Pen & Paper (Tabletop) RPG Advice for the Completely Inexperienced

[regalphantom]

In a recent discussion with my roommates it came up that none of us had any experience with pen and paper RPGs (D&D, Pathfinder, etc.) but that we were all kind of interested in trying one. Unfortunately, as none of us have any experience none of us know where to start. So I turn to the internet to solicited suggestions. What would you recommend as a good starting RPG for a group that has never tried anything like it before? Ideally, it would be something in an easy to get into setting, ideally fantasy (since it seems to be where the expections are) and be the type of game where we can have our fun and finish in a 2-4 hour sitting (as attention spans and time constraints can make things tight).

I know this isn't a ton to go on, but if you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them.

 

[Clowndoe]

Easy-peasy: Dungeon World. The whole kit is like 10$ or something, and as a narrative-driven game it doesn't ask you to write down how many uses you have left in your toenail clipper or anything like that. If you find you like doing this but would like more direction, then you can move on to buying the core rule-book to a more focused and mechanically intensive game with a setting that tickles your fancy.

Spoiler: Here's the game played by mid-tier Youtube celebrities and Day[9]

 

[scotth266]

Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. It's a system devoted to playing the rogue side of the Star Wars universe, and there aren't any Jedi characters - you can make a Force-Sensitive one, but it's not a free win button, and comes with its own unique challenges.

The system runs off of symbol-based dice that come in two flavors - positive and negative. Positive dice have success and advantage symbols on them, while negative dice have failure and threat. Success and failure cancel each other out, as do threat and advantage. If you have any success symbols left over after the roll is tallied up, your action succeeds. However, you might have something extra happen if you have advantage or threat left over.

Let's say you try and scale a building with a grappling hook. You might succeed on the attempt, but have some un-cancelled threat. The DM (who decides threat outcomes) decides that while you succeed in climbing the building, it takes you a long time, making you more likely to be detected.

Conversely, you can fail a roll, but have advantage left over. Let's say that you make the same attempt to climb a building. You fail (and stay on the ground) but perhaps you notice some outcroppings that might make the next attempt easier (allowing you to add a positive die to the next climbing attempt.)

This system is fast, fluid, and great for groups looking to improv - it also does a good job of making both the DM and the players have an outcome on the story (as the players decide advantage outcomes). However, it's not a number-crunchy game, so if your interest lies in meaty tabletop combat, your needs are best met elsewhere.

The Core Rulebook (which is the only book you need) costs 60 dollars. You'll also need either two sets of their unique dice ($7 a set I think), or convert them somehow (I don't know how, I didn't bother).

 

[scotth266]

Another possibility is 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Experienced players love shitting on it, but for someone looking to learn the DND ropes, it's the best system available. It's quick to set up, though as the DM you have to be careful reading the rules about how things like AC work or your players are gonna have a bad time.

4E has a certain emphasis on combat, and assumes that you want to run a game with minis and a battlemat. If you don't have these things, you can DIY - just get some sort of paper with 1 inch by 1 inch grids, and make minis out of washers, nuts, and small wooden dowels that you've painted. Place some lettered beads on top so you can tell minis of the same creature apart (this is how I did it myself, initially).

However, there is a significant problem with 4E - monster health is really high for some reason, especially in the first Monster Manual (though if you get the Monster Vault, it fixed the math a bit). If you want your players to go through more than one fight a session (that's how long it takes to kill things), it's a good idea to homebrew the monster hp down by quite a bit. You'll have to experiment to find out how many hits it takes on average to kill something, and decide for yourself how fast you want your games to go.

If you're looking for well-balanced combat in your game with solid opportunities for roleplaying, 4E is the place to go. It'll cost you something like 60-70 dollars for the three books you need (the Players Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual). If possible try to get the Monster Vault instead of the Monster Manual, as it comes with tokens for the various beasties and has an updated version of the Manual to boot. Remember to factor in the costs of materials for your minis and maps.

 

[thedoclc]

First, I recommend finding a group which already plays and joining them.

OP, for those who like free and feel that crunch and classic RPG feel will work for them, the entire ruleset of the Pathfinder RPG is available online for free. So what is Pathfinder? When D&D hit 4th Edition, a majority of the fanbase disliked the product. Now, I am NOT entering an edition war, but the bigger seller was the setting and ruleset for Pathfinder, which is sometimes referred to as D&D 3.75. It's a very heavy game in terms of rules, but the Beginner's Box ($30 USD) is for sale and comes with tokens, dice, and basic ruleset for characters. The rest of the rules are offered for $0 USD online from Paizo (the publisher!) themselves. Buying books is entirely optional. You can find it at d20pfsrd.com/ or paizo.com. As I said, the rules are -free-.

More free goodness can be had at Roll20.net. What's that? Why, a free virtual table top that allows you to host a campaign with all its notes. Your virtual tabletop will obviate the need for miniatures, play mats, dice, and just about anything except for character sheets. I have been playing RPGs for more than twenty years and would endorse using Roll20 whether the game is online or not. Simply put, putting Roll20 on your TV means there's less clean-up, no shortage of tokens, and every note and player handout can be controlled by the GM. It also allows dynamic lighting, fog of war, die rolls, online character sheets, and more. You can choose to pay for an account but by no means must. If you'd like to see the product, it is at Roll20.net.

Now, onto picking a game: games have two big components, fluff and crunch. A "crunchy" game has a lot of complex rules. A game with a lot of "fluff" has a lot of setting. Fluff and crunch are not mutually exclusive. Crunch by itself is like salt - you need to find how much of it you want, and that takes tasting the games and seeing how much you like.

Star Wars d6 is a super-light, super-easy to run classic Star Wars RPG. It is also called West End Games SW. Compared to most games, it's easier than easy to run. Way more approachable than almost any succeeding SW RPG. Sadly out of print, but there's eBay. Low crunch, very high fluff.

Pathfinder (their setting) is a world set in a very pulp novel feel of high fantasy. It appeals to all the classics; gothic horror, high fantasy, planetary romance, lost cities, and so on. It's also -smart-, as in the writing style is intelligent, crisp, and carefully discusses detail. It uses the Pathfinder RPG system, which is VERY high in crunch, and the setting has a ton of chewy fluff.

The World of Darkness comes in the Old WoD and New WoD flavors. Both are games about the supernatural existing in the ostensibly modern world. There are many games of these lines, so they kind of have a niche appeal to anyone who thinks Underworld or a Dr. Strange comic would make a good RPG. Pretty easy on crunch, and mountains of thoroughly readable fluff.

Call of Cthulhu is a medium-crunchy game which is about being an investigator in the Cthulhu Mythos. It's a straight up horror game where most protagonists die or go insane. This is a game for people who like the idea of being caught up in The Shadow Over Innsmouth with a mayfly's survivability. Delta Green doubles down and does Call of Cthulhu seen through the lens of conspiracy theories. It's amazing.

I cannot recommend the various Fantasy Flight Warhammer 40k adaptations. Very, very heavy crunch and they kind of depend on you already knowing the WH40k fluff, plus an unforgiving and evil game engine. You have to be a big fan for it to pay off. The games are called Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Deathwatch, Black Crusade, and Only War.

Unknown Armies is one of my favorite games. Super-light crunch - you can learn it in about twenty minutes. The premise is you live in the modern world and magic is real but hidden. It aims for a conspiracy/paranoia feel where anyone who learns magic is just a little crazy. It's an amazing game which oozes personality.

Shadowrun is a classic game of cyborg and magic-using mercenaries in the dystopic cyberpunk future. I can't describe it - just check out some let's plays of Shadowrun Returns the cRPG. The game has medium crunchiness and a lot of fluff. The setting has tons of personality, but that doesn't mean it's personality that appeals to everyone.

Ah, D&D4e. I will NOT take sides. The difference between D&D 4e and Pathfinder is that PF feels like a high fantasy with highly technical, rocket-tag gameplay, while D&D 4e is MUCH easier to pick up, but the game does nothing to hide it's padded-sumo MMO-esque gameplay from being at the fore. In short, PFRPG plays more like a set of rules playing out high fantasy stories and as a result is a lot more complex, while D&D 4e simplifies everything at the cost of being more "gamey" in a way that many dislike. This is a matter of taste, and while someone in this thread is going to start an edition war, ignore them. They're both good games at being EXACTLY what they are. It is your decision and the enjoyment of your group that matters. Find what you prefer.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a do-it-yourself, easy to run Zombie game. It is exactly what it sounds like. It's fun, cheap, easy, and doesn't ask much of you. The downside is after a few scenarios, you'll need something new. That said, it's not a bad place to start.

GURPS is mega-crunchy because it's designed to be able to do anything. This game is really for someone with the time and experience to do what they want. I cannot recommend it for beginners. The same applies to HERO system.

FATE system games such as Spirit of the Century are INSANELY easy to run and a lot of fun. They are designed for a system which has as it's goal, "Screw it, we don't need a lot of rules, let the GM make his or her calls." These are games which require a certain devil-may-care mindset where players trust the GM not to be a jerk out to get them. That requires the players to understand fundamentally that RPGs are unlike anything else they've played.

Deadlands DRIPS with personality, being a horror-fantasy set in an alternate Wild West where things went very wrong. Medium crunch and fun mechanics like dealing yourself poker hands to cast spells. It's in a good position to check out, has a nice and fun world to get into, and appeals to anyone who has a little love of horror or Spaghetti westerns in them. The product line is pretty intense, but it can be played out of one book.

I'm sure I've forgotten many and left some off the list (like Cyberpunk 2020 or Unhallowed Metropolis or Everyway or...) but that's not the point. This should give you an idea about what to look at. If you'd like to ask me anything, go ahead and do so.

 

[dragonet111]

Maybe you should wait a few week D&D Next is right around the corner and from the playtest set it feels good (at least for me).

 

[thedoclc]

I left out two last pieces of advice.

Numenera by Monte Cook Games is the game from which the upcoming Torment: Tides of Numenera comes from. It's a science fantasy which runs on Clark's Third Law. The game has a beautiful layout and is designed to be insanely easy to learn with highly customizable characters. The game has a problem where combat is medium-grindy but is still fun and offers a lot of very interesting and unique takes on how magic, technology, and knowledge work in a scavenger society. They're releasing a similar game called The Strange. You can play Numenera out of one book.

Now, you may wonder about money. Well, there's an option. Consider buying the PDFs of games for far less than their cost in dead-tree form. Drive Thru RPG [http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/] sells games ultra-cheap. Additionally, the Bundle of Holding [http://bundleofholding.com/index/current] will give you a TON of stuff for a tiny price while you help charity. They currently have Mutants and Masterminds up, a rather easy-to-play game of super-hero pulp action. Additionally, 10% of your price is a donation and it has a pay-what-you-want model. Do NOT miss that if this stuff interests you.

 

[Alexei F. Karamazov]

I won't suggest games, since lots of people have, though you really can't go wrong with D&D, at least to learn how tabletop games work. I suggest playing in a party with players and a DM who knows that they are doing first, as it really helps your understanding of flow and basic mechanics. I played in two groups and various one-offs before I tried DMing my first game, which is also a big learning experience. You learn a lot as you just start to DM/GM, and you might have to make up some rules at first, but so long as everyone is enjoying themselves, it's fine; that's rule 0 in every game: have fun.

 

[Nieroshai]

My recommendation, no matter what, is to see if an RPG you're interested in has a starter's kit or beginner's box. Not only does it have premade characters typically, but it also teaches how to run a game while you're at it. Then if you like what you played, you can shell out for the core books of the series and play in earnest. Pathfinder, D&D, and Shadowrun do this, and I highly recommend those three for beginners.

 

[Riverwolf]

My advice is to find a gaming store in your area and see if the run D&D Encounters. (They still run those, right?) It's a nationwide program set up by Wizards of the Coast (the publishers of D&D) wherein an employee of the store runs a pre-published encounter with the 4E rules. While you can bring your own character, they can provide you with a premade character, along with dice and a miniature. I only did it a few times before going at it myself, so I don't remember if it costs money or not, but it generally only goes for a few hours.

Check out youtube as well, as there's lots of content creators who share how games can go, from the nitty-gritty of the rules to just telling awesome stories. I, personally, recommend Counter Monkey from The Spoony One, as he has some great stories and, IMO, good advice for roleplaying.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

I don't really have any personal experience in games that I would say fit your criteria, however, as a couple of people have mentioned there are often "free sample" starter adventures available from various games companies websites that come with a basic set of rules, premade characters and a quick adventure to show you how the rules work, all on the same pdf. Go to somewhere like drivethrurpg and look for free stuff, you can usually filter by genre, publisher etc, though some companies only have them available from their own websites (FFG for example, though I can't say there are any of their current RPGs that I'd recommend for you).

 

[syaoran728]

I'd look into Exalted. Its a very versatile system and allows for a lot of options during character creation without becoming overwhelming. Its very suited to roleplaying and great for people new to the genre.

 

[Auberon]

IF you use the 2.5 fixes. If you don't, one hit from anything with Grand or Gore in its name will kill you, or at least render you near-dead. As 3rd edition is coming, you could possibly wait for the release, but it likely comes out close to or in 2015.

Adding to the above Shadowrun, read anything with TwoDee or 2D over here [http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Shadowrun] for crash-course. It runs the gamut between Pink Mohawk and Mirrorshades/Black Trenchcoat (opposites on playstyle scale, Pink Mohawk is like Saint's Row and Mirrorshades professional, akin to Ocean's series).

 

[plugav]

Easy-peasy: Dungeon World.

Haven't actually played this one, but if it's anywhere near as good as the original Apocalypse World, then you can't lose.

 

[Kotaro]

Easy-peasy: Dungeon World. The whole kit is like 10$ or something, and as a narrative-driven game it doesn't ask you to write down how many uses you have left in your toenail clipper or anything like that. If you find you like doing this but would like more direction, then you can move on to buying the core rule-book to a more focused and mechanically intensive game with a setting that tickles your fancy.

Spoiler: Here's the game played by mid-tier Youtube celebrities and Day[9]

I was about to recommend Dungeon World until I read this post. So I'm just going to second it: Dungeon World. And if you like it, there are some third-party expansions for it, like Grim World and Inverse World.

 

[Something Amyss]

First, I recommend finding a group which already plays and joining them.

This. And also, you might even consider just watching for a session or two if they'll let you. Sometimes it's better to jump in, but it depends on your comfort zone.

Most of the games I'd mention have been mentioned. I'm just going to mention Mutants and Masterminds. MnM is a modified D20 system that is very simplistic. The hardest part is character creation (I find new people find point buy systems overwhlming), but there's pre-made characters in several of the books, and I think some on Green Ronin's site, too.

Though maybe superheroes ain't for you.

 

[Sonicron]

If you're open to Sci-Fi stuff, I recommend the Warhammer 40.000 pen&paper RPGs. The rulebooks have tables galore for everything, with detailed and streamlined instructions and examples for the character creation process and a couple of pre-baked adventures. Dice system (d100) is also easy, all you need to play is 2 d10 dice. This particular grimdark sci-fi setting offers the following games:
Dark Heresy: Play an acolyte of the Imperial Inquisiton
Rogue Trader: Play a member of a crew of merchants, smuggler and dastardly scoundrels
Deathwatch: Play as a Space Marine of the Imperium's chapter of anti-alien specialists
Only War: Play as part of the Imperial Army
Black Crusade: Play as a bad guy, i.e. a worshipper of the dark gods of Chaos (human or Space Marine)
We started with Dark Heresy. Really neat game with lots and lots of lore to draw stories and campaigns from; it has almost 20 expansions by now, mostly including new playable character types and background packages, extra info on the general setting and relevant locations, more crittiers and meanies, etc. Core rulebook should run you about 45-60 bucks.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

My advice is to find a gaming store in your area and see if the run D&D Encounters. (They still run those, right?) It's a nationwide program set up by Wizards of the Coast (the publishers of D&D) wherein an employee of the store runs a pre-published encounter with the 4E rules. While you can bring your own character, they can provide you with a premade character, along with dice and a miniature. I only did it a few times before going at it myself, so I don't remember if it costs money or not, but it generally only goes for a few hours.

They absolutely do still run; in fact, the newest season Dead in Thay starts May 14th, which should give OP plenty of time to find a store near them that runs it. I can highly recommend it, as it offloads all the difficult parts of TTRPGs onto someone with experience, and it helps you make friends in the community (great for if/when you want to play later).

Easy-peasy: Dungeon World.

Haven't actually played this one, but if it's anywhere near as good as the original Apocalypse World, then you can't lose.

I wouldn't recommend either of those for a first-time GM/MC; it takes a bit of learning to figure out how to use a hard move in a narratively interesting way, rather than as accidental punishment. I really love AW (in fact, I'm writing up a cyberpunk hack for it) but it's not something for a first timer to run. On the other hand, if there is a good MC to run it for them, I can't recommend it enough.

OT
Have you considered Dread? It's not fantasy, but it's a great suspense/horror one-shot. Essentially, everyone plays a character, and instead of rolling dice you pull blocks from a Jenga tower; if it comes out clean you succeed, if the tower falls you die, are imprisoned, go mad, or are otherwise removed from play.
It's a heck of a lot of fun, and very easy for people to get into (you can literally go from 0 to running the game in about 2 minutes, including the time to explain the rules), and it's simple enough that anyone can understand it. The free version has an Aliens-esque prewritten story that is a lot of fun and scales easily from action to full-out horror, depending on the preference of your group.

ALSO!
Just a suggestion; whatever system you do decide on, use a pre-written module/adventure path. These are basically self-contained stories that give you everything you need to run the game (maps of the environments, stats and motivations of various NPCs, etc.) Whatever kind of game you and your group want to play, odds are there's a module that can help you do it, and it's a lot easier than inventing everything out of whole cloth.

 

[Call me Baz]

Well Roll20 is a brilliant (and FREE ) place to start, it's a virtual tabletop system that will allow you to join games hosted by others, there's even a search criteria of "new players welcome" in their LFG section.

You're probably better off joining a game with someone else running as the DM that would be willing to show you guys the ropes, as long as you're fine with using Hangouts or Skype (Hangouts seems preferred, wonder why >_>). Alternatively, you can make your own LFGM (game master, not group m-something) thread to make sure you don't have to explain that yes, you have a full group but no experience.

As for game types, 4e and DW are the first ones I've played and they're pretty straightforward. Systems like Dark Heresy can be kinda awkward piling many new rules on top of these (like its degrees of success/failure rather than success/fail +crit versions)

I'm a relative newbie myself, so I don't have a clue what half of these people are on about with extensive lists of pros and cons of certain systems, but Roll20.net will set you up with groups of people that have more time to explain a single thing.

 

[ninja555]

If your looking for a very simple system that you can all pick up in a few minutes, I would recommend Jaws of the Six Serpents. Fast paced and inexpensive and very few rules for the GM and players to know.

If you have some money to spend I would say pick up Numenera. More rules to know but still easy to pick up and play.