Five Quick Tips For Learning a New RPG
Learning a new RPG can seem daunting. But it’s not always as hard as it looks. Especially with these handy tips for learning a new RPG.
RPGs might seem like this mysterious, veiled secret knowledge only a select few can have. Nothing is further than the truth. But that feeling is hard to shake. You struggle to grasp the rules of the game you’re playing currently — am I using a bonus action now? what does a reaction do again? — and that’s assuming you get them right in the first place.
Keeping all that in mind while also learning a whole new way to play might seem wild. But it’s a lot easier than it sounds. The fact of the matter is, once you’ve learned one, you have the baseline vocabulary for learning others quickly.
And if, like the majority of folks out there, the one you learned was the world’s most written-about RPG, you’ve started with one of the hardest ones to learn.
But learning multiple games and playing them isn’t some nuclear secret. High schoolers, who have nothing but time, the little jerks
Not All Games Take 60 Pages to Tell You How to Play – Jump to an Easy One First
That brings us to our first tip. Not every game needs you to read a 300-page SRD in order to fully grasp its mechanics. You might need a little time to figure out how everything works.
But there are plenty of games out there that famously, have all their rules on a very small number of pages. From rules-lite games like Honey Heist which is itself a hack of Lasers & Feelings, both of which are RPGs that you could fit on an index card, to slightly more complex games, there’s a lot to mess around with.
If you’re looking to learn a new system, sometimes, picking up a small one can be a great way to shake off the dust and kickstart your little grey cells.
Plus it gets you playing quickly. One of the best ways to learn a new game is by playing it. But!
Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes
One of the biggest hurdles facing people looking to break into a new RPG is the idea that you have to get it right the first time you play. A lot of actual play is making mistakes, figuring out rulings, and how to handle things, and moving on from there.
Even if you’re good at the rules, this seems to be a constant feature. You might want to try something unusual as a player. Or if you’re running a game, you might want to do something that feels right for the story you’re telling at your own table.
And with the freedom to make mistakes, you can take some of the blocks out from your path to learning a new RPG.
Use the Rails
Many RPGs have a starter set or beginner box that’s designed to teach new players the game. Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu have one, even if you don’t have a beginner box that you can unpack and start playing with, there are many more resources for new players now than there have ever been.
In addition to video tutorials, or examples of folks playing, the idea of a starter adventure/scenario is all but baked into our concept of a game. It’s in the Quickstart rules of most games out for Crowdfunding, you’ll find them baked into setting books for more familiar games — quick, easy-to-run game sessions in a single package can be yours. If you’re not sure what to look for, try searching for [Game Name] intro adventure.
Trust Your Instincts
Okay, this one is challenge level: impossible, sure. But also, if you’ve played an RPG you’ve already gotten past the hardest part of learning a system: actually doing something with the knowledge.
Your experience won’t necessarily translate from one to one. Games based around a d20 run very differently from games based around 2d6, for instance. If you’re used to telling your players “give me a perception check” when they ask a question, something like Blades in the Dark’s “players prompt the rolls” might take some getting used to. Weirder still if you’re playing a game that doesn’t even have a GM.
But you can. You got used to saying “give me a perception check” or responding like a calm, rational person when someone yells “INSIGHT CHECK” at you from two feet away.
Ask For Help From Someone Who Knows
Depending on your friendly local gaming store, they might be familiar with some of the games you’re playing with. Many FLGSes have much more than D&D and Pathfinder on their shelves these days. Especially if they have been around since the 3rd Edition days or before.
But! Even if your FLGS is understocked or nonexistent, you can still find someone to ask for help. There’s bound to be a subreddit for the game because RPG nerds love message boards. And there’s likely an official discord these days as well. You might have to do a little searching, but there are communities of people out there who love nothing more than explaining the rules of their chosen game to other people.
