Pen and Paper games; Suggest me a new obsession!

[snappydog]

Now I'm not sure how I would start. Online is an adequate proxy for the experience round the table which does somewhat presuppose that you have friends who play (and the desire to play with them). You could push the boat out and look for RPG clubs near you. Where do you live? Hobby shops may have flyers or ads in the window or on a noticeboard - or know of people who play. Look for specialist RPG and game shops near you and ask them about clubs.

I'm in Cardiff for university and Devon when at home... it's a fairly big hub of nerdery here, being where Doctor Who, Sherlock etc. are filmed, but not a lot in the way of game shops. Games Workshop doesn't do pen and paper, they're more tabletop as far as I can tell, so they're not quite the right thing...

Captcha: no friend of mine
yes, captcha, that is somewhat the problem.

 

[Quazimofo]

If you want to go a bit older you could try out Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (second edition)

It's similar to the more recent Fantasy Flight Games Warhammer 40k RPGs though what I found most interesting was the career system, one which I think really helps people get into character more than any other game I've seen. A bit of adjustment on the GM's part to make it so everyone doesn't roll nobles (or murder the noble immediately) to get decent gear and it's a great time to be had even just fuckin' around in the town you should be attempting to protect from chaos cults.

The PDFs are all online at this point; second edition was about 9 years ago now.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Personally, I think it would be really awesome to have some sort of Superhero setting, or something really over-the-top powerful. (imagine Dragonball Z, if you will).

Everything you have said screams Exalted to me. Particularly this.

Although you can play characters in Exalted who are just like your regular roleplaying characters, the game is designed to have the characters play as demigods. The stuff your characters can do in this game is intentionally ridiculous, and the system is set up to encourage ridiculous over the top action.

There are two things to be aware of though. The first is that it's a bit meta, which might put off players who prefer more simulationist games. For example, in Exalted your characters get bonus dice for attempting the kind of silly, dramatic, ridiculous actions which would net you a penalty in other games. A certain type of player isn't going to be able to wrap their head around that immediately.

The second is that the rules and setting were basically written by mad people. Don't get me wrong, they're brilliant and I imagine as a D&D player they might make more immediate sense to you than someone weaned on "soft" RPGs like the other white wolf fare (guilty as charged, I'm afraid) but they're intensively involved. Running games also requires a lot of work, in my experience, as it's really very difficult to railroad characters when your characters can just punch/persuade/blast into atoms almost any obstacle in their way.

But if you've got the energy and that's the kind of game you're going for, I seriously do think it's one of the most interesting games you'll ever play, and would strongly encourage a look.

 

[Shymer]

I'm in Cardiff for university and Devon when at home... it's a fairly big hub of nerdery here, being where Doctor Who, Sherlock etc. are filmed, but not a lot in the way of game shops.

Google suggests a shop called Rules of Play http://rulescardiff.wordpress.com/ there's a Cardiff Role-playing society http://www.rawsoc.co.uk/ who have events and run a weekly open event at the Royal Oak. There's a page listing open spaces at existing games here http://www.rawsoc.co.uk/games/

There aren't many game shops Google knows of in Devon, but there are one or two:

The Battle Zone, 58 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1SH
Tel: 01271-321344

Krackers Games Shop, 1-5 The Fore Street Centre, Fore Street, Exeter, Devon
Tel: 01392-425248

Good luck!

 

[Something Amyss]

If you're already familiar with D20, Mutants and Masterminds is a pretty simple yet broad game. I can't speak to what changes were made for 3E, but I adored 2E.

You could track down a copy of Aberrant, which has an interesting, albeit dark, setting. The second part of the Trinity setting which covers pulp, supers and sci-fi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberrant

The Aeon books are available on Drivethru RPG if you don't mind PDF. Adventure, Aberrant, Trinity.

 

[FrozenLaughs]

Munchkin. Table top card game RPG. Sooooo much fun and laughs. The expansions really make for some good times. It's not pen & paper, but can definitely be played by your group.

 

[BoredAussieGamer]

Iron kingdoms is pretty damned good. I'm playing it off the 3.5 d20 edition.

The mere existence of Steamjacks makes the game awesome.

 

[BoredAussieGamer]

EDIT: I DID NOT DOUBLE POST THIS!

THIS POST OCCURRED BY ACCIDENT DUE TO A GLITCH! PLEASE DISREGARD!

 

[C117]

If you want over-the-top powerful, then you need to play Mutants & Masterminds. It is a superhero game, with thousands of options to customize your character with. Problem is, it's not very balanced and relies heavily on the GM to step in and say "no".

Example: there is a power that literally makes you immortal. As in, you cannot be killed. Ever.