Here is a great read from Shamus Young's Twenty Sided for any beginning gamer looking to get a non-gamer interested in the hobby. I'm hoping it helps someone to start a group.
Occasionally I get emails from people expressing interest in playing D&D. I'm pretty flattered that they would come to me for advice. Being well-connected to the hobby and being able to make fun of the hobby are two different things, and I have much more of the latter. I feel bad that I can't help people more, particularly since many of them decided to try out roleplaying based on what they read here at the site.
The Fear the Boot podcast tackles this very subject this week. They are talking about gamers who have lost their existing group, but their advice works just as well for newcomers. I also stand by advice I gave a long time ago: Buy the two core D&D rulebooks - the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Player's Handbook. Give them a read, and have a friend roll up a character "just to help you practice". The dice are very appealing and the process of making up a character is a lot of fun. They are very likely to become hooked right then.
Agree or disagree? Comment below or go to Twenty Sided.