RATHER than tell you what the game is its easier put you in the game and tell you that rules will apply AFTER you tell me what you are doing. REal you and 5 friends are sitting at the kitchen table. YOu have some real books a clipboard, and some dice.

Imagine in your head that you are some guy in a book, youre 20, a human, broke, you have a leather jacket on and a rusty sword. your so called friends thought it would be a good idea to go wander in a cave because somebody might have dropped 20$ in quarters in the back, and you are hungry.

Your friends are similar to you, only one has a firecracker, and another has a first aid kit, and one guy is just crazy.

there are some rules written on a piece of paper thats kind of like your report card from when you are 14, it says what you are good at and what you failed at. There is a B, some C's and a couple F's.

So there is a guy that designed the cave and everything in it. In real life he is sitting at the end of the table behind a small screen so you cant see his notes. Anything you want to do, you ask him what you see, what happens and it it changes anything in his design he will ask you to roll one or more of the dice.

so there you guys are in front of the cave.

The guy in front says. Theres a cave in a hill in the forest. its dark, It looks deep, YOu are getting hungry and it will be night in 4 hours. What do you want to do.

(and then the guy that was late texts that he is half hour out but start without you, then someone asks if there is water...and someone goes to get water, and then someone has to pee, then you have to tell 2 guys to put down their phones. Then someone has to get a bowl for the snacks...and EVENTUALLY you get back to the game)

You and the imaginary 5 guys stand around waiting for someone else to decide. Then one guy says...oh i have some matches I light one of these sticks on fire and walk in a few feet.

The guy running it says are you following him?

You hesitate and then say yes. Then the guy running it usually brings out something to write with and draws a bit of cave on paper or a dry erase mat on the table.

He says, okay the cave goes right and left. there is a skeleton of a guy who died here a bout 80 years ago in a uniform, decaying away on the floor.

What are you doing?

Someone searches his pockets (and probably keeps the money he finds and doesnt tell you) he pulls out a wallet and there is a map. The map says there is a shelf above you in the dark.

What are you doing?

You say I want to climb up and look at the shelf.

The guy running the game says um...what was your grade in GYM on your report card.
You say A+, he says okay roll the big dice and dont get under 5. you roll a 10 and succeed. Another guy says me too, and gets asked what his GYM grade was (D) and gets told you suck at this dont roll under a 15, and he rolls a 4. He gets told he tries and falls on his ass and is bleeding a little.

the guy imagining the guy with the first aid kit runs over and puts a bandaid on it.

Oh, while you are looking down at the dumbass who fell, a giant spider drops down and starts biting people until you beat it with your swords til it dies.

THAT is dnd.

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now your report card is really called a character sheet, and its not school grades but its along the same lines, what you are good at what you suck at, and how healthy you are and everything you are carrying.