New player needing advice on where to start

I am pretty new at table-top RPGs as a whole. As a kid I had the beginner box for DnD (I think it was 3e or 3.5) and played it with one other friend, but looking back I can tell it wasn't really designed for just two kids. That being said, I am pretty familiar with some of the very basics of an RPG system such as xdx and rolling checks, but I have never designed a character or even played an actual session before. RPGs have always been a hobby I have really wanted to get into, but its pretty damn intimidating. There are so many different versions, and each version has loads of books and its difficult to tell which are necessary (outside of the obvious Core Rulebook for a given edition). Not to mention the steep learning curve requires that you have other people who are interested enough to tackle it and invest with you. So that has lead me here, to roll20.net. Previously my excuse for not investing time or money on the various books was due to not having anybody to play these games with. With my discovery of this site, that has changed. So here are my questions for, and I sincerely thank you in advance for answering them: - How easy is it for someone with my knowledge base (having never played an RPG session but understanding the basic rules and willingness to learn) to join a game? Essentially, does the community put up with a fair amount of "hand holding" or will I just be an annoyance? - What book(s) should I go after? There are various versions of DnD, as well as Pathfinder (I mention those since they seem to be the most popular and therefore I assume a good starting point for me). Is there a particular edition you would recommend? - Are there any outside sources I should take a look at before joining a game (tutorials, videos, articles, etc)? Thanks again for any of these you can answer. Like I said I have always wanted to get into RPGs, but having been on the fringes for so long it is rather intimidating to finally take the plunge. Thanks again!

Welcome. I am a long time RPGer but fairly new to roll20. But it has been fun. Pathfinder has a lot of info on line and their Books come in PDF and don't cost very much. (<a href="http://www.d20pfsrd.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.d20pfsrd.com</a> ) pathfinder info. (<a href="http://paizo.com" rel="nofollow">http://paizo.com</a>) Pathfinder publisher As for info on playing in roll20 <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/dave32780" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/user/dave32780</a> this you tube channel has some great tutorials and full videos of groups playing so you can get a good sense of playing online, of course every group is different. Also when you are searching for groups you can search for ones that are welcoming new players, or just read the descriptions. There are a lot of groups that can teach people how to play. Plus there are all kinds of videos on youtube on how to play and make characters. Hope that helps.

Thanks a ton! I didn't realize Pathfinder was so openly available. My main question however is what set should I take a look at? Pathfinder? DnD 3.5? 4E? And what books should I look for each (there are tons of various ones out there, which would you say are pretty much required reading?) Thanks again for the info on Pathfinder

- It varies, based on the group. A lot of groups only want new players, some are set up as games to teach new players, some are a mix, some prefer all experienced players. - I can't recommend, because there are too many. But there are many instances of Pathfinder, D&D 3.5, D&D 4e, D&D Next everywhere. Some old school stuff like Traveller. Some new school stuff like Savage worlds. It's really just a case of look at the looking for games / players postings. - You could go to Youtube, how to play D&D, how to roleplay with D&D. Hundreds of videos by individual groups. Once you find a specific game you are interested in, look for a video on that. It's a lot like buying a car, new or old, and old one fixed up or an antique? The newest, fastest that everyone wants? If all you want to do is learn, look for specific games with openings, and send a PM to the DM. After that it is a numbers game, do they have openings, do they admit new players, how often do they meet does it fit your schedule. Good luck, hope you find something that fits your preferences.

From my own personal experience (just started tabletop roleplaying roughly 8 months ago) alot of people are perfectly fine with teaching new players the ropes, honestly probly the most friendly community of just about any hobby ive ever seen. As far as which system to recommend, it really depends on what style you like, Pathfinder is a slightly simpler D&D 3.5, some things are refined in ways 3.5 lovers may not enjoy, but I personally like it more than 3.5, Pathfinder is probably easier to jump into if you're brand new than 3.5. Theres less books and its pretty much the same level of polish if not moreso. 4e to me seems like it could be very much related to an MMO, each class has combat abilities that have varying "cooldowns," some can only be used daily where others can be used only once per fight, others have no "cooldown," everyone has a way to heal themselves. Its quite a large departure from your "standard" tabletop rpg style of 3.5 and Pathfinder. I'd honestly recommend Pathfinder for your first game ever, its my preferred system and its a bit simpler than 3.5, and 4e is so different from the standard that you're really the only one that could tell if its to your liking. However, <a href="http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/" rel="nofollow">http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/</a> is a fantastic website to look at if you're interested in pathfinder, it has the essential information from all the current books all in one place. Hope you have fun!

most important - dont limit yourself to D&D

when i was a kid (oh boy, that was a while ago), RPG's were something "only nerds did", and they got bullied for it. well, fortunately not too much where i lived at least. but still.. the nerdy kids were kind of excluded... so when someone else wanted to join them, they were quite warmly welcomed. while the bullying has died down a lot... RolePlayers are still a very welcoming group. just.. be honest when you're joining a group. tell them you aren't an experienced player, and most people will be happy to give you a little extra help when you need it. as for which -system- you should play... wow, thats a -reallllly- huge question. if you still have your D&D 3.5E books, theres a lot of people who still play that, if you don't... then look at the campaign description instead. find a campaign that -sounds- good, something that will be fun to play and be a part of. think of it like a car ride (for a rather shaky comparison) the car is the game system... a really sporty cool car can be fun on its own for a while.. but in the end, any car will get you there one way or another. it's the journey and destination that really matter -- that's the story being told in the campaign. we all want to have fun playing... and a lot of us also have a lot of fun welcoming new players into games and helping them figure out how to enjoy the game too. in the end: pick something ask to join and jump in!

Man. Thank you all so much. You have helped me out a TON and really have made the idea of joining a bunch of strangers in playing a game much less intimidating. I'm gonna get started on reading some of these resources you have given me and hopefully I will be able to find a noob friendly game to join. Thanks again everyone!

DawnforgedCast does a great YouTube series for how to play Pathfinder. He walks through character creation, concepts, combat, and a sample adventure with someone who's never seen it before. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77nb34DB6Gs" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77nb34DB6Gs</a> Pathfinder is definitely very popular and probably the easiest to find a group for, but there are also so many great RPG systems out there that are simply amazing in their own right.

I just wanted to echo other people by emphasing that you really don't need to buy any books at this stage. Many GMs will be happy to have someone new to a game as long as you make them aware of the fact. Once you've had the chance to try a system and find whether it is something you are enjoying, then think about whether its worth purchasing any books. Also, as others have said, there are many many many different systems out there spanning all sorts of genre's, each with their own feel and mechanics. Different people prefer different types, so I would advise you to try a few different things out and see what you enjoy :o)

Phil said: I just wanted to echo other people by emphasing that you really don't need to buy any books at this stage. Many GMs will be happy to have someone new to a game as long as you make them aware of the fact. Once you've had the chance to try a system and find whether it is something you are enjoying, then think about whether its worth purchasing any books. Also, as others have said, there are many many many different systems out there spanning all sorts of genre's, each with their own feel and mechanics. Different people prefer different types, so I would advise you to try a few different things out and see what you enjoy :o) I know there are tons of online resources available, but thank you for clarifying that I don't really need to drop any money to start playing. After doing some digging I learned that there are typically 3 books for DnD, and buying them would run me close to $100 which is quite an investment for a broke college kid. Also, I am very interested in checking out other RPG systems. In particular, Call of Cthulhu (I'm a sucker for anything H.P. Lovecraft and really enjoy the Arkham series of board games from Fantasy Flight). I also picked up the beginner box for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, however the beginner box didn't really inspire me to drop $60 on the rulebook (even though I really like the dice mechanic it uses). But my main reasoning behind leaning towards Pathfinder and/or DnD is that since they are the most popular it would be easiest for me to start there, and hopefully make trying new systems less painful in regards to learning the basics. Thanks a ton for your advice. I think I may try to make a posting here to try and get with a group very soon. Oh, one last question: should I invest in real dice? They are awfully cheap and I have a webcam so I could easily "prove" that I rolled what I say I roll, or would you say its best to just stick with roll20's tools?

I am very glad you mentioned Call of Cthulhu. I think you should consider joining my campaign, The Cthulhu Cult . I have GMed several new role-players through their first one-shot games in the last couple of weeks. I play gridless, rules-light games that are perfect for beginners. I do have a waiting list of players trying to get into my one-shots, but the list is mostly new players and their commitments are tentative at best. If you contact me in Skype (info in campaign) and remain active on Roll20, you will probably rise to the top of the list quickly. Here is the game I am using for my one shots: Cthulhu Dark .This is an entire FREE RPG in just two page (technically, four half-pages). I'm not joking, you can learn the full game in five minutes. You may not be ready to GM until you have played a couple of times.I have played this game and it is hot. In fact, I may not use Call of Cthulhu for my one-shots ever again, only for campaigning. To compare, Pathfinder's core rulenook is 600 pages long ... showed that to a new player once, thought he was gunna cry. :o) Download Cthulhu Dark and you have your second full RPG. While you are reading Pathfinder, you can wait for me to get you into one of my beginner games. BTW - You don't need to read the Pathfinder rules in full to play, if your GM is open to that idea.

Mark G: oooh~ that looks handy. i've never done pathfinder yet, but i find myself interested in some of the very nicely presented campaigns here! K1ngFiasco: speaking of online resources available; i believe someone mentioned buying pathfinder as pdf's; usually if you can get a digital version of a book, it's vastly cheaper than the physical version. Not sure if D&D offers official pdf's, A second option to kick the price down to a reasonable level is to consider used copies of books. check out Craigslist, ebay, amazon, etc and see if any of the books you want are being offered there. as for buying real dice, it looks like most of the gm's here seem to prefer using the built-in rollers for gameplay; much easier than having to fuss with a webcam/etc. also many gm's seem to go for a voice-only campaign, so you wouldn't be using a cam anyway. that said.. there's just something really nice about having your own "personal" dice. eventually you'll want a real set, in case you join up with a face-to-face group. but no hurry at the moment.. take your time and buy a really nice set when you find it and have extra money. Bob M: wow! when you say rules-light, you really mean it don't you! haha :)

Just want to say thank you so much to everyone on this thread. You really helped me out a ton and gave me a solid foundation to get started. In particular, I want to thank those of you that have sent me PMs inviting me to games. I truly did not expect to receive so much assistance from people here. I plan on taking up as many of your offers as I can. Since making the post I have picked up a copy of Pathfinder (was about $40 new, and it seems that its system is very compatible with other games out there making it seem like a logical starting point. It also seems to incorporate most of the DM topics into it as well, and the bestiary is very easy to get your hands on online) as well as a "big bag 'o dice". Hopefully it'll get here by Wednesday. Thanks again to everyone that posted a link, advice, video, sent me an invite, or otherwise helped out in any form. Hope to see you in a Pathfinder campaign soon!