Recommend me a Horror tabletop RPG for beginners

[Kuranesno7]

I got interested in this whole thing when a dude from college downloaded me a PDF of Geist: the Sin eaters, but could never find the time to play it.

Geist is...I don't really know what to make of it. Sure, your character died, but now is back to life. And is actually supposed to be enjoying themselves. In fact, they can do pretty much whatever they want back on Earth - they can fuck off and exploit ghosts for money - there is nothing to make them help the dead things. Or whatever. On top of that, there is some seriously disturbing stuff - the Neverborn are "ghosts" or at least dead things which have never been alive in the first place (as the name suggest), but again, they don't do anything. They are just chilling and looking weird. I'm not saying it can't make a good game, but it doesn't give you much to work with - some guys who went back from the dead and enjoy life. Oh, and there is this incomprehensible ghost inside of them but that just wants them to go ahead and party. And they get powers to boot. Weird. The powers system is really kickass, though, I really dig it.

Welp, Mr. Dopo, the Geist rpg is slightly different from what you're saying.

If you're character is the type to live it up (celebrants their called in the game) then by all means, but others saw their deaths and resurrection as a reason to steal from douchebags (Bonepickers), an epiphany to purify the souls of others karmically lest they become ghosts themselves (Pilgrims), Or just realize that their are some evil fuckers out their ready to be scared straight (Reapers).

You don't necessarily exploit ghosts, but you can. the real point is just getting rid of dead folks who won't shut the fuck up until you do something for them or you banish them. sometimes the ghost wants genuine help, other times their conning you for some irrational reason.

As for enemies. you've got your neverborns and regular ghosts, but there are also Abmortals, dudes that extend their life by ritualistically killing others,
sin-eaters reduced to a shell of a person after dieing and being brought back to life so many times,
rival sin-eaters,
Kerberoi, deformed and ancient sentinals which exist in the underworld and uphold the Old Ways, arbitrary and contradictory laws that are punishable in ways that can range from a stern talking to, to being hunted down and killed.
and finally Cthonians, massive, horrifying spirits so old that they have no semblence of humanity in them, just hunger. Some figure that their ghosts of previous species or aliens.

 

[DoPo]

You don't necessarily exploit ghosts, but you can. the real point is just getting rid of dead folks who won't shut the fuck up until you do something for them or you banish them. sometimes the ghost wants genuine help, other times their conning you for some irrational reason.

No, see, there is no real reason for the characters to help ghosts. Sure, it's the game and all that but you don't have to help them. Mages have always fought to help humanity realise it's own dream and potential. Well, may not always directly and not always consciously, but they try to keep the Abyss and the Lia at bay, even lift it and end the reign of the Exarchs, and further back the line, they fought the Technocracy to liberate humanity and achieve global Ascension. Hell, even the Technocracy wasn't far off these goals - it wanted to protect the humanity from the patchwork of disagreeing reality defiants who might manage to blow everything up irreparably in order to "help" and endanger humans with their work. Werewolves keep stuff at bay. Malicious stuff that would exploit hundreds of humans and discard the remains without batting an eyelash (metaphorically speaking) then continue doing so if not stopped.

But ghosts...are just there.

As for enemies. you've got your neverborns and regular ghosts, but there are also Abmortals, dudes that extend their life by ritualistically killing others,
sin-eaters reduced to a shell of a person after dieing and being brought back to life so many times,
rival sin-eaters,
Kerberoi, deformed and ancient sentinals which exist in the underworld and uphold the Old Ways, arbitrary and contradictory laws that are punishable in ways that can range from a stern talking to, to being hunted down and killed.
and finally Cthonians, massive, horrifying spirits so old that they have no semblence of humanity in them, just hunger. Some figure that their ghosts of previous species or aliens.

I know they have enemies but, again, they only matter if the character cares. They wouldn't even meet a Kerberoi if they never travel to the Underworld, and they might not because they aren't interested. It's pretty much like saying to me that gangs in New York are dangerous, and can be really hazardous if you start prowling their territory. That is true and all, but I'm not in New York. I'm not even in the USA. And I don't have any plans to go there. So, yes, they would be antagonistic towards me but somehow it doesn't really matter.

It's a cool setting and all - Geists, who are really fucked up ghosts, sin-eaters, who have these things inside them and some wicked power (again, really good power system, too), other weird denizens of the dead realms, saving the restless dead, confront the supernatural that lurks close to death and so on. But ultimately, your character isn't in any way compelled to participate in all of this. They can just use the Geist to return to the living and go on their merry way just as easily. And they can walk away pretty much any time they want, too.