I love introducing new people to RPGs. It’s one of my favourite things. I’ve even run a how to GM session for an RPG club and helped a new GM run their first few games. That was a fun experience.
I’d definitely recommend not starting with Anima for a first game system now though.
Honestly, the system you run for new players should depend on who those players are, their preferences, and comfort levels with related things you can use to judge their preferences. A group of hardcore eurogame boardgamers are going to be a lot more comfortable learning a complex rule system than my in-laws.
I don’t think DND or close relatives is as good a first system as people think it is. It’s very idiosyncratic. It wastes a lot of time with stuff like “8 is -1 and 14 is +2”. But mostly I don’t recommend it because at its core it is a resource management game, and that’s not what most people imagine roleplaying is about. It will teach people bad habits, or at least habits that don’t translate outside of DND + their group very well.
I like Fate. I think Fate is more intuitive and rewards creativity more consistently. You don’t need to read long lists of classes and spells. It does, however, ask for a lot more creative input than DND does. You can’t just be “Bob the fighter” and go. But it’s a lot more rewarding when it does sing, IMO.
I love introducing new people to RPGs. It’s one of my favourite things. I’ve even run a how to GM session for an RPG club and helped a new GM run their first few games. That was a fun experience.
I’d definitely recommend not starting with Anima for a first game system now though.
What system do you recommend for a first game?
Honestly, the system you run for new players should depend on who those players are, their preferences, and comfort levels with related things you can use to judge their preferences. A group of hardcore eurogame boardgamers are going to be a lot more comfortable learning a complex rule system than my in-laws.
I don’t think DND or close relatives is as good a first system as people think it is. It’s very idiosyncratic. It wastes a lot of time with stuff like “8 is -1 and 14 is +2”. But mostly I don’t recommend it because at its core it is a resource management game, and that’s not what most people imagine roleplaying is about. It will teach people bad habits, or at least habits that don’t translate outside of DND + their group very well.
I like Fate. I think Fate is more intuitive and rewards creativity more consistently. You don’t need to read long lists of classes and spells. It does, however, ask for a lot more creative input than DND does. You can’t just be “Bob the fighter” and go. But it’s a lot more rewarding when it does sing, IMO.