Choosing A System?

The misses and i have decided to get into TTRPG but we have never role played in our lives :) we were then greeted with the somewhat impossible challenge of choosing a system to venture into for our maiden adventure, this was tough and confusing but we have finally settled on the PathFinder Beginner Boxset mostly because of its content and low entry price point but also because it seems to break the rules down into a relatively manageable format for complete beginners yet provide enough of an experience to give you an idea of the universe. what happens if we want to try other systems? whats the main advantages, disadvantages from one system to another? i mean i like the thought of playing DnD next in the future so would i be better off learning DnD 4th or 3.5 even though that would cost significantly more. will learning the PathFinder system help with future transitions between games or will it make things more confusing. is PathFinder a good system to learn? it certainly seems that PathFinder is a fairly popular system among players irl and on roll20 and this was another persuading reason to start with PathFinder. to me, a complete beginner, simplicity is the holy grail when choosing a system but i`m also unaware of any problems that may arise because of choosing the system that seemed the simplest. i hope that someone can help here, as you can tell we are a little confused by the whole thing none the less we are greatly looking forward to playing some TTRPG.

Pathfinder is basically a revised version of D&D 3.5 so by learning Pathfinder you (more or less) are learning 3.5. The core rules between the two systems are mostly the same with the most significant revisions being in the classes.  Pathfinder is also free via the PRD so it has the advantage that you can learn it without having to spend a lot of money first.  The drawback to Pathfinder is that unless you are using the Beginner's Boxed Set the rules are written in such a way that it leaves you wondering 'why?' a lot. This is because when it was assembled (out of the ashes of 3.5 so to speak) most people knew 3.5 and it wasn't properly written for newbies. However, this can be overcome with someone who is experienced to help you. Regarding D&D 4.0 or D&D Next, 4.0 is a commonly played system but spending money on it right now is probably a lost cause due to the D&D Next playtest. My suggestion: Check out Pathfinder to get a grounding in how RPGs work. Then when D&D Next comes out you can migrate to that if you desire or stick with Pathfinder.  Note: I play Pathfinder (and 3.5 prior to that, and 3.0 prior to that....) so take my opinions regarding Pathfinder vs D&D 4.0 or D&D Next with a grain of salt. :) - Gauss

if you need help learning pathfinder i actually have a guild on roll20 that does just that.  i can help you roll up a character and get you into a begiinner game to get you used to some of the nuances of the system.  D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder are the bread and butter of most RPers as they have been around for a while, and most d20 systems are loosely based off of them.  feel free to send me a PM for more information.

Great re-assurance there folks we are now happy that we chose to get the PathFinder Boxset to learn and are just waiting for it to arrive in the post. @Taki i`ll PM you. Great community here not what i expected :)

So glad to hear you're getting into tabletop role-playing. My friends and I just started a few months ago, and have been delighted at the amount of fun we've been having together as a group. Huge shout out to Roll20 for facilitating this connection between us. =] I've only heard great things about Pathfinder. My group currently uses D&D 4.0 simply because it's what we're all most familiar with and what we learned on. However, I would highly encourage you to have different systems for different types of adventures. Things like D&D and Pathfinder work wonders for deep stories and plots. However, I discovered an absolute jewel of an RPG game in Savage Worlds. Essentially, it's an RPG system that covers all genres extremely well. My group, so far, has played viking, sci-fi, western, medieval, and modern day adventures all with an incredible amount of success. It's an elegantly constructed system. I'd highly recommend it if you'd like to have a system you can apply to multiple settings. Their levelling system is very straightforward (much less clutter than the more overly-complicated systems), and looks as though it'd be a great system for a six month campaign. I think I agree with others in saying that more complex systems such as D&D and Pathfinder would suit campaigns that last years, but that doesn't mean a system like Savage Worlds can't provide a rich and complex experience. Plus, the Savage Worlds Deluxe Explorer's Edition is the only thing that a player OR a GM will need. Period. And it's only ten bucks on Amazon. Compared with the money-devouring $100+ costs of Pathfinder and D&D fixed material, I think it's an absolute steal for what you get. I love that they provide you with a "system" to invent your own stuff, whether that corresponds to inventing monsters, worlds, weapons, characters, etc. You can do it all with a ten dollar book. Anyway, glad to hear you're starting with Pathfinder. It's excellent. Just thought I'd recommend my most recent discovery. Welcome to Roll20!

thanks for the post man i hadn`t heard of the savage worlds system so thats a really useful point i`m still waiting to play as the game is in the post but me and the misses are really looking forward to it i may have to check out savage worlds too now though :) take care man.

Great part about Pathfinder, you never have to spend a dime on it. :)  Of course, I do spend many a dime on it just to support them but that is voluntary rather than by necessity. The Paizo PRD and the d20pfsrd (third party) are both free resources and have all the information a person could need to play except an adventure pack and Paizo's world information. Since many people play using their own adventures and world's that is not such a big deal.  - Gauss

I'm pretty much going to echo Gauss (*wave* Hi, Gauss!) - Pathfinder has a long pedigree and a solid design, with the note that the rulebook can sometimes seem a little lacking in explanations (if you have ANY problems with that, head over to the official Paizo messageboards and ask away) because many people have been playing what is almost the same system for a decade or more. Speaking for myself, D&D Next looks very exciting. I've played it a bit in the playtest (not as much as I want to have, actually), and it seems to strike a nice balance between 3.x/Pathfinder's "Ramp the numbers up" and 4E's "make everyone the same" without being too radically different. (It is more "D&D" than 4E, in my opinion, and a lot of it makes me think to myself "ooh, this reminds me of when I was playing Original D&D..." which pushes some of my nostalgia buttons). I will, though, say that I support Pathfinder and I fully intend to continue to do so. D&D Next isn't due out for a while, so I'm not going to be buying the glossy rulebooks for some time (I will buy them. It's inevitable), and Paizo are doing a bang-up job with Pathfinder, so they get to receive my gaming budget right now.

Hey Chemlak, fancy meeting you here. :D - Gauss

As others have said and you have observed, Pathfinder is a very popular RPG, for good reason. Puzzlle said: to me, a complete beginner, simplicity is the holy grail when choosing a system but i`m also unaware of any problems that may arise because of choosing the system that seemed the simplest. I will say that, as an offshoot of D&D 3.5, Pathfinder is definitely not the simplest of systems.  That being said, don't let that turn you off from giving it a go.  You've found a system that you are interested in, and while we can debate System A vs. System B all day long, your best bet is to go with something that interests you and then make note of things you do or don't like. Does Pathfinder have too many numbers and mechanics for your taste? Come back afterwards and ask for suggestions on something lighter. Perhaps Pathfinder doesn't have enough numbers; you'd prefer something more tactical or whatever.  Come back and ask for that instead. Maybe the fantasy setting doesn't work for you; perhaps you're more interested in a superhero game, or WWII, or science fiction, or pulp adventure, corporate espionage, etc.   Just be aware that all of these issues can be addressed, but it's best to have a baseline to start out from.   For you, it sounds like Pathfinder (for the many reasons that you and others stated), may be a great baseline for you start playing. (One final note: if the price of starting is an issue, be aware that there are plenty of game systems that are both cheap/free and high quality.)

I'm sick, and can't really focus enough on all the posts but I wanted to mention something. Don't get too set on a particular system.  While d20 is the 1000lb gorilla in the room, there are many good systems out there.  I LOVE Warhammer Fantasy RPG.  But that's just me.   Instead of worrying about which system to play, decide what kind of GAME you want to play.  Fantasy?  Sci-Fi? Western?  Superhero? 1950's era pulp?  And even more importantly, find a group you mesh with .  I've had more fun w/ systems I didn't care for but loved the group, than systems I knew & enjoyed but the group sucked. If this has been said, I apologize for repeating.  But it's worth repeating so :P /me goes back to his fever dreams . . . .

In my opinion I would start with something like Labyrinth Lord that isn't so rules heavy, get a a feel for gaming then branch out into other things...  but that's just my opinion

Ty M. said: Don't get too set on a particular system.  While d20 is the 1000lb gorilla in the room, there are many good systems out there.  I LOVE Warhammer Fantasy RPG.  But that's just me.   Instead of worrying about which system to play, decide what kind of GAME you want to play.  Fantasy?  Sci-Fi? Western?  Superhero? 1950's era pulp?  And even more importantly, find a group you mesh with . I approve this message. Seriosly it's almost word by word what I was about to write after reading the op.

I have deleted posts due to comments advocating pirating. If you feel this is in error please send a message to either myself or to Nolan  and we may consider undeleting the message.  - Gauss

Once you learn one roleplaying game, most other systems will be easier to transition into, even if they are more complex. The level of complexity you enjoy or the level of customation is where most people find the niche for the RPG system for them. Pathfinder is a pretty good place to start as it is both one of the more popular systems being played as well as being a fairly diverse system that gives you a look into many different playing styles in the classes and the ability to be fairly simplistic in character builds to more complex ones. It's particularly easy transitioning between systems that use similar core dice, like Pathfinder is a D20 based system where the standard dice you roll is the d20. There are also d6 and d10 or d100 systems. The rulebooks will give you an idea of the system and the flavor of the text in rulebooks can make or break my interest... Warhammer 40k and GURPS are a bit too dry and rules heavy for my taste. All editions of D&D (pathfinder included) are fairly entertaining as well as being informative, detailed rule systems with inspiration for fun. Systems like BESM or d20 Fantasy/Modern/Future are full of Flavor and are more rules designed to  back a storytelling experience. Since you are new, word of wisdom is don't left the gamemaster turn you off of a system. It's always more fun to roleplay with people that you already get along with and particularly online, chatting outside of the game helps build the group dynamic. I find static groups that hand off GM duties around the table and spend a lot of time together to be the best kinds.

Hey Puzzlle, I don't know if you got your boxset in yet.  Either way I wish you luck on your voyage of discovery. I also wish to pass on something I have learned from my life experiences so far to help you out.  First, I agree with Maetco in his agreeing with TY M.  Confused yet? : ) Well basically I have learned and I would recommend you always keep in mind What YOU WANT to Play and How YOU WANT to Play.  Let these by the wind that guides your journey. The How will lead you to a group that you will enjoy many years playing with.  : ) The How believe it or not can come from what you like to do for fun right now.  Ask yourself do you like more creative  or  more analytical activities? I believe Pathfinder and the different DnD systems lean more towards analyzing activities if you are following all the rules set in the book to the letter. But the most important rule stated directly or indirectly in all Table Top role Playing games is this: YOU DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW ANY OF THE RULES IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.  : ) Even if Pathfinder is not perfect for you keep what rules you enjoy and just have fun..... I hope you two have fun  learning and have few incidents with stormy weather.....  : )

well its been a while since i visited and posted here but irl stuff is keeping us busy however the Patfinder boxset did turn up and good grief was it confusing but alas, i persisted with the reading and got a basic grasp of the mechanics played through the solo adventure alone and with the girlfriend and that was a great introduction to the basics. after a fair bit more reading we decided that she would be the GM. i could not read the first few pages of the GM guide and eventually took the plunge and tried out the black fang adventure i chose the elven rouge to try out and we had a great time albeit a longer time than we anticipated, or was stated on the box (60 mins) we ended up playing last night until 2AM :/. silly newbs lol. we are now considering creating our own characters to level up and also having a go at making our own missions all in all we are both happy with the contents and overall experience of the beginner boxset and would recommend it to anyone thinking of trying out TTRPG for the first time there is so much room for expansion we have only scratched the surface and i`m already considering the core rulebook and GM books for future adventures :) a big thanks to you guys on roll20 who have given any advice and tips on the forums and i look forward to being prepared for a great adventure with you once a character has been forged.

Make sure you visit the paizo.com web site&nbsp; <a href="http://paizo.com/beginnerbox" rel="nofollow">http://paizo.com/beginnerbox</a> and download the the Beginner Box free pdfs. &nbsp;There are some nice short adventures in the Bash Demos.

A lot of the popular RPGs are based on the 3.5 OGL. Pathfinder is just a drop in the bucket, and it really depends on the style of games you like to play. I love fantasy, don't get me wrong, but I'm just so burned out on it lately.

A good set of tabletop rules is the Talislanta RPG. It is a unique RPG setting that has a good group of dedicated fans.The creator allowed most of the editions to be posted for free downloads under the Creative Commons licence. The rules are deceptively simple, yet seem to cover whatever you try to do. The core of the dice mechanics is this little chart for your modified d20 (or d10) roll: The collection can be found at&nbsp; Talislanta.com . I wouldn't mind running or playing a 4th Ed Talislanta campaign sometime. However, school keeps me from sitting down and doing some serious campaign writing.

That chart reminds me of ICONS (Superhero type RPG). &gt;0 is a failure, 0-2 Moderate Success, 3-4 Major Success, &lt;5 Cosmic Success.

That chart has been the core of the system since 1st Ed. Talisanta. A lot of the things you do is based on intent and the degree of success determines how well you execute things. You can even do several things at once, but those require skill rolls that get progressively worse as each additional action gets a&nbsp;cumulative&nbsp;-5 modifier. The magic system has actually evolved over time. I like a lot of stuff in the 4th Edition, but you do need to use the optional rules from the Codex Magicus to tame the magic system a bit. Creating spells could be the toughest part of the game, but if you work carefully, it should not be a huge headache. ICONS sounds vaguely familiar, but I've been more of a Champions fan. I've also played both of the older TSR Marvel Superheroes games (color bar system,) the diceless Marvel game, and some Heroes Unlimited.

We &nbsp;are using a very narrow definition of role playing game here. Puzzlie it depends what GENRE you want to play. Fantasy rpg? -Pathfinder is fine Hard sci fi?-try mongoose traveller and either the Core 3 rd Imperium setting, the 2300 setting or the Twilight Sector setting Superheroes? -champions is popular etc etc A good generic setting adaptable to most genres (probably except hard sci fi) is Savage Worlds: very simple too for a beginner. I would discuss with your players the genre they would prefer to play (Fantasy, Sci Fi, Supers, Wild West, 30's pulp etc etc), and then decide your system from there. As a GM the Genre HAS to be one you would enjoy running, before all other considerations.

A good horror system that I've played is All Flesh Mush Be Eaten. Create your own spin on a zombie apocalypse&nbsp;and see how long your players can survive.