Tabletop D&D is first and foremost a social experience, in a way that a computer game will never be. Be prepared to sit and laugh about little things with your fellow players, or perhaps you will get into a conversation that has little or nothing to do with the game. You will need to be able to enjoy the company of other people, and you will need to enjoy the suspense and thrill about what will happen in a week when you meet again. Imagination is a key word in tabletop D&D. You will not have images and video served on a platter to illustrate everything. You will have to imagine the look of that fireball blasting through the enemies' ranks, and it should make you just as excited as seeing the scene play out on the screen.
And perhaps the most important element in a good tabletop D&D campaign: A good dungeon master. You can have inexperienced players that don't know their way around the game, and it won't matter, as long as they take it serious and don't deliberately try to sabotage the game. But a good dungeon master is essential for making the game run smoothly and give you a good experience. The dungeon master should be prepared to respond to every crazy decision the players come up with. Because in contrast to in a computer game there are literally no limits to what you can do or where you can go. Usually the players go along with what you have prepared as a dungeon master, but if they suddenly decide they don't care about that evil wizard and his tower that all the locals are talking about, and instead want to see what's going on in the other end of the world map, well that's just too bad. The dungeon master will then have to figure out what they might meet in that part of the world. It doesn't happen very often, but the possibility is there.
For those of you wanting to try it, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. Tabletop D&D is not for everyone, but for those who like it, the memories of adventuring with your friends in an imaginary world will stay with you for as long as you live.
