or rolling and no rollplay, computer games also.

[Snake-Aes]

My opening statement is "It's make-believe, but with rules to determine what works and what doesn't"
Generally, that springs "then you can't do anything you want", which gets "You can. Succeeding is at stake, not acting".
"But is there no winner?" "Not in the competitive sense of the word. The game ends when we stop having fun."
"And what if your character die?" "then I make another one, or get resurrected, or take control of another one. Anything that makes for the most fun story".

[TheThan]

Easiest explanation I’ve ever come across is to simply ask them if they’ve ever played pretend (cops and robbers/cowboys and Indians). When they say “yes”, then simply say that is what role-playing is, only we’ve added rules for determining who wins.

[Thajocoth]

If I say "D&D" to someone and they ask what it is, I say "Dungeons & Dragons". If they ask a second time, I say "Nerds with dice."

If I were trying to really explain it, I'd say "Ever play pretend when you were little? Imagine that, but instead of arguing with your friend about whether or not you did what you said, you rolled dice to decide."

[Paladineyddi]

[QUOTE=Kaww;9496013]DnD: You know how you play games on your computer? Well, we don't have the money to buy computers, so we do it in person by talking.
/QUOTE]

BWHAHAHA go poor people ^^
gonna use this explanation from now on

[LibraryOgre]

Depends on the person. One of my most common explanations is "Have you ever wanted to do something in a CRPG, but couldn't because the computer wouldn't let you? Well, in RPGs, the computer is a person, and you can do it if he... and the dice... let you."

[KillianHawkeye]

Actually, playing computer games is probably cheaper unless you really don't have a computer. (But in that case, how are you using the Internet??)

[LibraryOgre]

Actually, playing computer games is probably cheaper unless you really don't have a computer. (But in that case, how are you using the Internet??)

Library. You can log into most websites at your local library, but most won't let you install games. Similarly, you have work or school computers.

[Kallisti]

Actually, playing computer games is probably cheaper unless you really don't have a computer. (But in that case, how are you using the Internet??)

By exploiting this simple fact.

[KenderWizard]

I always try to emphasise the social side of it, because if I'm trying to explain, I'm talking to a non-nerd friend, and they usually only have a passing knowledge of videogame RPGs anyway.

I say: You and some friends get together. One person is in charge, and all the other people get to make up a character in the story that they control. The person in charge controls all the other people in the story, but the players have all the main characters. Then you tell the story together, with the person in charge saying what happens and you saying how your character reacts. Your characters can talk to each other all they like and they usually have a goal to achieve. If there's something with an element of chance, you simulate the uncertainty by rolling dice to see if you succeed or fail. Sometimes you get to add numbers because you have a better chance, like if you're really good at lockpicking and you're picking a lock.

Then I give an example of play, like
The DM might say "There's a door at the end of the corridor, what to you do?"
You say "I go down the corridor and try to open the door!"
The DM tells you the door is locked, so you tell him you're going to try to open it, and you roll a 20-sided-die and add your lockpicking ability. The DM compares that number with how good a lock it is, and tells you how you did.
"It takes a few minutes, but finally you hear a click and the door swings open..."

Usually by this stage they've gone through interest, confusion, boredom, regret for asking in the first place, and finally, vacancy of mind.

Actually, on the contrary, I've found that most people are genuinely intrigued by the sound of it, even people who are the complete opposite of nerds!

[Katana_Geldar]

Actually, on the contrary, I've found that most people are genuinely intrigued by the sound of it, even people who are the complete opposite of nerds!

Like my grandfather, he sounded interested until I told him it does get trickier from there.

[Fax Celestis]

I just explained it to the girl I started dating as "cops and robbers, except with dice and rules crossed with cooperative story telling". She picked it up just fine with that example.

"It's improvisational acting in a fantasy setting, using dice to determine what you can and can't do."

[Flickerdart]

Depends on the person. One of my most common explanations is "Have you ever wanted to do something in a CRPG, but couldn't because the computer wouldn't let you? Well, in RPGs, the computer is a person, and you can do it if he... and the dice... let you. you buy him pizza."

Fixed.

[big teej]

Fixed.

heeeeeeeeeeeeeey.....

I live on pizza!!

[kathal]

ya its all nice and good Till the DM buys the pizza, Now how will i get my free re-rolls?!?!
Mostly i explain it as a very complicated board game for nerds....

[amaranth69]

DnD: You know how you play games on your computer? Well, we don't have the money to buy computers, so we do it in person by talking.

The problem with this assumption is that I have FAR more money wrapped up in D&D books than I do in computers, games, gaming consoles, cars, house...come to think of it anything I have.

[Katana_Geldar]

Yeah, like they say on TV tropes Crack is Cheaper

[The Big Dice]

I just explained it to the girl I started dating as "cops and robbers, except with dice and rules crossed with cooperative story telling". She picked it up just fine with that example.

I've used that exact explanation myself, and people just kind of go "Oh, is that all?" when you tell them it's just like kids playing at superheroes, except with more sitting down and eating snack food.

[Shpadoinkle]

"It's kind of like a play, except all the actors are ad-libbing everything, and the director also plays all the bad guys and bit parts (one at a time, of course)."

[MrLich]

[QUOTE=Paladineyddi;9496201]

DnD: You know how you play games on your computer? Well, we don't have the money to buy computers, so we do it in person by talking.
/QUOTE]

BWHAHAHA go poor people ^^
gonna use this explanation from now on

The problem with this assumption is that I have FAR more money wrapped up in D&D books than I do in computers, games, gaming consoles, cars, house...come to think of it anything I have.

Um yea I was about to say at this point I have far more invested in books (including multiple copies of the important ones), minis, battle mat, vis-a-vies, dice, and other accessories then I do in my now 5 year old compy. My fiancé and I actually have a "D&D" section of our budget no more than one book and a few boxes of mini's per month. This has become less prevalent due to 4ed, our dislike of it so far, and the destruction/hard to findedness of 3.5 material.

Though it brings a smile to my face knowing my 3.5 library is near completion. Just a few more splat books and I will have achieved a goal I've had since high school. A personal first :D

[Kaje]

Ok, so there's a group of guys sitting at a table, and they're all pretending they're fighting monsters with swords and magic, and they're rolling dice to see if they can, and one of the guys is basically God, and he controls all the monsters and stuff.