Dungeons and Dragons.
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First thing is, are you sure its D&D you want to play or run games of? Theres a multiple versions of the game along with a lot of other role playing games out there. Few quick questions if you want to specify what kind of roleplaying game your after but if you just want Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition (the latest) skip them.
Do you want fantasy, sci-fi (both hard and soft) or modern settings?
Do you want rules heavy or rules light gameplay?
Do you more lots of combat, lots of investigation or lots of talking or a balance of each.
Do you want a serious or silly game? (or both I guess)
D&D 4th Edition is a fairly simple game to play if you've ever played a video game RPG you know how it works. Powers have cooldowns (some are each round of combat, others are each combat themselves). The game lends itself to a combat heavy game and doesn't necessarily explain how to run a different sort (though there isnt anything really stopping you).
You want to probably get your hands on the Player's Handbook (doesnt need to be physical but i prefer it, PM for more info):
[link]http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/217367200[/link]
It covers character creation and most of the rules aswell as how to play a character mechaniclly.
Im a huge fan of tapletop rpgs, for me they are far more enjoyable than video games in that they offer a vast array of freedom that they offer. You get to be who you want to be, resolve the situation how you want to resolve regards of right, wrong, smart or stupid. You are your own person, something you dont get in the real world. Not a huge fan of 4th Ed DnD but it does what it sets out to do, make a rules simple game easy for new people but unfortunately it makes it a little too simple at times.
My favourite game system (Dark Heresy))mirriors the goal but allows a stronger sense of freedom in term of character development and mechanics which can play simply or expand for more complexity. Warhammer 40,000 interest is a requirement however. I currently GM 2 games using it and some of the rules from their sister games Rogue Trader and Deathwatch.
Do you want fantasy, sci-fi (both hard and soft) or modern settings?
Do you want rules heavy or rules light gameplay?
Do you more lots of combat, lots of investigation or lots of talking or a balance of each.
Do you want a serious or silly game? (or both I guess)
D&D 4th Edition is a fairly simple game to play if you've ever played a video game RPG you know how it works. Powers have cooldowns (some are each round of combat, others are each combat themselves). The game lends itself to a combat heavy game and doesn't necessarily explain how to run a different sort (though there isnt anything really stopping you).
You want to probably get your hands on the Player's Handbook (doesnt need to be physical but i prefer it, PM for more info):
[link]http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/217367200[/link]
It covers character creation and most of the rules aswell as how to play a character mechaniclly.
Im a huge fan of tapletop rpgs, for me they are far more enjoyable than video games in that they offer a vast array of freedom that they offer. You get to be who you want to be, resolve the situation how you want to resolve regards of right, wrong, smart or stupid. You are your own person, something you dont get in the real world. Not a huge fan of 4th Ed DnD but it does what it sets out to do, make a rules simple game easy for new people but unfortunately it makes it a little too simple at times.
My favourite game system (Dark Heresy))mirriors the goal but allows a stronger sense of freedom in term of character development and mechanics which can play simply or expand for more complexity. Warhammer 40,000 interest is a requirement however. I currently GM 2 games using it and some of the rules from their sister games Rogue Trader and Deathwatch.
I started myself off with a 4th edition (Yeah yeah yeah, sue me) starters pack that I purchased from a board-games store so that's a good start. It came with dice, tokens, a small book of monsters and character archetypes, DM manual, gameboards and all for around thirty bucks.
But most of all you NEED a good crew. I tried to get my friends into it but they weren't really interested, I resapect their taste but I just wish that I had ppeople to play with
But most of all you NEED a good crew. I tried to get my friends into it but they weren't really interested, I resapect their taste but I just wish that I had ppeople to play with
Oh yea I had forgotten about that, theres this:Pegghead said:I started myself off with a 4th edition (Yeah yeah yeah, sue me) starters pack that I purchased from a board-games store so that's a good start. It came with dice, tokens, a small book of monsters and character archetypes, DM manual, gameboards and all for around thirty bucks.
But most of all you NEED a good crew. I tried to get my friends into it but they weren't really interested, I resapect their taste but I just wish that I had ppeople to play with
[link]http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/244660000[/link]
Not sure if its worth it or not. So yea.
Thank you very much for the reply
I think I would enjoy Fantasy and SciFi (Not in the same game for obv. reasons, though a blend would be pretty awesome.) A balance of combat, investigation, and talking, and a serious game. I'm not very clear on what the differences are on rules heavy vs. light. And more freedom is exactly why I am so interested in learning a tabletop.
Thanks for the link. I wasn't sure what to get as I didn't know if it would cover character creation and rules, so that is very helpful.
Dark Heresy: More freedom in character development? such as what?
Also what games would you recommend? Thanks again.
I think I would enjoy Fantasy and SciFi (Not in the same game for obv. reasons, though a blend would be pretty awesome.) A balance of combat, investigation, and talking, and a serious game. I'm not very clear on what the differences are on rules heavy vs. light. And more freedom is exactly why I am so interested in learning a tabletop.
Thanks for the link. I wasn't sure what to get as I didn't know if it would cover character creation and rules, so that is very helpful.
Dark Heresy: More freedom in character development? such as what?
Also what games would you recommend? Thanks again.
I started with 4th Ed and graduated to 3.5. I also love me some Deathwatch and Dark Heresy to scratch my Sci-fi/Warhammer 40k itch. I can't honestly say any system is inferior to start with. 4th Ed's a very good start point though.
Believe it or not but there a systems supporting stuff like that. Once played a Time travelling samurai former cockroach..chef. Yea Feng Shui can get wierd.NnyTheV said:
Rules Heavy games are ones which require lots of stat management, hundreds of rules for applying every situation. Really good if you want to run a game about huge focus on one area (say combat) and the rules enforce a more complete simulation of whatever your trying to do.NnyTheV said:
Rules Light games are ones which are generally pretty relaxed about how everything works and tries to be a minimalist as possible. Characters are differentiated mainly by who they are and less what statistics are attached to them
Dark Heresy uses a very simple character creation system. You pick your home world type, your character class, roll some stats and you get a tiny amount of xp to spend on skills. Then your done. As you play however (its a level up system in which theres not just 'levels' but instead you get experience (XP) which can be spent on new abilities or skills) you can take your character in very different directions. Once you spend a certain amount of XP you get a new 'Rank' which allows selection of a new table of different skills and talents to choose from. The game starts you very contained and lets you expand in the direction you want without overwhelming you too quickly with too many options.NnyTheV said:
HOWEVER, experienced players can take things from different ranks at different times by sacrificing other potential skills. Letting people go in any direction they wish very quickly, if they know what they are doing without crippling the new players.
If you like Warhammer 40,000. If you like grim, oppressive dystopian futures. If you want to see what its like to actually work for the Big Bad Evil Government that is taken down in every other universe or story. Dark Heresy is a fantastic game, great for new players AND only requires you to get 1 book to started. While DnD requires 3 to get a full group of people to play.
Pathfinder is a reasonable choice for a fantasy game but again it can overwhelm you with the potential options if offers. Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition is actually pretty good to new players.
I disagree entirely. Figuring out 3.5 is hard for an experienced rolepalyer let alone someone who has never done it before. There is hundreds of options and hundreds of rules which dont explain many terms which are innate to understanding the rules. Unless you have an existing game where you have people to teach you, I would not recommend this as your first step.versoth said:
I pretty much started out playing 4th edition and I enjoy it. We currently have a three person campaign going that is pretty good. We have tried multiple times to play with more people in the past but it didn't work out, partially because we tend to antagonize each other a lot and also because some people just weren't that interested. 4E might somewhat limit character options but at the same time it opens up may different options that are easy to use. You may need get extra source books if you want more options (which is a major problem with dnd in general) I have looked at 3.5 stuff but I couldn't wrap my head around character creation as there just seemed to be too many variables to work with.
And I didn't know this. I had heard a little about pathfinder but maybe it's worth looking at. I might check it out.lunax69 said:Try out pathfinder. Its essentially DnD 3.75, it has a good combat system and also great roleplay mechanincs. It really just melds together DnD 3.5 and DnD 4th ed , into one great package
I got interested in role-playing games a long time ago, but it was only last October when I first tried them out. I ended up trying D&D 3.5 first and it was enough fun for me to stick around. I really do think being able to find a group to play with is important and what rule-set can aid or hinder that. Like, mention D&D 3.5 or 4, and you can pretty much easily find a group and a DM. However, my experiences with other rule-sets have been a little on the difficult side thanks to lack of interest, usually due to said issue mentioned before.
To illustrate the point, I'm currently a Story Teller (DM for the rule-set) of Call Of Cthulhu, which I really enjoy the rule-set due to the simplicity, freedom and the setting. However, finding a group to do it has been difficult. I've tried to do a one-off group via The Escapist Online RPG Group and haven't been able to stir any interest, this is despite being more than happy to explain the rules.
With regards to other rule-sets, World Of Darkness and Shadowrun are pretty good with nice settings and nice systems, but share the common problem of dice. The former, you need at least five 10 sided dice, and the latter...With regards to 6 sided dice, you can need over 100 of them if certain things occur, although personally I've only had to roll up to 12 of them at once. Trail Of Cthulhu, a bit like Call Of Cthulhu but can be more brutal or pulpy, reading it looks to be a bit forgiving for my liking, especially since the whole system exists due to concerns of investigators missing clues vital for the finale. Which I can't help but wonder "this is what an idea roll is for". Although the system does have some nice moments that I may slide into Call Of Cthulhu such as professions having an impact.
Mutants And Masterminds, while generally fun, seems to lack investigation. Although judging by the DM of the group, it seems to be a problem of implementing it rather than poor DM. Dark Heresy, I personally found it a little rule-heavy but that's just me.
If needed, I could go into a little more depth about any of the systems mentioned above. Personally, starting off, just try D&D. Make sure it's 3.5 or 4, doesn't matter which. If you end up enjoying the experience, then look into other rule-sets. If the whole experience was frustrating and annoying, then at least you've saved time, effort and money before buying all the rule books (and believe me, it's easy to spend £100+ on rule books after you do get into it). Good luck with enjoying it.
To illustrate the point, I'm currently a Story Teller (DM for the rule-set) of Call Of Cthulhu, which I really enjoy the rule-set due to the simplicity, freedom and the setting. However, finding a group to do it has been difficult. I've tried to do a one-off group via The Escapist Online RPG Group and haven't been able to stir any interest, this is despite being more than happy to explain the rules.
With regards to other rule-sets, World Of Darkness and Shadowrun are pretty good with nice settings and nice systems, but share the common problem of dice. The former, you need at least five 10 sided dice, and the latter...With regards to 6 sided dice, you can need over 100 of them if certain things occur, although personally I've only had to roll up to 12 of them at once. Trail Of Cthulhu, a bit like Call Of Cthulhu but can be more brutal or pulpy, reading it looks to be a bit forgiving for my liking, especially since the whole system exists due to concerns of investigators missing clues vital for the finale. Which I can't help but wonder "this is what an idea roll is for". Although the system does have some nice moments that I may slide into Call Of Cthulhu such as professions having an impact.
Mutants And Masterminds, while generally fun, seems to lack investigation. Although judging by the DM of the group, it seems to be a problem of implementing it rather than poor DM. Dark Heresy, I personally found it a little rule-heavy but that's just me.
If needed, I could go into a little more depth about any of the systems mentioned above. Personally, starting off, just try D&D. Make sure it's 3.5 or 4, doesn't matter which. If you end up enjoying the experience, then look into other rule-sets. If the whole experience was frustrating and annoying, then at least you've saved time, effort and money before buying all the rule books (and believe me, it's easy to spend £100+ on rule books after you do get into it). Good luck with enjoying it.
I've heard people describe Dark Heresy as a more rules heavy CoC but I've never played CoC so I cant really judge. Any key points which rubbed you the wrong way?Riobux said:
Yea thats true. Try before you buy should be the big rule of rolepalying games.Riobux said:
Also, before you buy that. Try this [link]http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=142[/link]NnyTheV said:
Its a free adventure, with pre-made characters and Quick-Start rules and explanations on how to play and run the game. Recommend trying it out for a general idea on what the game is like.
It wasn't so much "more rules heavy CoC" (it really isn't personally), but rather rules-heavy generally compared to other systems I've played. I will admit, I didn't play it long since the DM only did it for about a month at most and stopped due to work. The character creation felt a little overly complicated for my liking, which I got confused a few times when doing it.kingcom said: