The easiest to play tabletop RPG available on Roll20 (and more)

I was always interested in tabletops, and I would love to play some. However, most of the ones I know have so many rules that my head hurts. That's why I have a few questions: 1. What is the easiest to play tabletop RPG? 2. Is there any DM here that would tell the rules on the way of playing the game? 3. If there's none, would anyone here be able to teach me how to play a tabletop? I'm mostly up for weekends.

1. In my experience, this is going to turn quickly into "What is your favorite RPG?" so take everyone's answers with a grain of salt. My vote is going to go to S. John Ross' Risus as the easiest RPG to play. It weighs in at six pages on the pdf and uses only six sided dice that you can pilfer from a board game - or use Roll20 and keep your Yahtzee set intact. A close second IMO is the old West End Games d6 Star Wars game. 2 and 3. Your best bet is to use the LFG forum and app and find a game that welcomes beginners. Most DMs are happy to teach new players the rules and from my perspective its always refreshing to have someone that brings a new sort of energy and vibrancy to the game. Keep in mind that there is well over a thousand different tabletop roleplaying games that are or were on the market, each with their own rules and then each DM puts his or her own spin on the rules as well. That being said, the majority of games (both on Roll20 and in the real world) are the newer Dungeons and Dragons games: 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, 4th Edition, Next and Pathfinder. None of these are my favorite games, but an experienced DM will be able to break the rules up into bite sized chunks for you and present things in an easy to follow manner.

Jacob: Don't worry about knowing all the rules before you try to play. I certainly didn't when I first began playing. Like Dave says, look for a game that welcomes beginners and just jump in. You'll figure it out as you go along. I think it's more important, starting out, to look for a game genre' you're interested in playing.

There are plenty of DMs who will teach you the rules. There isn't a "best game". Only favorites. Even when you're talking about getting into gaming, the group chemistry is more important than the game system. What makes you want to try playing table tops? Some genre of fantasy or fiction? Sci-fi? Comic books? Would you rather play in a Tolkienesque world or something more akin to Game of Thrones?

You should check out Numenera.

Dave D. said: 1. In my experience, this is going to turn quickly into "What is your favorite RPG?" so take everyone's answers with a grain of salt. My vote is going to go to S. John Ross' Risus as the easiest RPG to play. It weighs in at six pages on the pdf and uses only six sided dice that you can pilfer from a board game - or use Roll20 and keep your Yahtzee set intact. A close second IMO is the old West End Games d6 Star Wars game. ...and the Ghostbusters West End Game, that uses the same rules...actually you might want to grab the second edition too, cause the first edition is so rules light you might have to make up stuff as you go. I'd also like to drop Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game, a superhero themed RPG that works on a point buy system, WITH NO DICE MECHANICS. If you can do basic math you're golden.

The Question said: ...and the Ghostbusters West End Game, that uses the same rules...actually you might want to grab the second edition too, cause the first edition is so rules light you might have to make up stuff as you go... Hmm...maybe a Risus Ghostbusters game could be in order.

Honestly when ISN'T a Ghostbusters game in order?

Warrior Rogue Mage is also a very mechanics light game, as well as fun and easy to play. I believe there is another version of it with three other stats, but I'd suggest you look into WRM as it is a blast!

The Question said: Honestly when ISN'T a Ghostbusters game in order? During the 107 minutes when you're watching the original movie? As Kristin mentioned above, Fate Accelerated is another potentially good choice. There are people who don't click with the Fate system, so its not for everybody. It does have the advantage of being free (pay-what-you-want at least). I'm also kicking myself for not shilling for Precis Intermedia's line of GenreDiversion games when I had the chance to. It's a line of simple and cheap games each based around a specific setting (Wild West, Post-apocalpytic, Sci-Fi, Horror, Noir). Despite the low price tag, there's enough game there to hang a whole campaign on if you choose.

Dave D. said: The Question said: Honestly when ISN'T a Ghostbusters game in order? During the 107 minutes when you're watching the original movie?. False, that's what multitasking is for, you can play as you watch or listen to the movie in the background.Now that I've talked about it so much maybe I'll look into the book again.

Kristin C. said: "Yo Dog, I heard you like Ghostbusters. So I got you a Ghostbusters RPG where you can Ghostbuster while you watch Ghostbusters." Sorry, I couldn't help myself. No, no, I believe you made my point quite clear, thank you.

Well, two things are now certain: I'm going to be running a Ghostbusters campaign (uncertain about system though) and Xzbit will be one of the NPCs of said game.

Dave D. said: Well, two things are now certain: I'm going to be running a Ghostbusters campaign (uncertain about system though) and Xzbit will be one of the NPCs of said game. Why not Risus, you just said it was the simplest system you could think of, and you'd be able to teach Jacob the rules...and me as well.

I like Traveller a lot as a game, the mechanics are light, but the science is of the flavor that if you like science, it's a great, detailed game, but if not, then .. not. As in a roll to make a skill check is 2d6, plus skill Level, plus a mod for statistic that governs it like Dex for a gun that rangfes from -2 to +2, typically roll 8 or better total to succeed, that's it. But you also need to know things that are hard sf tropes, such that (for example) Jupiter is a Gas Giant planet fromed mostly of Hydrogen, and flying to it will take X number of tons of fuel, and Y number of hours at 2 G acceleration, or you will run out of fuel. So it's a mix of simple, with detailed setting. I run two copies of it here Fri and Sun nights on roll 20 called Sector Six.

The Question said: Why not Risus, you just said it was the simplest system you could think of, and you'd be able to teach Jacob the rules...and me as well. Simplest doesn't always mean the best for a given situation. In just about the same time as it takes to explain Risus, I could also explain GURPS, Fate, Savage Worlds, Barbarians of Lemuria (another great light game, btw), ORE or D6 Star Wars. It's about trying to match what you want out of a game with a system that works with the group. In brainstorming with a friend from work earlier today, we came to the conclusion the "enemy" of a Ghostbusters game isn't really ghosts, instead your enemies are a negative bank balance, pencil-necked bureaucrats and scientific ridicule from your peers. Bustin' ghosts is just a means to an end. I'd also want to present a really kick-ass Roll20 experience and some systems make that easier than others. If you're interested, shoot me a PM with when you're available. I need to check in with my current group to see if this is something that they'd want to do as a break from our Swords & Wizardry game in the near future or if I'm better off just running this as a one or two shot over a weekend.

OK - some of the group wants to go forward with a Risus Ghostbusters game. So, if you've participated in this thread or are one of the 15-ish who followed it and you are free Saturday October 26th and Saturday November 2nd at 7 PM, consider popping over to the LFG forums and expressing an interest in joining.

Ditto about the ease of the original-edition Star Wars RPG (which used the D6 System). I plan to set up a one-shot MEN IN BLACK game where the rules were similar. But, wouldn't you know it, I lost a section of my old, old notes about it and haven't found them yet. The generic D6 System is now available as free downloads; each rulebook is very similar but adapted to different genres (but there are no specific licenses to it now that say "Star Wars" or "Ghostbusters" or whatever). They are: D6 Fantasy, D6 Adventure (modern settings), and D6 Space. <a href="http://games.whitesaber.com/west-end-games-open-d6.html" rel="nofollow">http://games.whitesaber.com/west-end-games-open-d6.html</a> But game rules are not what's important. A new player has to develop a sense of the procedures of a role-playing game. Read the How-To-RPG part of a game. They will love the endless possibilities, endless possible maps to be presented with (not like a one-board boardgame), endless situations. Rules are not so important (I've read 80 games cover-to-cover), and if the game master is the only one that's good at interpreting the rules, you can ask them to handle it for you. Now, back to my Chessgammonopoly game...