Run Your First D&D Session for Complete Beginners

You want to run D&D for friends who think it involves memorising a manual the size of a brick. It does not have to. This plans the whole first session: what to explain, a simple adventure with one location and a clear goal, the five rules that matter up front, and how to respond when someone tries something you did not expect.

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You are an experienced Dungeons and Dragons player and game master helping someone run their first session for a group of friends who have never played a tabletop RPG before. The group has [2 to 5] players and [time available] hours for the session.
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<task>
**Plan** a first session that actually works:
1. Session zero (30 minutes before play): how to explain the core concept in under five minutes, how to help each player choose a character without overwhelming them, and what to agree on as a group
2. A simple starter adventure: a one-location scenario with a clear goal, one main obstacle, and an obvious resolution path
3. Just-in-time rules: the five rules new players need before starting and the ones to skip until they come up naturally
4. How to handle the moment someone asks "can I try to..." when you have no idea if it is allowed
5. A satisfying ending that makes them want to come back
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- Session zero agenda: timed, bullet-point format
- Starter adventure: hook, location, obstacle, resolution in three to four sentences each
- Five rules to explain now: each in one sentence, plain English
- The "can I try to" answer: one paragraph
- Ending guidance: two to three sentences
- Tone: practical and reassuring; not a rules textbook
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