#RPGaDay2022 - Day 2: What is a great introductory RPG?

 

Day Two of #RPGaDay2022 and the big question is - 'What is a great introductory RPG?'

Ah, this is more like it. But where to start? 

I know a lot of people would say 'Start with D&D' - very valid. Especially with some great starter sets out there to get to playing fairly quickly. But if D&D isn't your thing, or if it's a bit too complicated to ease the new players in gently, what could you go for?

I'd go with something extremely fun and simple - first suggestion would be Ghostbusters. I mean, who doesn't like Ghostbusters?

The West End Games Ghostbusters RPG is incredibly quick and simple. Really fast to play, hilarious to read, and just really cool. It's the game that made me want to write tabletop RPGs.

Of course, if you don't have access to a game that came out in the late 1980s, you could go for the next best thing - EN Publishing's 'Awfully Cheerful Engine' or ACE for short. The game system is basically a retroclone of Ghostbusters, so it keeps the character stats quick and easy and can be recorded on a character sheet the size of an index card. 

It has a host of great adventures that new players will recognise, not just ones that I've contributed to - Spirits of Manhattan is a Ghostbusters-like parody which was an absolute blast to write, and Strange Science will appeal to fans of Stranger Things, Weird Science, and Back to the Future. 

I'm all about the retro.

On the subject of Stranger Things, the other game I'd use for an introduction would be Tales from the Loop. I love that game - it's so simple and easy, but oozing in setting and feel. (I've used the image of a French supplement I'm still pondering getting, just for completists sake).