So I've returned from my vacation, and during my sojourn I DMed a game for some first-time players. Two of the first-timers were 20 years my seniors, and I was a little nervous about how they'd like the game. The third was my good friend, who loved RPGs, but had never done so with pen & paper. I had no doubt that he would love it. The fourth was another close friend, who had played D&D before, and who I've previously DMed for (I owe special thanks to this cat, because he played despite not liking the fantasy genre).
The two older fellows took well to the game, despite the volley of rules. One even went so far as to adopt an accent for his halfling rogue. As it turns out, they both enjoy video games, and love console RPGs. The adventure I ran was the published "Elves in the Valley," but I wanted the characters a little more immersed. So, I made a cliche story about star-crossed lovers to explain the evil in the woods and I threw in a couple moral dilemmas for spice. The players took to the action like dragons to gold.
The vacation is annual, so I'll prepare an even more exciting quest for next year. And maybe they'll even make their own characters.
