Looking for a Good First Timer RPG

[tenkar]

Go figure. After gaming since 1980 or so, I've finally found a woman that is actually interested in gaming. She picked up my Dresden RPG books today, got excited, then realized it was like 600 pages between the two volumes

She wants something she can read and get an understanding of what RPG gaming is all about. All she has seen from me is via Fantasy Grounds... a VTT is a little boring to watch when not playing, compared to a live game (tho that can be boring too, but anyhow).

I gave her a copy of Swords & Wizardry Quickstart to read over when she wants to... its short and to the point, but I don't think it really explains roleplaying of gives a decent example of play.

Actually, she has been mentioning her interest on and off since last summer, but this time she's serious

So... D&D for Dummies? 3.5? 4e?

Other big or small press games that do an amazing job of explaining what it is that we do, 'cause I've done it for 30 years, its sometimes hard to bring it back to that point.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Crothian]

If she likes Dresden Files then it would be a good game for that. All you need is Yourr World, and lots of that she doesn't really need to read. The Buffy RPG also does a good job of introducing role playing to new people. Frankly, while I love D&D I never felt it did a good job of addressing new people in the core books.

 

[tenkar]

Yep, I've got 30 years of gaming crap and nearly all of it assumes you have prior experience with gaming crap

Dresden would work, but she needs to feel comfortable reading a book that huge for a type of gaming she might not enjoy.

Those D&D for Dummies books I bought at a yard sale and never read might be useful, if I can find where I tossed them before not reading them

 

[Chainsaw]

I gave her a copy of Swords & Wizardry Quickstart to read over when she wants to... its short and to the point, but I don't think it really explains roleplaying of gives a decent example of play.

Since you're already looking at S&W, maybe there are some sections in this that may help. You could cut/paste any examples you like into a word file to keep it short. Also, pages 145-147 of OSRIC offer an example of play that you could cut/paste into a separate word file as well.

 

[Ghostwind]

What about Faery's Tale from Green Ronin?

Green Ronin Online Store: Faery's Tale Deluxe

 

[Merkuri]

When I first started dating my husband (before he was my husband, obviously) he had heard of D&D and RPGs, but they had been forbidden in his house growing up and he never went out of his way to learn about him. Once we started going out he discovered my D&D books, and I swear sometimes he would come over my house not to see me, but to read those books. If I needed to do something not involving him while he was over the house he would happily curl up on my couch with the PHB. When my group had a vacancy we invited him in, and he's been a player ever since.

I don't think that D&D is a bad place to start. When my husband was first perusing the PHB it was the 3.0 edition, but I think the 4e book would work as well, perhaps better. It's been a while since I looked at it, but I recall that a good portion of the first chapter is about what RPGs are and how to play them.

This is, of course, assuming that D&D-type fantasy is a genre that she likes. Many (perhaps even most) people learn best by doing. If you've got a group that's willing to help her along (or if you're going to do a solo game with her) then you could make her character for her and explain the rules as you go, teaching her slowly as she gets into new situations where new rules are needed.

Remember that for most games you can get away with only the GM knowing the rules. The players can just describe what they want to do and the GM can apply whatever rules he thinks are best and tell the players what to roll. This might actually be the best way to introduce a newbie to the game if you want to highlight the freedom of RPGs.

 

[Philosopher]

After all these years, I still think that the best introduction to RPGs is Frank Menzter's D&D Basic Set from 1983. (If you look to pick one up, be sure not to confuse it with D&D Essentials, which is using an almost identical cover.) It only introduces the game mechanics and other elements as they come up during the course of the introductory story.

 

[Wolf1066]

GURPS Lite? Not a large rule set and you can create any genre adventure you want.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Nothing teaches like watching people play.

The essentials of role-playing are the same, no matter what system you use. The core of it is to tell a story, one that won't always go the way you want due to other characters and the random resolution feature that almost all systems have.
The rules are just for character generation and conflict resolution. Ultimately, only one person at the table needs to know those (it helps to have everyone else know them but it's not necessary). That person (not always the GM) can nurse everyone else through at the table.

Good luck.

 

[malraux]

Well, the best way to learn what it's about is to play. Reading the books really isn't a substitution for seeing the game in action. My recommendation would be one of the many podcasts of people playing. The penny arcade/wotc podcasts are pretty entertaining but are relatively short.

I'd really recommend against just reading the 4e phb, it's very very boring and a bad guide for what playing it is like.