Do you remember your first RPG purchase?

[Muad'dib Pendragon]

AD&D Players Handbook (orange spine)

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Mentzer red box D&D from Trapnell's model shop, I would guess 1987 or 1988. Age 10 or 11. I was already into Fighting Fantasy books and White Dwarf and I already had some GW figures.

What was noteworthy was that when I tried to buy it, a man (fellow customer) in the shop said no you don't want that, here buy Runequest instead. But I was not swayed.

The idea of a someone thinking that Runequest would be a better fit for a ten-year-old than the Red Box is amusing. I get that people are passionate about their particular game of choice, but that seems a tall order for a kid to start with.

 

[pablomaz]

I started playing in 1994. At the time, I had just begun studying English (I'm Brazilian), so my only options were materials published in Portuguese.

The first time I walked into a bookstore to buy an RPG product was the following year. I had some birthday money, so I picked up a copy of Shadowrun 2nd Edition, localized into Brazilian Portuguese.

That was when my love for the setting began—along with my frustration with the rules system. I was only fourteen.

 

[GrimCo]

That was when my love for the setting began—along with my frustration with the rules system.

I feel you. Shadowrun is excellent setting with interesting blend of cyberpunk and fantasy. But ttrpg system is not good. CRPG versions of Shadowrun, with streamlined and simplified mechanics are great on the other hand.

 

[aramis erak]

The idea of a someone thinking that Runequest would be a better fit for a ten-year-old than the Red Box is amusing. I get that people are passionate about their particular game of choice, but that seems a tall order for a kid to start with.

RuneQuest in the 1983 to 1992 timeframe was in fact simpler than D&D. That's RuneQuest 3rd ed timeframe.
In the 2006-2012 timeframe, the Mongoose versions of RQ were out. Equally as simpler than current D&D at the time.
Neither of those were tied tightly to Glorantha.

 

[Wolfpack48]

Blue box Basic D&D, followed not long after by the Monster Manual.

 

[Celebrim]

First thing I owned was the Basic red box, the first printing. First thing I actually bought with my own money was the 1e AD&D Unearthed Arcana.

 

[aramis erak]

Oh, and I just recalled my third RPG related purchase: the TSR hexpaper book.

 

[MNblockhead]

From Waldenbooks. Everything before then were x-mas/birthday gifts.

 

[cbwjm]

My first purchase for a ttrpg would have been the advanced fighting fantasy game. Id played heaps of the pick a path books so that was a natural progression. After that, it was the rules cyclopedia which introduced me to dnd.