Help Decide My Fate

[Lady Geektastic]

Okay, I'm biting the bullet. I've done a crapload of reading about rpg's online, and I've become completely enamored of Spirit of the Century and Don't Rest Your Head. I even have a friend who's agreed to try it out with me.

So now the problem presents itself. Aside from SotC and DRYH, I don't know many rpg's out there, and I'm totally clueless about them.

So what games would you suggest for a newbie just getting into the action???

Thank you lots!!!

D.

[caynreth]

Main game my group plays is Earthdawn, which is a fantasy/horror game. The system is easy enough to pick up. Other games I'd recommend are Serenity (if you are inclined towards the wearing of the brown coat) or 7th Sea the system of which is written to be very fast paced, fun and cinematic. It's a piratey/swashbuckly sort of game.

Really a beginner can jump into any game if the gm knows what he's doing and directs the players as he should. I mean, it's supposed to be FUN and therefore should be EASY. Just find a game that you like the concept of, find a group that you can work well with and a gm who knows his stuff. 'Course, easier said than done sometimes.

[Nemo]

It depends on the type of things that you are into.  I would suggest something with simple rules and limited types of dice required to play the game.

For somebody just getting started I would suggest the following:
Space 1889 reprinted by Heliograph Press
Any of the original Wolrd of Darkness games, you only need one book to start playing with.
Victoriana, which you should be able to find at drivethrurpg.com
Call of Cthulhu, but only if you are a fan of Lovecraft and are looking for some intense horror rpging.
Serenity, just because I'm a Browncoat.

[iago]

There's a huge, wide range of RPG's out there.  I'm a fan of a lot of the small press "indie" games, and you can find a bunch of them over on Indie Press Revolution: http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/

If you're looking for FUN and EASY, you absolutely cannot go wrong with faerie-tale roleplaying ala the Zorcerer of Zo (for sale on that site).

Look for greats like "Best Friends", "Dogs in the Vineyard", "Primetime Adventures", "Agon" as well (not all of these may be on that site).

For a dark, dusty, blood-and-guts sword and sorcery setting that you could use with nearly any system (but it's built for Sorcerer), check out the Dictionary of Mu.

[Lady Geektastic]

Thanks guys!

You all rock!

Damn school. I come home after a long day of book learnin' and my brain is too fried to come up with anything interesting to post!

[Corbin DeBec]

Well here again i find my self adding 2cents in where other have gave great advice, so here goes.

First I'd suggest maybe finding a game convention and seeing several games in action then find one that interest you and your friend and join in.

Also if you can find someone with gaming experience to run the game you chose that would be best, the many years i've played and ran games I always try to tell "newbie's" that they are not to worry about rules and how to do things just get into the mindset of the character you're playng and do what you think they'd do let the GM,DM,CM, MD, worry about the rules, they are there to tell you what you should roll. 
And after years and years of gaming i still find some new systems to be overwhelming at first glance.

And to make sure you have fun, don't "metagame" figuring the odds and die roll before you act.  Just act
and have fun, and the most important part of gaming is the amount of snacks.

oh and if you can find it, most fun and easy learning game i've ever played, is teenagers from outerspace.

[glmagus]

I also would recomend Serenity, but like the others before me it's only 'cause I'm a browncoat myself. Also call of Cthulhu is some really fun stuff that comes with a simple system

[Corbin DeBec]

played serenity tuesday and will play again thursday and it is a great game.  Call of Cthuhlu is a good game to been playing that but a beginner may find the whole insanity thing a bit troublesom, however adds a twist to the game.

[13x13]

If you want to find a game quickly to learn, your best bet is Dungeons and Dragons.  Most game stores have weekly games going that you can observe.  However DnD games, in my experience, tend to devolve into tactical simulations with focus on stats(That is what I get for playing with ex-Army guys.) 

I always found that old White Wolf(Mage, Vampire, etc) was easy to learn and tends to put the focus on roleplaying.  However, it can get a little angsty(depends on the players) and I haven't played the latest version of White Wolf.

Rifts is a system that has horrible rules, and game play tends to revolve around the KILL IT!!!!! philosophy of gameing.  I played this in high school, great for late nights, pizza eating, and Mt Dew highs.

I honestly don't know enough about the indie games out there to be much help. Finding people willing to leave their familar territory for indie games was difficult. 

[Grogtard]

There's a huge, wide range of RPG's out there.  I'm a fan of a lot of the small press "indie" games, and you can find a bunch of them over on Indie Press Revolution: http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/

If you're looking for FUN and EASY, you absolutely cannot go wrong with faerie-tale roleplaying ala the Zorcerer of Zo (for sale on that site).

Look for greats like "Best Friends", "Dogs in the Vineyard", "Primetime Adventures", "Agon" as well (not all of these may be on that site).

For a dark, dusty, blood-and-guts sword and sorcery setting that you could use with nearly any system (but it's built for Sorcerer), check out the Dictionary of Mu.

Can't argue with Fred there>  Fun and Easy is the way to go.  Be picky about the group you pick.   And if things don't work out, don't judge the entire hobby on one group or game.  It's sort of like dating in that way.

[Hexmaven]

played serenity tuesday and will play again thursday and it is a great game.  Call of Cthuhlu is a good game to been playing that but a beginner may find the whole insanity thing a bit troublesom, however adds a twist to the game.

ah yes, Cthulhu . . . Corbin has a phobia of film projectors now, lol . . . i'll let him explain that one

[Hexmaven]

Corbin is right about the GM/DM . . . a good one (or great one, eh Corbin?) can make your induction into the game easy.  All you have to do is envision your character doing something and ask the GM/DM how to accomplish it within the rules of the game.  Personally, I play several RPG's because different ones tend to scratch different itches.  I've just gotten Spirit of the Century myself as well, and I like the looks of it.  I like the freeform creation process and how your character really is individual . . . I mean, you can make-up your own "aspects" . . . how cool is that?  I'm starting to understand how it would translate well into the Dresden RPG.  But, I'll still continue to play all my other games too.  Game On!

[Corbin DeBec]

Ok i had to do a best case scenario with the projector, A beat the porjector to stop it and have it blow up and lodge a piece of the real in my chest or b have it be the portal for a big ungly smelly monster to come into the real world.   

[Corbin DeBec]

and as you can see from the typo's it's still a tramatic memory

[finarvyn]

A couple thoughts come to mind:
1. Dungeons and Dragons is the oldest RPG, but it tends to be very detail oriented and may be frustrating to a newcomer. For a traditional D&D style game you might look into Castles & Crusades by Troll Lord Games. I was a playtester for the system and think that it's cheaper than D&D and a lot simpler to learn.

2. As far as modern-fantastic games go, you might look into Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Eden Studios. It's a pretty easy system to learn and has a very "Dresden" feel to it.

3. Many Indie games are excellent, but if you're a newcomer you may find it harder to find players who are familiar with these games. Just something to think about when you decide.

4. Many RPGs have free (or really cheap) downloads of "demo versions" of their games. You might do an internet search or (if you have a particular system in mind) as around here, because some of us know where to find this stuff in a hurry. These tend to have many of the important ideas without having all of the depth of the full system. I have some friends who just play the demo versions and have no interest in the full game, but usually demo games lack key components such as character generation rules.

Learning from another player is usually easier than reading a rulebook and finding a person to teach you may be a first goal. Another poster suggested going to a game convention, and that's a good idea becasue often players (or sometimes the game author!) will be willing to talk you through a game. Local bookstores may also have gamer boards with posts.

Good luck, and let us know if you have more questions.