oooh this brings up a topic I talked and wrote and designed a lot about internally but not publicly, so here's a summary:

don't be afraid to be the New Person if you have friends who are experienced RPGers

(short--I think--thread) https://twitter.com/glitterspitx/status/1264727023546707969

So despite the best efforts of various TTRPG creators, the systems out there tend to be either arcane (D20 games like D&D and Pathfinder) or obscure (a lot of lovely, rules-light indie games that, as a newcomer, you'll likely never know exist unless someone tells you).

And look, I'm not interested in a debate on whether story games are better for newcomers.

My experience is that it *absolutely depends* on the player.

Story games are usually a lot easier to grasp as far as *how to play* than D&D and its derivatives (hello, PF's 600+-page rulebook).

On the other hand, the very thing that a lot of story game enthusiasts love about them can also be a turn-off for some new players.

And that is: most of the most popular story games out there don't have a lot of pre-made scenarios. They're communal and egalitarian as far as determining what the story is.

That is *absolutely a plus*... for some people.

But when I've run games for some newcomers, that actually made them not want to play.

They didn't *want* to help write a story. They wanted, basically, to play a Choose Your Own Adventure.

And in my younger days, that attitude tended to spark a hint of contempt in me that I had to smother.

Like, coming up with stories is *easy.* Anyone can do it. It's a basic human activity. Stop quailing and just DO it.

And I thought okay, this is just a hump I need to get them over and then they'll find out how fun it is to tell your own stories and it'll be great.

And some of them did get over it.

Some of them didn't. Eventually we switched to a more GM-centric setup and they were happy.

And occasionally I get hints of that same contempt from people who are super into story games/indie RPGs when they're talking to someone who's never played.

So I want to say this very clearly:

You are not less--less smart, less adventurous, less creative, less ANYTHING--for wanting to participate in a story someone else is creating rather than wanting to participate in democratically building a story.

It's not something you need to get over. It's a preference.

So, getting back to my original point, a lot of times the TTRPG landscape can feel like you have to choose:

rules-light game but without pre-mapped stories

or

robustly mapped stories but intimidating rulesets

If you feel like you have the drive and energy to create your own stories, play a story game!

If you want the sort of classic D20 experience, and want a more pre-designed or curated experience, though, don't be afraid to be the newbie at the table.

Because the crux of all the initiatives to figure out how to make a great, reproducible newbie Pathfinder experience was:

unfortunately we can't package and sell great GMs or great gaming groups

And at the heart of that is:

learning how to play Pathfinder or D&D is often really about there being an oral tradition

Yes, you can end up with groups who either largely leave newcomers to flounder, or who stiflingly over-explain everything, but a lot of gamers are happy to teach, and for experiential learners, just *getting in there* and having someone be like, okay, what do you want to do? ...

...you want to climb up onto the roof? cool, okay, here's your Acrobatics score, so roll this die and add that number...

YOU DID IT! you're on the roof!

is their first taste, with relatively few barriers to starting, of what makes these games so addictive

And you when you learn with experienced players, you learn relatively organically. And when you're actually using the rulebook, you're using it in the way that works best, which is as a reference in which you look stuff up and not as an instruction guide on how to play.

And so often, when I hear people say they want to play an RPG, I hear them say things like, "well, I have friends who play but I'd rather find other newbies to play with."

and I'm like... whatwhy

you have friends who already know how to do this, play with them!

like, we can do as many beginner boxes and strategy guides as we want

but playing with experts is still, overwhelmingly, the easiest and most fun way to learn for most people

And for a lot of experienced players, like

I never WANT to play a D20 game in a group without at least one newbie because watching people figure it out and getting that vicarious joy of discovery is *the absolute best.*

So please, if you've never played a TTRPG before, do not preemptively rule out playing with more experienced players because you're worried about slowing the game down or looking stupid or whatever

most of the history of D20 games is about oral history being passed on