Hello all. New guy here, looking to start playing an RPG.

[painted_klown]

Hello everyone,

First post here.

I used to play Magic for several years. Not seriously, or competitively, but I did enjoy the game and it caused me to branch out into other TCG/CCG games. Duel Masters and The Spoils most heavily after MTG.

All along, I have always toyed with the notion of playing an RPG, but never knew anyone who played, nor really understood how to get a game started/play a tabletop RPG.

Well many, many, years have passed since my introduction to M:TG and gaming in general. To be honest, I haven't played ANY game in several years now. Not since Tenacious Games went under and The Spoils tcg went dry until AT picked it up.

Anyway, about a month ago a friend of mine sent me a random text asking if I would like to play D&D. I was excited about the project and said I would be in to play. Then, nothing ever came of it. In fact, I asked him about it earlier today and he said nothing was ever worked out, he wasn't sure what edition we would be playing, we didn't have enough people, no one really knew what they were doing, etc...

It just so happens that the new guy at work (who sits across from me) is a gamer and is the GM for Pathfinder. He brought in his books and let me look them over a bit at work, and answered a series of random questions for me for a few days last week, and again today.

My plan is to join his Pathfinder group and play with them. The game looks really fun, and from what I understand, is what a lot of old D&D players went to when 4ed came out. In fact, that is exactly what he, and his group has done.

However D&D 5th Ed is now on the market, and I have seen a lot of people saying that "D&D is back" and so forth. Now I have a dilemma. I am thinking since my friends never took the initiative to actually get a game going, that I am in the perfect position to learn how to play RPGs as well as buy into either Pathfinder or D&D 5, and maybe run campaigns for my friend group.

I just cannot decide what would be the best way to go. On one hand, since I will be playing Pathfinder with my work friends group, I will have direct access to a GM to ask questions to, so it makes sense to buy books for it. On the other hand, the D&D name "carries more weight" (so-to-speak) with people, so it may be easier to recruit players (especially non seasoned players) to join a D&D group with my friends and I.

Anyway, I know that is a rather long introductory post, and I have a LOT of questions (for those willing to help) but I wanted to give all of you an idea of where I am coming from.

I look forward to getting to know all of you, and thanks for reading.

-Dave

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Awesome. Welcome to the board, and welcome to the hobby.

My advice would be to go with the Pathfinder game. Joining a game in progress is a lot less work than trying to get one going. Once you've learned one of the flavors of D&D, of which Pathfinder is one, it's easy enough to switch to any other, or even to most other RPGs.

I'd also consider asking the Pathfinder GM to run you through a solos session to get the feel of the game first. This way you at least have some idea how to play when you get together with the other players. And your first RPG session, figuring things out as you go, is a cool, memorable experience. You don't get to do quite as much figuring out if you're with experienced players the very first time.

And you don't need to buy a book at first. Your GM can help you get your first character made, and you can borrow a book for a day to get an overview of the rules if you want, though that's not essential. That way you're not locked into a particular game until you've had a chance to try it out.

 

[was]

Pathfinder has put much of their content on-line so that you can look through the basics before you commit. It's very helpful. Check out:
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/

 

[The_Gneech]

Pathfinder has a good starter set, D&D 5E has a good starter set. Which one you should choose is largely a matter of taste.

PF is a more complex game, but has a ton of support material, both in the official stuff from Paizo, and with its backwards (relative) compatibility with D&D 3.x.

D&D 5E is still in the release stage, and has a limited amount of support materials yet, but there's enough in the Starter Set to keep you going for weeks or even months, and converting older materials is fairly easy once you get the hang of the system.

Speaking only for myself, I enjoyed Pathfinder for years, but I would never go back now. I much prefer the speed and flexibility of 5E.

-The Gneech

 

[Morrus]

I don't think it's a case of selling him on a rule set.

My advice would be to start by joining a game. In this case, it sounds like PF is available to you. Let some other folks show you the ropes, and then consider starting your own game down the line. At that point you can start looking at rule sets to see which you prefer, but for now go with the path of least resistance.

 

[Umbran]

I don't think it's a case of selling him on a rule set.

Agreed. While he says, "I am in the perfect position to learn how to play RPGs as well as buy into either Pathfinder or D&D 5, and maybe run campaigns for my friend group," I wouldn't think that's the best short-term approach. Despite the existence of Starter Sets and Quickstart Rules, RPGs are complicated and dynamic enough that they are best approached with a sort of apprenticeship model. You can learn to do it from a book, but to be honest, you'll probably get the best results if you find someone more experienced who will let you play with them.

So, you're new to RPGs, and have been offered an opportunity to play? Then play! The game (D&D, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, whatever) doesn't matter. Just play a game. Have fun with it, and don't worry about what game or ruleset you might want to use in the future. In the process, you'll learn about the experience, see if you like it. I would even suggest you play a few different systems, under different GMs - see what you like, or don't like, about each game and different styles of play. Then, you'll be in a position to make an informed decision for yourself.

And, here's a hint - you don't have to "buy into" a single game. You aren't getting married, or something - you're playing a game. Later, you may want to play a different game, and that's okay.

So, go play, without worries about commitment or the future. Throw yourself into what you have at hand, and enjoy yourself.

 

[The_Gneech]

Well yeah, the best game is the one that's happening at the table right now. But the OP did phrase his question in a "should I go with PF or D&D" context.

Seriously, tho, either one will work. Pick what suits your interests!

-TG

 

[Umbran]

But the OP did phrase his question in a "should I go with PF or D&D" context.

Yes. The point being that a person who has not played before can't make an informed decision on the matter. Our *telling* him does not serve him well, as it is not based in *his* interested, but ours.

Learn what you like, then choose, is a better approach.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

Hello, and welcome aboard!
I'm alwasy thrilled to read these posts and see that new people are continually being introduced to our hobby!

I think (as some people have said), just "Get into a game and have fun!"
Ruleset (and everyting else) is secondary to getting to game and have fun, ESPECIALLY if you're new to to hobby.

Create a character concept you like, and bring it to whatever system you have available that someone is willing to GM. Then just take it from there!

 

[painted_klown]

Thank you for all of the answers/opinions.

I am definitely joining the Pathfinder game that my work friend runs. I am actually going to start this weekend. I am sure it will be a rocking good time. He gave me a copy of the Rise of the Runelords player's guide to read, as that is the current campaign he is starting. I plan to read over all of it (even though I believe I won't really understand most of it) before the session on Saturday. I am hoping I can gain enough knowledge to at least have an understanding of how a game session will flow before I go there. I have also considered looking up a youtube video of a gaming session, just to see how a session flows. Not sure if that's a good idea or not. LOL!

So, in my new found excitement for RPG gaming (even though I have yet to play one), last night I decided to order the reprint editions of the white box, and the 1st edition players handbook, DM guide, and monster manual. I just got my tracking confirmation e-mail today. I am seriously excited to check these out!!!

The only "issue" I see with trying to run the older versions are the fact that all of the adventure modules (I think that's what they are called) are all out of print, and may be difficult/expensive to track down. Perhaps it was a bad idea, and I got caught up in the excitement, but either way, I think they will be a nice way to start my RPG game collection with a bit of history thrown in.