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  #31  
Old Apr 7th, 2015, 10:50 AM
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I would suggest 3.5. It is more in depth and has a lot more on the character sheets than 5. It'll help you get a much better grasp of the game and rules and game play. Most of the people I know that play IRL tried 5 and didn't like it, went back to 3.5
  #32  
Old Apr 8th, 2015, 12:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by William Imm View Post
Can I take a third option and say that I consider Numenera to be one of the best tabletop RPGs for beginners? The mechanics of the system are very simple and easy to teach though a single session. Or single game here. Plus it encourages cooperative storytelling, so the new player feels like he's affecting the world along with the other players.

As for the best D&D version for beginners... that's a tough question. 5e was a rather bland system for me, but I got my head around most of it as a player. 4e I consider to be a much more fun system, but it's got a steep learning curve. It's still possible to start with that, but I would suggest going with an Essentials character, which are deliberately simplified, and are what I feel to be the better parts of that (besides the mage subclass of the wizard). No experience with D&D versions before that, unless you count Baldur's Gate as 2.5e experience.
I like Numenera, but it doesn't have anywhere close to the user-base that D&D or Pathfinder have. I think for beginners it would be best for them to learn on something that is more widespread.

As for the system itself, I would suggest 5e. I understand you found it to be bland, but I would venture to guess you're coming from, at least, 4e? If so, I can see why you'd think that 5e was stripped down, since it doesn't have the dizzying array of powers for every class as in 4e. But for a beginner, all those options can be rather intimidating, leading to paralysis of analysis. Likewise, Pathfinder is a fun system, with tons of customization available, and all those options make it less newbie-friendly. 5e is more intuitive and straightforward than Pathfinder or earlier edition so of D&D, so I think it would be best.

In fact, if the player didn't want to play 5e for whatever reason, then the next system I'd recommend would be whatever OSR game they could get into. Labyrinth Lord, Swords and Wizardry, etc. They're even more simplified than 5e, and they've gotten rid of much of the quirky rules from the older editions that threw people for loops.

Once they got their feet wet, then I'd introduce them to other systems like Pathfinder, Numenera, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and Dungeonworld, or even go hardcore storytelling w/ a Fate system game.
  #33  
Old Apr 10th, 2015, 01:52 PM
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Can I just say, this is the first time, in I would take a gamble and say the HISTORY OF THE FREAKING INTERNET that a thread of this nature hasn't broken down into screaming, complaining, and your momma jokes.


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  #34  
Old Apr 13th, 2015, 02:38 PM
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This thread is highly relevant to my interests, and I expected to make up my mind after reading it. But now, I'm actually even more conflicted than before. The answers and arguments are evenly divided among the systems.

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that it doesn't really matter where you start, but it's worth trying out all the systems and see what suits your tastes. Not sure why, but I've formerly had the impression that picking your camp early was the thing to do. Obviously that's not the case.
  #35  
Old Apr 13th, 2015, 03:20 PM
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Nekobiker: You could do quite quite fine going with the latest edition of D&D. Even with my issues and feelings regarding the system, I still had fun playing with it.

Though, you don't have to go D&D yourself. It is the most common choice, but it's not the only one. Numenera I know is quite easy to learn, so I'd seriously suggest looking at that. And economics wise, it'll be less expensive than D&D (especially if you plan to run your own games in the future).
  #36  
Old Apr 21st, 2015, 06:43 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nekobiker View Post
This thread is highly relevant to my interests, and I expected to make up my mind after reading it. But now, I'm actually even more conflicted than before. The answers and arguments are evenly divided among the systems.

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that it doesn't really matter where you start, but it's worth trying out all the systems and see what suits your tastes. Not sure why, but I've formerly had the impression that picking your camp early was the thing to do. Obviously that's not the case.
I definitely agree that trying out different systems is the way to go. After all, you don't know whether you like something until you try it.
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  #37  
Old May 1st, 2015, 05:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ekendra View Post
Thanks. I'll just stick with 3.5 for now. I've got enough materials and at least I know from others that it is a satisfying game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nekobiker View Post
This thread is highly relevant to my interests, and I expected to make up my mind after reading it. But now, I'm actually even more conflicted than before.
Not trying to be the guy that tells other people how to play or rpg, but I think these are still down the wrong path bcause they are still asking mechanical questions. The hardest part of rpging is telling the story.

Can friends sit around a table, crunching numbers and have fun? Sure, they can probably sit around play chess, drink beer as well, and they might have a lot of fun. But why should 4 friends sit around drinking beer and playing chess when they could have a 4 player game like dnd instead. I'm not really making a case for 'number crunching dnd' but asking why not play actual roleplaying instead. So my conclusion here is that if you want to combine this class with that race to get the maximum intelligence bonus and so on, I think your friends will have more fun playing a board game or something (wargaming like wh40k?).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skylarious View Post
Based on what you've said about your concerns about builds limiting roleplaying opportunities,
..
And in the end the choice of system matters less than the DM and players when it comes to making a great story.
So really ^^this, and the whole post has a lot of gold in it. It points out some individual mechanical problems that interfere with rping. Mainly for a new player, and doubly for a new dm, the rules should be simplified as much as possible. You can really play within a complicated world (rules wise), know nothing of the rules, play your character well and be an above average player. They key thing to understand about this example is that dm should be assisting with the rules, telling you what mechanically you can't do, and all that a good player has to do is act from the character's perspective.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dracc View Post
That being said, for a real tabletop session, a group of new players and a green DM would have the best time starting with 4e, but if you're trying to get started here using the pbp method, then starting with 3.5e or Pathfinder is perfectly fine.
So my answer would be boiled down to this, as long remember the rules are there to help you rp, but the rules are not the rp.

Last edited by 013BlackDragon; May 1st, 2015 at 05:21 PM.
  #38  
Old May 5th, 2015, 03:28 AM
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I've only played 3.5 and 4e, and while 4e is more streamlined and easier to get into imo, they are both very different games. Outside of d20 rules and some basic similarities between races and classes in both games, the mechanics of the two games function very differently. If you start playing 4e to learn about D&D, and then you want to switch over to 3.5, you're going to be relearning a new game, you'll just have a better understanding of terminology. In 4e, you don't have to worry about preparing spells or spell slots because every class just gets at-will, encounter, and daily powers, but in 3.5, you really have to grasp how spells work if you want to play a casting class, and it can take a bit to understand.

It comes down to this for me. 4e is more action oriented and possibly more interesting from a combat perspective, but it is also less challenging. If you play the game with a well rounded group, it is really difficult for a character to die, which can suck some of the excitement out of adventuring. 3.5 is more of a hardcore tabletop game in comparison. The combat isn't all that robust (wizard runs out of spells after three rounds and starts firing his crossbow...ugh), but there tends to be more of an emphasis on skills, puzzles, and role playing as well as a greater challenge in that death is a very real possibility. And I say all this as a guy who feels more comfortable playing 4e.

That's just my two cents.
  #39  
Old Jun 11th, 2015, 12:04 PM
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My brother and some friends have been playing 5e for a while now and we've come to notice it's basically a simpler version of 3.5e
  #40  
Old Jun 11th, 2015, 05:52 PM
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I don't think it is the edition as much as the DM.

With that said,

It is difficult for a die hard 2nd edition player to jump into the newer editions. Because the transition that took place went opposite of everything we played for years.

Same with fans of the newer editions going back to 1st or 2nd edition. It can be quite confusing jumping back and forth.

1st and 2nd editions were easy for me to learn when I started and a good DM (regardless of what edition) will help you in creation and mechanics.

Rules in the old days were vague and had tons of gaps in the rule books, this allowed DMs to have better control over their games. Problem was that you couldn't take character from game #1 and take it to game #5 because the DMs had different rulings/house rules/etc.

As newer editions came out more and more rules were added to fill in the gaps. Creating rules lawyers from hell that knew every sentence in every book with a rule in it. That allowed transferring characters easier, but also created a conflict between the DM and his/her home brew rules and the rules lawyers. Those arguments can kill a game.

So, it is a flavor thing with no real answer. Good DMs will always help a new person out until they no longer have to carry you.
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  #41  
Old Jun 18th, 2015, 06:28 PM
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I'm tempted to suggest none of the above, D&D teaches bad habits when it comes to roleplay. However that is a personal opinion.

I think the easiest to absorb as a total beginner is 5e. The rules are fairly light so far and it's not nearly as intrisically complex as 3.5 or pathfinder. In addition it makes a small nod towards actually differentiating character from mechanics.

If you are interested in a roleplaying experience, check out Fate Core (free) or if you want something with a bit more in the rules department Burning Wheel or Blade of the Iron Throne (both not free).
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  #42  
Old Jun 30th, 2015, 01:50 PM
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Pathfinder or 5e. The things that are difficult for new players are not the nuances of the rules that might confound someone who already has system mastery for a similar game. The best game to teach a newbie is a game that's still actively played.
  #43  
Old Jul 14th, 2015, 12:48 AM
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I have to vote for 5e if you want to play D&D. And if you want a "rules light" system, you might be interested in Savage Worlds. I think the mechanics have been really nicely balanced and streamlined in 5e, and think its their best version to date. The basic rules are available from Wizards of the Coast online for free, and if you like it, you can then invest in the player's guide. Almost everyone I know, both in real life and online, have switched to 5e, so I find that its a lot easier to find a game. If nothing's nearby, most gaming stores run 5e games as well. Whatever version or rule set you choose, one of the above posters was absolutely correct, that the game system is much less important than the GM and the other players. A creative, fun group of people are going to have a good time regardless of the rule system.
  #44  
Old Aug 4th, 2015, 03:08 PM
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Which system is easier?

I newish to DnD so i'm not sure about previous editions of dnd but 5e is miles simpler than 4e. Plane and simple. You may get some old school gamers who tell you otherwise but... if your not sure I'm a big fan of Nerdardy, they have a YouTube channel. They are a group of old experienced gamers who made the decision to change to 5th. They put out 2 vids a day, most of them about 5th edition.
  #45  
Old Aug 28th, 2015, 08:06 PM
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Um, this is gonna sound pretty weird, but how do you know which version is which? I don't remember the rulebook specifically mentioning it was 3.5 or 5e...
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