Table Top RGP

[Slycne]

OK now i looked at the dungeons and dragons and there are alot of different products including miniatures and different types of books and i haven't a clue which one to buy which one would include what I need to get started??

Check out http://www.d20srd.org/ and http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35, Wizards of the Coast has made all the 3.5 D&D rules available through a open game license. You loose all the art and settings, but all the core mechanics are still there for free.

I've played games with and without miniatures, some people enjoy the more tactical feeling of playing on a grid with miniatures, but they are not necessary for play. Paper, pencils, dice and some graph paper is really all you need.

 

[wewontdie11]

I started on Exalted back in the day. I still love that setting, and everything about the universe. It is without doubt the most epic tabletop RPG I have ever come across and really gives you a chance to get creative when you are a legendary solar warrior, capable of doing pretty much anything you could possibly want, and are destined to either save or completely destroy the world.

Unknown Armies is a good one too. That is nice and simple if you haven't played any others before. It uses a 2 dice percentile system that is far simpler than for example D&D (which I incidentally am not a fan of), without losing much of the integrity of the dice rolls. The world in this one is also pretty interesting if you are willing to read a little beyond the core.

 

[Gitsnik]

Speaking of, if you liked the DoW series, you could always try your hand at Inquisitor. It is not as old as D&D, and is probably a bit less polished if you notice those sorts of things, but it can be useful to have a pre-defined universe to work within. The campaign settings in D&D can be vastly different, a black dragon in one can have different powers to a black dragon in another (acid vs poison gas vs disintegration etc.), so sometimes it is nice to be able to read literature that sits the same across what you play. Again, YMMV.

Inquisitor...rings a bell somewhere...is that a Steve Jackson production? And by DoW I assume you mean Vampire and Werewolf and the others in that series(I can never remember the full name of the universe; I just remember the individual RPGs within it)?

Games Workshop - Dawn of War (the Warhammer one). It puts more of a futuristic spin on things within a very well fleshed out, static and definable universe whilst still providing a plethora of crap to play with (I don't play it much by the way). Werewolf: The forsaken I think is what you may have been thinking of? A product of White Wolf Games. A nice system, couples well with Vampire: The masquerade (same company!). V:TM I think is a bit too much for a new player, but then again I think much the same for everything I suggest .

 

[vede]

1) Change thread title.
2) Go to a used book store that has lots of old books in dusty back rooms.
3) Buy AD&D 2.0 (Note: That's "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons," don't let the name intimidate you, it's actually simpler than the newer versions.) Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide.
4) Read them.
5) Play with friends.

Just remember, the rules don't matter. Don't treat the books like a computer system. Just go with the flow. I DM with AD&D 2.0 and I think the only rules I actually pay attention to on a regular basis are ability checks (like Bend Bars\Lift Gates and other such stuffs, you'll know what it is later) and thieving skills.

 

[hagaya]

D&D is where I started. When I realized my friend had so much crap thrown together in a sketch book, we used D&D minis as placeholders for our own messed up variant. My friends first character was pretty much Captain Kirk riding a Rainbow-farting Unicorn. My personal enjoyment of Tabletop games is based on my own way to screw it up.

But if you're looking to play those games by their actual rules; D&D for starters, then the main course of War Hammer or anything by White Wolf Games.

 

[Clashero]

Mostly, the game you choose to play depends on the setting. For medieval fantasy, I prefer Runequest over D&D, but my all-time favourite system is Call of Cthulhu. In no other system does the Keeper (Dungeon Master) make such a big impact.

 

[RagnorakTres]

Games Workshop - Dawn of War (the Warhammer one). It puts more of a futuristic spin on things within a very well fleshed out, static and definable universe whilst still providing a plethora of crap to play with (I don't play it much by the way). Werewolf: The forsaken I think is what you may have been thinking of? A product of White Wolf Games. A nice system, couples well with Vampire: The masquerade (same company!). V:TM I think is a bit too much for a new player, but then again I think much the same for everything I suggest .

Yeah, that's it! I was almost positive it was made by White Wolf, I started out there, and I loved every minute of it. I wish I could get some friends together to play it, but I don't have a hobby store in my town, so I can't get the books except online, and my parents would never lend me their credit card for something like that. Maybe I'll get them from Barnes with the b-day gift card I have upcoming.

I thought there was a whole universe with something like 4 different systems (including Werewolf: The Forsaken and Vampire: The Masquerade) in that White Wolf group.

And I've seen the Dawn of War thing, it looked too involved for me (of course, I went to D&D, which goes to show you how good I am at picking out things that are deeply involving).

 

[Gitsnik]

my parents would never lend me their credit card for something like that.

Where there is a will... (I use one of those extensivly in .au). The 4 in question are from the world of night (or something to that effect I think). Vampires, Werewolves, Wraiths, I think Changeling is part of the same universe, Wizard or maybe Mage, and something about the Undead. There are a few more than 4 available to you in this realm IIRC. Probably a quick google would turn up more details.

 

[RagnorakTres]

my parents would never lend me their credit card for something like that.

The "Old" World of Darkness game lines

The games of this series use White Wolf's Storyteller System for game mechanics.

* Vampire: The Masquerade
* Werewolf: The Apocalypse
* Mage: The Ascension
* Wraith: The Oblivion
* Changeling: The Dreaming
* Kindred of the East
* Hunter: The Reckoning
* Mummy: The Resurrection
* Demon: The Fallen
* Orpheus

In 2003, the company announced the "Time of Judgment", which brought an end to their current series of World of Darkness game lines. This move concerned many fans who had become used to the existing setting.

A revamped series of World of Darkness games were launched August 21, 2004, beginning with The World of Darkness (a set of core rules, akin to the D&D Player's Handbook) and Vampire: The Requiem. Later, White Wolf also released "Werewolf: The Forsaken" and "Mage: The Awakening". The new range of World of Darkness products were clearly winnowed down to a manageable storyline, anticipating on the needs of the CCP MMORPG. Fans demanding that White Wolf move into the MMORPG market "as quickly as possible" date back to 1998. Only after the successes of World of Warcraft (and the collapse of sales of old pen and paper roleplaying accessories) did White Wolf games company start anticipating on future developments.So there you have it, a complete list of the old World of Darkness titles. I loved Werewolf: The Apocalypse so I may track these down, as well as the newer ones.

 

[Pumpkin_Eater]

D&D is good for beginners, especially if your DM is also going to be a first timer. Despite the flak it catches from older players I'd recommend 4E to a beginner, as it's less complex than the other versions.