Tabletop RPG?
The_Potty_1
Member Posts: 436
My daughter expressed an interest in some sort of Tabletop RPG, but, probably due to the substandard quality of my friends, this is an area I've never actually gotten into. The closest is a couple of Magic the gathering evenings, and after one 4-hour game we're generally happy to pack it in, go outside, have a drink, and stare at a fire.
We've tried multiplayer computer games, we both have copies of BG1ee, and have even spun up an illegal third copy for my son, but they both find playing BG with me to be somewhat tiresome, because I know every rock, and I tend to steer a bit. We also tried NWN1, with some success, but I was never grabbed by it.
I was quite active on a brutally hard text-based mud long ago, and it's still going, so we might try that. Or there's always WoW, but that just feels silly.
However, if we wanted to get into actual pen & paper RPGs, firstly what works if you're somewhat chaotic, and not terribly interested in rules. I read through my brother in law's D&D 1st edition players handbook, and also his shadowrun handbook, but those might be too involved. Actually, I saw a lego-based RPG a coupla years ago, perhaps I should try that?
Anyway, I'd like some layman-level thoughts on the pros and cons of the various D&D editions, whatever the hell pathfinder is, and I suppose bear in mind I'm pretty familiar with 2nd edition, and have some idea of 3rd edition from NWN2.
TL;DR summary:
If I want to try simple dungeon-mastering without any idea what I'm doing, what tools are avaliable to help me?
We've tried multiplayer computer games, we both have copies of BG1ee, and have even spun up an illegal third copy for my son, but they both find playing BG with me to be somewhat tiresome, because I know every rock, and I tend to steer a bit. We also tried NWN1, with some success, but I was never grabbed by it.
I was quite active on a brutally hard text-based mud long ago, and it's still going, so we might try that. Or there's always WoW, but that just feels silly.
However, if we wanted to get into actual pen & paper RPGs, firstly what works if you're somewhat chaotic, and not terribly interested in rules. I read through my brother in law's D&D 1st edition players handbook, and also his shadowrun handbook, but those might be too involved. Actually, I saw a lego-based RPG a coupla years ago, perhaps I should try that?
Anyway, I'd like some layman-level thoughts on the pros and cons of the various D&D editions, whatever the hell pathfinder is, and I suppose bear in mind I'm pretty familiar with 2nd edition, and have some idea of 3rd edition from NWN2.
TL;DR summary:
If I want to try simple dungeon-mastering without any idea what I'm doing, what tools are avaliable to help me?
1
Comments
Haven't played it for ages, so not sure where or even if it's still available for purchase though.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/699/heroquest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeroQuest
Edit: Wow.. did a quick googling and found this, 349 USD! That's fricking expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/Milton-Bradley-4101-HeroQuest-System/dp/B000MVTUBM
As for PnP, I'd always recommend AD&D 2nd edition as my go to. It provides primarily Role based rules that mean you don't have to go crazy with character combinations and it is fairly set out what you need to survive. So less time customizing and more time playing.
If you are looking for something a bit simpler and (to use your own words, chaotic), I would recommend an old game called Paranoia. I'm not sure if you can still get it but the premise was pretty fun and the game was plenty chaotic. Each player played a family of clones in a future world where the colony is controlled by this computer who is insane. Each player also belongs to a secret faction and each faction have their own agendas for any given mission, some of which are highly conflicting. Anyway, you set out on the mission, whatever that mission happens to be, and end up facing not only the problem at hand but the crazy computer and your plotting and scheming party member companions. If anyone dies, they get replaced by their next clone brother. I don't think I ever was in a party that actually finished a given quest, but it was boatloads of fun on the way down.
Beyond that, I've heard good things about Pathfinder but have never played it.
... I wants it. I NEEDS IT!
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/paizopathfinder_bookbundle