I had the pleasure twice this week of introducing folks to D&D who are brand new to the hobby.
It's one of my favourite things to see folks eyes light up when they realise that unlike a traditional board or a computer game, they can do ANYTHING.
I did also introduce one Level 1 party to a Mindflayer as well as Hadar... I am a nice and kind DM, and it's important for players to have horrors to look forward to in later games.
Does anyone have fun stories with newbies to share?