So i am interested in tabletop rpgs.

[Veldaroth]

I was actually in the exact same boat as you about a year ago, as in the only experience I had was Baldur's Gate. I ended up getting the Red Box set and downloading the character builder on the Dungeons and Dragons website. I don't know much about the others, but I really enjoy DnD, but I must say that a bad host can ruin the experience. Luckily the first campaign I participated in was really well done! Good luck

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

I recommend BESM, which stands for Big Eyes Small Mouth. It's a tristat system which the GM alots you points to create your character from scratch. There are no predetermined skills or whatnot. All you need are two six sided dice, the book, and some paper. Pens or pencils probably wouldn't hurt either. Even though the book has a bunch of anime artwork in it, it's very versatile and my group and I use the system exlusively now. It's not that other systems aren't awesome, but BESM is just really simple to run and play.

 

[AssassinJoe]

Yeah, I've been thinking about getting into tabletop rpgs too, but I'm worried about the time constraint it may put on me. I already have a lot on my plate. It's just that episode of Community that put the idea in my head.

 

[scnj]

Honestly, I'd recommend finding a group with someone who has prior D&D experience and possibly owns some of the books. It's much easier picking up the game when you're being taught by another person.

 

[DaJoW]

Sorry about the lengthy post, got a bit carried away...

D&D 4E is a great system imo, though in my groups they haven't been so much roleplaying games as dice rolling games with the odd in-character remark. My groups have always been filled with powergamers who cared more about optimizing their characters (usually by copying optimized builds on the Internet) than roleplaying though, so if your friends aren't like that it could work out better. When DMing it got really hard to balance encounters for them as some started out ridiculously powerful - a rogue which only misses 5% of the time and regularly one-shots level 3 mobs on level 1 - while others were more "normal". If your group can agree on playing it more in one way than the other or agree on some banned stuff it shouldn't be a problem though.

I prefer Vampire: The Masquerade myself. It's more roleplaying than dice rolling, and as a DM I asked each player to flesh out their character extensively before starting (even going so far as saying I needed to approve of them). I linked them to this, [http://bakersfieldrpg.com/Documents/Vampire%20the%20Masquerade%20-%20Character%20Creation%20100%20Questions.pdf] telling them that they shouldn't answer every question, but that they should at least have a look and see if they'd missed something. We ended up with a very diverse group and all of us were really engaged, hardly ever speaking out of character.

I found that Vampire required a lot more effort from the leader by needing a more complex story, though again that may just have been due to the groups I played with. It was hugely more rewarding to see the players debating between themselves how to proceed, what it could all mean, if they dared go head-to-head with a Sabbat pack so early in the game etc. than to just see them move their characters around on a map, role some dice and tell me the result. It all depends on how the group wants to play of course but I would've loved to finish my Vampire campaign. Alas, I had to move away from my group


Edit: If you go D&D 3.5, I recommend some house rules either on particular combos (difficult if you're new to the system) or restricting yourself by tiers as described here. [http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=bc18425e5fa73d30e4a9a54889edf44e&topic=1002.0] Having an optimized wizard in your party makes the rest of the group unnecessary. I know this from experience and it's not a lot of fun.

 

[Chibz]

Yeah, I've been thinking about getting into tabletop rpgs too, but I'm worried about the time constraint it may put on me. I already have a lot on my plate. It's just that episode of Community that put the idea in my head.

What do you mean by time constraint?

(If you mean what I think you do) most people can find a day of the week to show up for a group activity. That's what TT RPG's are primarily. A group activity with friends.

SNIP

What's sad is that in my current gaming group ANYTHING I build tier 5 or higher is going to be significantly higher than the party-average. Exclusively because I'll have optimized my character.

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

Arkham Horror. It's pretty easy to pick up and it's really fun. It's 50 bucks on amazon and that's the complete set. No extra books etc to buy. I'd start there for a small investment. There are various websites that make the convoluted rules condensed into small PDF files that are easier to understand.

 

[AssassinJoe]

Yeah, I've been thinking about getting into tabletop rpgs too, but I'm worried about the time constraint it may put on me. I already have a lot on my plate. It's just that episode of Community that put the idea in my head.

What do you mean by time constraint?

(If you mean what I think you do) most people can find a day of the week to show up for a group activity. That's what TT RPG's are primarily. A group activity with friends.

What I mean is I barely have time to go onto the escapist. My personal schedule is getting pretty tight.

Plus I don't really know anyone who's into TT RPG's.

 

[Chibz]

What I mean is I barely have time to go onto the escapist. My personal schedule is getting pretty tight.

Plus I don't really know anyone who's into TT RPG's.

Ah, I can only tell you how to solve the second problem. Do what I did to get TT RPG's going in the local area...

My first game I ran in the area (I had moved to a new city, actually) was just me & a friend. We played at a local comic shop. Then someone expressed interest in what, exactly, we were doing. And it grew and grew.

If you can get a good group o' people together, it's well worth it.

 

[Mr.Amakir]

Well i will probably pick up the Gamma World set (unless someone here changes my mind). wile the red box only have the very basic rules of D&D Gamma World comes with a full rulebook and unlike the red box which can only be used until the players reach level 3 the Gamma World box can be used until the players reach level 10.

 

[darkcommanderq]

I prefer Anima for fantasy games, and Rouge Trader for Scifi.
Both are published by Fantasy Flight Games. (I have way to many of there games...lol)

Basically anima is every single dnd 3.5 book mushed into a single book. It has ki (build your own DBZ power), Psychics, Magic, and Summoning. All of which are very unique. There are also plenty of special combat options for non-casting classes. It is a point buy system and it will require that who ever GMs read the whole book cover to cover well ahead of playing a game. Dont worry about extra books because its a players hand book and dungeon masters guide all in one. If you REALLY like pre-created monsters youll be disappointing because the monster manual in the book is pathetic. However there is a chapter dedicated to creating your own monsters from scratch, so its not a big deal for me.

Rouge Trade is set in the warhammer 40k universe, were players take on the role of a rouge trader. Im not going to go in depth to this one as anime, because if your a warhammer 40k fan get it. Its an excellent system and if you like 40k then you already know plenty to craft sessions for it. Just be aware that this game gives the players more power than any other game. (Players can bombard a planet from orbit full of colonists and be relatively safe from the law). Just be sure to give incentives NOT to do that if you dont want them to lol. Again this book contains info for players, GMs and a small but decent 'monster/npc' section in back. There is a secondary book for this game thats also fantastic and fills out some of the information they couldnt quite squeeze into the core.

If you have a lot of money dnd 4.0 is fine for a while. My issue with this system is that it takes so many books before you have a small fraction of the content that anima has. Also I really hate D20 with a passion. If you want an explanation msg me there is some math involved.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

I would definitely recommend 4e for starting out. I know haters gonna hate because it isn't 3.5, but the changes they made really streamlined the game, making it far easier for new players to get into. 3.5 (and Pathfinder by proxy) can be tough if no one in your group is familiar with them.

So yeah, the red box is a good choice. You'll probably have to get the first player's guide so the characters can get above 3rd level (or subscribe to D&D insider and use their character creator which has all the player's guides in it - I love that thing). Or once you've played a bit of D&D, if you find you may want to branch out, other systems that I've found to be good without being too complex: White Wolf's World of Darkness games (very story focused), Shadowrun (for a cool futuristic setting) and Mutants and Masterminds (for superheroes).

As far as Dragon Age goes, I haven't played it, but I have read over the book. What I absolutely hate about it is how much the character creation relies on random dice rolls. If that's your thing, go for it (otherwise it seems like a decent enough system, though nothing particularly special), but it was a big turn off for me.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

I prefer Anima for fantasy games, and Rouge Trader for Scifi.
Both are published by Fantasy Flight Games. (I have way to many of there games...lol)

Basically anima is every single dnd 3.5 book mushed into a single book. It has ki (build your own DBZ power), Psychics, Magic, and Summoning. All of which are very unique. There are also plenty of special combat options for non-casting classes. It is a point buy system and it will require that who ever GMs read the whole book cover to cover well ahead of playing a game. Dont worry about extra books because its a players hand book and dungeon masters guide all in one. If you REALLY like pre-created monsters youll be disappointing because the monster manual in the book is pathetic. However there is a chapter dedicated to creating your own monsters from scratch, so its not a big deal for me.

Rouge Trade is set in the warhammer 40k universe, were players take on the role of a rouge trader. Im not going to go in depth to this one as anime, because if your a warhammer 40k fan get it. Its an excellent system and if you like 40k then you already know plenty to craft sessions for it. Just be aware that this game gives the players more power than any other game. (Players can bombard a planet from orbit full of colonists and be relatively safe from the law). Just be sure to give incentives NOT to do that if you dont want them to lol. Again this book contains info for players, GMs and a small but decent 'monster/npc' section in back. There is a secondary book for this game thats also fantastic and fills out some of the information they couldnt quite squeeze into the core.

If you have a lot of money dnd 4.0 is fine for a while. My issue with this system is that it takes so many books before you have a small fraction of the content that anima has. Also I really hate D20 with a passion. If you want an explanation msg me there is some math involved.

Oh god, someone else has actually played Anima! Listen, as much as I respect Anima for some of the stuff it does (and heck, if I ever ran a Final Fantasy RPG, I'd go with this system), I absolutely do not recommend it for a new player. It is extremely number crunchy and rules heavy. It just isn't a good starter's game.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

SO which one of these games is good for someone who is new to tabletop RPGs? If you have another game to recommend feel free to do it. Oh and i have some friends to play with so that should not be a problem really .

I'd go with Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook myself. Or, if you want me to pick from the choices you mentioned, I'd go with the Dragon Age box (because I love Bioware and all their worlds) for an excellent setting.

Actually, at the moment I'm play-testing a semi-homebrew Mass Effect tabletop game. Because, again, Bioware makes great settings.

And now, to ring my own personal nerd gong: Today, I painted my miniature for the game - an Asari Vanguard.

Anyway, Pathfinder is lots of fun and very flexible. If you want tons of options without tons of books, it's the system to get. Also, as someone else mentioned, the base rules are available free online. Legally free, that is.

 

[Chibz]

SNIP

In all fairness, I resent 4E because it feels far more like a MMORPG than an actual D&D edition. They even use practically the same terms as an MMORPG, how's THAT for being rather open in design philosophy?

 

[DaJoW]

SNIP

What's sad is that in my current gaming group ANYTHING I build tier 5 or higher is going to be significantly higher than the party-average. Exclusively because I'll have optimized my character.

I found that high-tier (low-tier?) optimized characters were far easier to challenge without killing the rest of the party, even if it takes a bit of work. Our wizard was immortal, unhittable and ended boss encounters with one or two spells (we faced a caster boss who cast 3 AoEs before we could act, on his turn he teleported and polymorphed the boss to a frog, ending the encounter). When we later got an optimized Spell-to-Power Erudite in the party the campaign collapsed as not a single encounter lasted more than one round from then on out. We had not reached level 10.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

SNIP

In all fairness, I resent 4E because it feels far more like a MMORPG than an actual D&D edition. They even use practically the same terms as an MMORPG, how's THAT for being rather open in design philosophy?

Oh, it definitely takes some mechanics from MMORPGs, but I see a lot of that as a good thing. All classes (even non-magic ones) have a large variety of reusable abilities (meaning fighters can do something other than basic attack and wizards don't run out of spells and become useless). Each class has a specifies role in battle, with natural abilities that help them in that role, making each class useful. Again, I don't see this as bad.

 

[Chibz]

I found that high-tier (low-tier?) optimized characters were far easier to challenge without killing the rest of the party, even if it takes a bit of work. Our wizard was immortal, unhittable and ended boss encounters with one or two spells (we faced a caster boss who cast 3 AoEs before we could act, on his turn he teleported and polymorphed the boss to a frog, ending the encounter). When we later got an optimized Spell-to-Power Erudite in the party the campaign collapsed as not a single encounter lasted more than one round from then on out. We had not reached level 10.

The party actually only has a single (what would be) tier 1 character, but they aren't really THAT good. There's no tier 2 character, we don't even have a tier 3. In 3.5 rules I'd be playing a (highly optimized) TIER 5 CHARACTER. And am indisputably the most powerful in the party.

But that's because Pathfinder fixed up paladins substantially. You wouldn't believe how much better they are in Pathfinder...

You'll also find that the weaker classes in 3.5 got the better buffs between 3.5 and pathfinder.

Oh, it definitely takes some mechanics from MMORPGs, but I see a lot of that as a good thing. All classes (even non-magic ones) have a large variety of reusable abilities (meaning fighters can do something other than basic attack and wizards don't run out of spells and become useless). Each class has a specifies role in battle, with natural abilities that help them in that role, making each class useful. Again, I don't see this as bad.

I see it more as dumbing down the game then anything. We should be building players up, not tearing D&D down to *Shudder* WoW's level...

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

**snip everyone**

Just putting this out there, but 4E didn't seem like an MMO specifically to me. It felt like any video game RPG. Actually, that's why I think 4E would work really well for a Dragon Age game - it fits the style really well. Hence my recommendation. Well, that and the fact that Bioware makes me wet.

 

[darkcommanderq]

Oh god, someone else has actually played Anima! Listen, as much as I respect Anima for some of the stuff it does (and heck, if I ever ran a Final Fantasy RPG, I'd go with this system), I absolutely do not recommend it for a new player. It is extremely number crunchy and rules heavy. It just isn't a good starter's game.

Well yeah. Its not for people who are new to table top games as a whole. The OP said he has played 2nd edition DND in the past though. If you can handle 2nd edition or ADND I think you can handle anima with no problems.

**snip everyone**

Just putting this out there, but 4E didn't seem like an MMO specifically to me. It felt like any video game RPG. Actually, that's why I think 4E would work really well for a Dragon Age game - it fits the style really well. Hence my recommendation. Well, that and the fact that Bioware makes me wet.

You do realize that there is a dragon age tabletop RPG system right? Also I just want to point out that games like never winter nights, play much better with DND 3.5 rules than DND 4.0 does in practice. Iv run 4.0, and iv played in 4.0, its fun, but it lacks the sophistication of more complex systems.