I'd be totally down to blunder through some campaigns. Only problem is that nobody I know is even remotely interested in that kind of thing and I really don't want to ruin any seasoned players' games at the shops, even though dude says that they're really welcoming to newbies. May try my hand at a few online runs to get a feel of things.
If the guy says he's welcoming to newbies, take him up on it. Of course borrow a book and study up, and ask questions before the first game to make the first game as smooth as possible (of course you'll still have tons of questions as they come up, so don't be afraid to ask anyway). Also, I know I hate coming in to the middle of a game, so ask about the next time the group is starting fresh. It may be a while, of course, but no solution is perfect. But you could always "sit out" a session and just watch and chat and see if you get the gist of how the campaign is being played.
I meant the Spoony dude. I couldn't remember his name (terrible with names). One of his videos was about people being pretty open to new players. It may be a smart idea to sit and watch a campaign or at least a single game to see how people interact with each other and whatnot. He also mentioned the newbie guide, so I may download that or find one at the store. I wish there was a D&D scrubs meetup!
Ah, I get what you mean. Of course, you're going to get great, welcoming players, and you're going to get snobs. So it's always best to get a feel for the players at a table, especially if you don't know any of them. You'll see if you watch Spoony's "Pathfinder Live" sessions, where he plays with some veterans and some newbies together, that he definitely tries to be encouraging and welcoming, but he also gets frustrated. With a game so complicated, it's expected that you wouldn't know every intricate detail (veterans are sometimes surprised when weird rules come up). In some videos, Spoony even talks about how to deal with new players, and how even he has gotten snappy at times (and admits it was wrong to do). But as long as you make an effort, I think most players will respect that and will work with you to make sure you get everything.
Yeah I'm trying to watch in order, but I may skip forward to those videos since they aren't in the same sequence as Counter Monkey. Only one I skipped was when he brought some other dude in. My girlfriend said D&D was too nerdy for her tear. She can't imagine the awesome battles!
You skipped... The Age of Manure with Sage? Aw, man, that one cracks me up! Bad Cain, no biscuit!
I tried. I really did. He took too long to get to the point and kept interrupting Spoony! I'm just starting the Pathfinder videos now. I've got the itch! I'm about to go on roll20 and beg for a game.