Below are some points of advice that would have made it easier for me to get into the hobby. Hopefully they’ll be useful for others that are interested in tabletop role-playing.
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| Pieter Brueghel the Younger, ca. 1600 |
A few years ago, the 5th edition core rulebooks of D&D were $50 USD each. They’ve since come down in price, particularly on a popular online retailer that doesn’t need any free advertising. The previous prices were a high barrier to enter the hobby at the time. Even now it’s still hard to get new players into the hobby if they’re going to need to buy books. Which leads us to the first point: there are many systems that are available free of cost. It’s in any new player’s best interest to investigate at least a few free systems before making a purchase. Why spend money if you don’t have to?
D&D is just one system among many. Although it’s popular and has brand recognition, it’s not necessarily the one that everyone is going to enjoy the most. I don’t regret buying the core rulebooks for 5e (except maybe the Dungeon Master’s Guide), however, other systems might have been more appealing had I done more research. Take, for example, any system that only has one core rulebook. It can make it far easier to get into a system if all of the rules are contained in one place and potentially reduce the cost. We should also remember that D&D is mainly oriented around a specific type of role-playing: namely, medieval swords and sorcery. If that doesn’t sound interesting, be sure to look for systems that are more tailored to what sounds exciting. Stars Without Number, for instance, is a system for space-faring sci-fi that is freely available in PDF. If you’re more interested in a post-apocalyptic setting, Mutant Future is an option; there’s a version of the PDF without artwork that is free.
Think about what you want out of your role-playing experience. Are you more interested in collaborative storytelling rather than combat? A blend of both? Look for systems that take those things into account. It may take many hours of reading and playing before you find the system that you like the most.
If I had found Basic Fantasy Role-Playing (BFRPG) prior to buying 5e, there’s a chance I may not have ever bought the 5e core rulebooks. BFRPG can be obtained at no cost in PDF from the official website. There are lots of additional resources available for the system, including optional rules and adventure modules. Even if you have no intention of ever playing BFRPG itself, go and get all of the material anyway. It’s a great resource that can be looted for ideas. When I first read through the core rules, it didn’t seem terribly compelling. It has since become my favorite.
Once you’ve decided on a system, don’t panic — you don’t have to read every page before you can start playing. In general terms, the Game Master (GM) and players only need to know a few things for any given system:
- how to make a character and fill out the character sheet;
- how to engage in combat (even at a basic level);
- and how to resolve player actions outside of combat (this part depends heavily on the system).
It might be beneficial to treat every part of engaging with role-playing as part of the fun, especially when you and your group are just getting into the hobby. Get together with your players and GM before actually doing a session to walk through character creation. Depending on the rules, this process can be complicated and take a fair amount of time.
We now turn to some tips for new GMs. (Not a GM? Feel free to skip to the end.) If you have no ideas whatsoever for the first session, you may wish to use an adventure written by someone else. Doing so can remove some of the preparation burden. It might give you enough inspiration to prepare your own adventure down the line.
Don’t over-plan your first session. In general, you’ll probably only need a single dungeon (or area for the players to explore) as well as a location that the players can use as a home base, such as a town. If you’re concerned about needing material for improvisation, find a table of random encounters to have just in case (see the table included in the Arts Quarter of Pewtershore for an example).
Your first session will likely be messy. There will be rules that are misinterpreted, ignored, or simply broken. Players will make mistakes that might lead to their characters’ untimely deaths. That’s perfectly fine. Relax and have fun with your players.
When playing, try to avoid looking up rules in the books. It usually
slows the game down too much in the middle of play. Until the you and the
players become more familiar with the rules, it might be best for you (as the
GM) to make a call and keep it consistent for the immediate session, then
check the rules later if desired. Always remember that the system is a
framework; don’t be afraid to change rules to make it best suit you and
your players. Tabletop role-playing is meant to be fun for the entire group, GM included. Make sure that your players understand this key point; a session shouldn’t turn into a fun experience for one at the expense of the others.
To return to the issue of finances: try to avoid buying too many resources. You don’t need to and it’s easy to end up in a situation where you’ve got far too much to read, let alone use at the table. GMs probably spend more money on the hobby compared to players who never take on the role of GM. If you do decide to buy materials, be sure to check out small, independent publishers first. They frequently make more bizarre and inspiring stuff that’s sold far cheaper than the mainstream.
This post has been mostly motivated by my own experience of not doing enough research before buying rulebooks. Hopefully others won’t make the same mistake before checking out what else is out there first. If you’ve read this post as someone new to the hobby and still have questions, be sure to look online for communities. Most of them tend to be friendly towards new players.
Welcome to the hobby!