This article orignally appeared on The Pen and Paper Portal.

Let me start off with my background: I’m not a pen and paper player. I’ve tried my hand at some Shadowrun, I once created my own table-top RPG as a kid – but that’s as far as my experience goes. I’ve never sat down with an experienced DM and really hashed out a character, never delved into the abyss of a dungeon or drudged through brackish, eel-ridden sewers. I am, in fact, a noob. I’m ok with this.

I will say this though: I’ve always admired the hobby. The combination of improvisational acting, creative writing, and godforsaken luck is right up there with peanut butter and chocolate, vodka and Kahlua, and sex while eating a hoagie.

On Monday, I finally played Dungeons and Dragons for the first time. At first things were a bit hectic, but quite fun. There were six of us, all first-time players, so there were plenty of questions. The character creation was a bit confusing at moments, but Coop handled well. This could be a testament to his skill or perhaps the intuitiveness of 4th edition, but for 6 individuals making their first ever D&D personas the process went rather quickly (about an hour and a half). I would imagine that a DM and player who create a character 1-on-1 could probably complete the task relatively briskly, especially if they are both experienced.

After we finished creation, Coop gave us a taste of combat so we could test out our builds. I didn’t think I’d easily understand the actual mechanics of the game. I was wrong. They were simple, and I’m confident our next playing session will flow rather flawlessly. It’s as easy as picking an attack (as a PC gamer I can visualize myself clicking its button on my skills bar), rolling some 20’s, and then assigning damage.

The only thing I’d complain about thus far are the actual role-playing aspects. We didn’t initially click into the role-playing mode, it took a bit of prodding from Coop. I attribute this mostly to the fact that we were all new players and need to get a little more comfortable. I’m sure it will pick up, but for now it was a bit hard to get my head into the world we supposedly inhabit.

Next week we play again, and I hope for more than just a fifteen minute encounter. Does anyone have any hints or tips to help kick-start the role-playing spirit?

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