New Roleplayers - What game should they start with?
- Thread starter MerricB
- Start date
Henry
Autoexreginated
If you want rules light, I'd suggest continuum. The game mechanics take up about 30 pages. The Book is about 300 pages long. 
However, the game world and the idea of running time travel by a first-time GM is INSANE.
Truthfully, I can't think of an existing game that's good for starters, except maybe for Feng Shui. WEB star wars would have beat even that, except that it's no longer produced.
WEG Star Wars even beats out the Moldvay D&D for ease of learning. Who DOESN'T know the Star Wars story?!?!!? Plus, the most complicated mechanic is turning character points into new skill dice,and that's not saying much.
However, the game world and the idea of running time travel by a first-time GM is INSANE.
Truthfully, I can't think of an existing game that's good for starters, except maybe for Feng Shui. WEB star wars would have beat even that, except that it's no longer produced.
WEG Star Wars even beats out the Moldvay D&D for ease of learning. Who DOESN'T know the Star Wars story?!?!!? Plus, the most complicated mechanic is turning character points into new skill dice,and that's not saying much.
MarauderX
Explorer
just give them the PHB for christmas/birthday, and if they read it and get into it they will get the DMG etc. on their own and find a group to hang with, if not your group. that's the way i got a couple of peeps from college to join, and there was no pressure to learn, and they picked it up if they were interested.
GuardianLurker
Adventurer
Honestly,
the absolute BEST beginning RPG I can think of, from both a players AND a GMs POV is the Mayfair Games edition of DC Heroes.
Incredibly rules light, uses archetypes familiar to just about everybody (who can't relate to pretending to be Batman or Superman, or Wonder Woman or Batgirl?), offers lots of *concrete* "how-to-roleplay" guideance, consistently rewards something other than just hack-n-slash, offers "sub-plots" (i.e. character focused sub-adventures), and more.
It's now available as Blood-of-Heroes (by Pulsar Games), but IMO the out-of-print Mayfair editions are better.
the absolute BEST beginning RPG I can think of, from both a players AND a GMs POV is the Mayfair Games edition of DC Heroes.
Incredibly rules light, uses archetypes familiar to just about everybody (who can't relate to pretending to be Batman or Superman, or Wonder Woman or Batgirl?), offers lots of *concrete* "how-to-roleplay" guideance, consistently rewards something other than just hack-n-slash, offers "sub-plots" (i.e. character focused sub-adventures), and more.
It's now available as Blood-of-Heroes (by Pulsar Games), but IMO the out-of-print Mayfair editions are better.
Teflon Billy
Explorer
Don't laugh...
Vampire: the Masquerade.
I think it would appeal to teenage boys as they get to be "secretly powerful" in a world that they already know. No need to delve too deeply into Camarilla politics and such right off the bat. Just let them be retard Anarchs trying to thwart "The Man" (meaning the Camarilla I suppose)
The rules are nice and simple. The game looks cool, and it can be a ton of fun.
It's what I use to introduce newbies.
Believe it or not, most everyone can identify what a Vampire is/does.
Elves, Dwarves Gnomes etc...there's some room for disagreement (I recall one newb I was teaching D&D not wanting to play an Elf because he associated the idea with "little guys who helped shoemakers" and "santa's workforce" and suchlike).
So yeah, Vampire.
Vampire: the Masquerade.
I think it would appeal to teenage boys as they get to be "secretly powerful" in a world that they already know. No need to delve too deeply into Camarilla politics and such right off the bat. Just let them be retard Anarchs trying to thwart "The Man" (meaning the Camarilla I suppose)
The rules are nice and simple. The game looks cool, and it can be a ton of fun.
It's what I use to introduce newbies.
Believe it or not, most everyone can identify what a Vampire is/does.
Elves, Dwarves Gnomes etc...there's some room for disagreement (I recall one newb I was teaching D&D not wanting to play an Elf because he associated the idea with "little guys who helped shoemakers" and "santa's workforce" and suchlike).
So yeah, Vampire.
mistergone
First Post
Both D&D3E and the Star Wars RPG (wotc) both have had fairly recent boxed beginner's sets out. Personally, trying to start someone out in rpg's all by themselves without any point of reference or support seems extremely difficult. I'm assuming there's interest on the person's part here in entering into the hobby. Otherwise, exposure to the genre of gaming might best be accomplished through something like a boardgame like Talisman or similar.
Marvel is coming out with a new superhero rpg in a couple months which sounds like it might be ideal for "newbies" to the hobby.
Marvel is coming out with a new superhero rpg in a couple months which sounds like it might be ideal for "newbies" to the hobby.
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
D&D Adventure Game boxed set.
Or, just invite them to play in your regular D&D game. Don't have them worry about the rules; just ask them what the character will do, then translate that into game terms, and tell them what dice to roll. They'll pick it up eventually.
Or, just invite them to play in your regular D&D game. Don't have them worry about the rules; just ask them what the character will do, then translate that into game terms, and tell them what dice to roll. They'll pick it up eventually.
I agree with the last few shouts for the 3E Adventure Boxed set. Its good, simple, comes with a nice lil map. Everything goes along smoothly, and the kids will have fun with it. Next, toss a PHB into the mix for the players so they can create their own diverse pcs, and get your buddy a DMG so he can read about gamemastering in that. The 2E dmg was completely useless and I never learned anything from it, except you had to have it to generate treasure, but the 3E dmg has most everything I can think of. It has the magic items, all of the "living in fantasy" stuff, travelling, how to set up adventure lines and plot hooks, as well as simple generation stuff that novices will not know how to do, like create villages and whatnot. It will be great building blocks.
~~Brandon
~~Brandon
Capellan
Explorer
Fighting Fantasy.
Very light system (has to be, to work in those solo gamebooks as well), writing that assumes a young teen audience, no special dice to learn the differences between, and has two adventures included in the rulebook (assuming you are using the original orange book from 1984).
Sure, it's old and out of print, but it pops up regularly on e-bay (there's a copy there at the moment actually - auction ends in about 7 hours from now:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3115690742&category=1183 )
For that matter, I have two copies of the book, myself. If you're willing to pay postage, I can send you one.
Very light system (has to be, to work in those solo gamebooks as well), writing that assumes a young teen audience, no special dice to learn the differences between, and has two adventures included in the rulebook (assuming you are using the original orange book from 1984).
Sure, it's old and out of print, but it pops up regularly on e-bay (there's a copy there at the moment actually - auction ends in about 7 hours from now:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3115690742&category=1183 )
For that matter, I have two copies of the book, myself. If you're willing to pay postage, I can send you one.
Kilmore
First Post
Well, first figure out what genre the players are interested in, and go from there.
BTW, I wouldn't be too shy about introducing more advanced game concepts to new players. New players today are more likely to be familiar with some basic concepts like hit points and defense bonus through Nintendo and Playstation games, CCG's, and the Yu-Gi-Oh toon. Us old timers only had the red box to learn with.
Uphill, both ways in the snow.
BTW, I wouldn't be too shy about introducing more advanced game concepts to new players. New players today are more likely to be familiar with some basic concepts like hit points and defense bonus through Nintendo and Playstation games, CCG's, and the Yu-Gi-Oh toon. Us old timers only had the red box to learn with.
Uphill, both ways in the snow.
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