So you’ve decided to take the plunge into the wonderful world of the hobby known as tabletop roleplaying games. Fantastic. Which one?
Why yes, there is more than one.
How many? A lot. A quick Google search says hundreds. DrivethruRPG, one of the main storefronts for rpgs and supplements lists several thousand.
There’s a chair right there. Take a drink of water and catch your breath. We’ll go through this step by step.
When choosing an RPG there’s a lot to consider. I mean, you could just play Dungeons and Dragons like everyone else. 5th edition is pretty good, especially for new players, even if it is getting long in the tooth. It’s the gateway. Like if you pick up fantasy novels by reading Tolkien. Or if you get into trading cards by picking up Magic the Gathering.
No, I wouldn’t use 5th edition for that. It’s built for medieval fantasy, and while you can stretch and tweak it, there are things that fit better. Its like using your Prius to carry home your new couch. You can maybe make it fit with some creativity, but borrowing your cousin’s truck or having it delivered would make things a lot easier and save you time. So, what criteria should you consider when choosing an RPG?
1. What Genre do I want to play?
The list of RPG genres is long and getting longer. While fantasy games are a staple (D&D, Pathfinder), you can also find games for cyberpunk futurism (Cyberpunk RED, Shadowrun), Horror (Call of Cthulu, Delta Green,), or even very specific genres like Magical Girls (Glitter Hearts) or 80’s kids doing adventures (Kids on Bikes). Chances are, even your favorite fandom has an RPG. Star Wars has several, both official and fanmade. Even more obscure or cult properties might have one. If they don’t at the moment, wait a few months. There are even some systems that don’t have a setting at al, if you wanna play in a settign that doesn’t have an official RPG.
2. How much money do I want to spend?
As someone that has struggled with funds in the past and sometimes the present, this is a very valid concern. RPGs can be very very expensive to get into. They can also be very inexpensive. A new copy of a players handbook or equivalent is often about $50. If you plan on playing with a mini, that’s an additional expense. Online resources can help ease the burden of entry, and in some cases, make it free or nearly free to play. Digital pdfs are often cheaper than their physical counterparts. Honestly really all you NEED to play at most tables is a character sheet, a pencil and some dice. Often the DM or other players will have the books you need to reference in order to play. Playing on a budget is a topic I may cover in future posts
. 3. How much time do I want to spend?
Whether its a oneshot or a longer campaign is also something you want to consider when choosing an RPG to play. I’ve been in games that lasted a single session and some that have gone on for years. Some systems are better for a single session or a short campaign of 6-8 sessions total rather than one that can last for hundreds. The progression and levelling in certain certain systems are not built at all for long games. You also want to consider the average length of your session. Some games can run for marathon all day sessions, but generally 2-3 hours for a session is a pretty good length of time.
4. How much brainpower do I want to spend?
There is a wide range in complexity of RPGs. Some you can fit the whole rules system on a single sheet of paper and the character sheet on an index card. On the other end of the spectrum are heavy hardback books solid enough to be used as a deadly weapon with rules for every concievable scenario. The first edition of Pathfinder was an example of the latter, which is why it had the nickname ‘Mathfinder’. Some systems you can learn in an afternoon or less, others will take a lot of reading. Decide how much time and effort you wanna put into mastering your chosen system and whether or not a system is worth it or not. As a side note, you don’t have to memorize the entire rulebook. But, you at least should be familiar with the character sheet and how YOUR spells and abilities work. Your fellow players will appreciate you.
5. Can I get someone else to play this with me?
At their core, tabletop rpgs are very social games, played with a group of other players. Solo games do exist, and you are welcome to give them a try. But no matter how cool your post-apocalytpic sand raider pirate system looks that you wanna try, if you can’t attract interest from you potential players, it’ll just collect dust on your shelf, real or digital. It may be better to pick something more popular at first, unless you know for sure that your friend group is into that particular type of game. There are other questions I could answer, but I have games to run myself.
Later
Happy Gaming,
Lake.
