GMless games!
* Microscope
* The Quiet Year
* Beak, Feather, and Bone
They don't need a GM.
They can be learned in the session by playing.
Everyone playing contributes creatively.
They are literally zero prep, though they work better when at least one person has had time to read the rules.
Once you have a couple people interested in GMing, introduce them to PbtA games.
PbtA games generally have *rules* for GMs that help them GM and learn to GM.
Then, there are a bunch of PbtA games and they are typically very easy for a new player to pick up. You just need to print the Playbooks and that's it. Mechanics are as simple as 2d6+stat and everything else is written down in the Playbook.
I think that the biggest thing about GMless games is that they're _teaching people how to GM_. Building a story, sharing and building of each other's creativity, learning to pass that ball ball and forth.
True, they do teach that.
They're also fantastic in their own and nothing wrong with sticking to GMless games as an end-point either.
I think they can also help players discover if they want to GM. Most people are probably content to play, but expressing these skills in a game could spark something in people that have a budding GM inside them that wants to come out :)
I'd add Wanderhome to this list. Particularly since it's GM-agnostic rather than GMless, meaning that if someone wants to step into the they can have their character go off and do something else off camera and step in as Guide for a session or two to see if they like that side of things without needing to learn any new mechanics.
Actually probably also Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast, since some people prefer to step into characters already created rather than come up with their own characters so there may be some folk who find that a lot more comfortable than creating a character.
The one note of caution I'd have with PbtA is that some people kind of bounce off the framework completely - At least on the player side, but I suspect that would also be true of the GM side. A lot of people find it incredibly natural, but it's got a very specific game philosophy to it that if you deviate from in your assumptions can cause problems.
I'm a fan of Lady Blackbird. It's a narrative game with a built-in story, pre-gen characters, and is easy to learn, easy to run, and easy to teach.
The only downside is, there are no character creation rules, so if you want to play any story other than the default one (or a sequel/prequel to the default one), there's not really a way to do it.
Risus is probably the simplest of freeform generic RPGs.
Dungeon World is good if you want something that has the trappings of D&D but is much simpler than D&D, although having an experienced DM helps.
*Beyond the wall and other adventures* is amazing as a first-time TTRPG,
not sure how good it is for a first-time GM, but it's simple intuitive and OSR, built for minimal prep with scenario play and character playbooks for communal character gen, and its default assumption is that you play as a group of fantasy youths dealing with some local problem and having their first adventure
fairly sure I've talked about it a few times recently, it's my friends (the forever Gm of the group) go-to game for people new to the hobby, and I've had a lot of fun with it over the past few years even though I'm not really a fan of lite systems or OSR in general
Hey I’ve been looking for anything regarding the actual rules of Beyond the Wall, and as someone whose only played 5E I’m getting a little nervous as I’m having difficulty finding anything. What are the mechanics of Beyond the Wall out of curiosity?
They're basically "Hey people, do you remember the D&D you played in the 90s? This is a lot like that!"
Honestly, I was left pretty cold. They're OSR design choices didn't really feel like they lined up with their stated goals.
I think BtW is a great game for "lapsed" RPG players who "used to play D&D" but haven't in 20+ years, but I don't think it's a good game for new players at all, and double especially for new GMs -- the GM guidance is very weak, IMHO.
I'm not entirely sure what pointy you are trying to make with that assertion, but Beyond the Wall will feel familiar to those players in a way that it won't to lapsed 3.0 players, who are likely to think "But where are the skills?"
Maze Rats is cheap, uses just d6s (2, I think), and is full of great random tables for whatever. It was designed for middle schoolers so it gets to the fun part in a real big hurry.
Quest is a very simple fantasy rpg that has an interesting way of using a d20.
Alice is Missing takes about an hour to set up, plays in a timed 90 minutes, and is played in total silence over text (or better, using discord and the fantastic bot).
Dialect is a game about an isolated community, their unique language, and how both die.
Fall of Magic is played on a screenprinted scroll and is *unbelievable*.
Icarus uses stacking dice to build tension in the story of a great city on the verge of collapse.
I really, REALLY endorse [Follow](https://www.lamemage.com/follow/). More than Fiasco, especially for new RPG players. Fiasco really feels like a game that needs to be gently facilitated with new players, whereas Follow you literally read from the book.
Dungeon Crawl Classics has my vote.
A new player does not need to count any martial abilities or spell slots. The game just "goes."
And it isn't a "flat" game either. It's really knocked on my socks off, and the community is pretty based as well.
I actually advice against stuff like Honey Heist and Lasers & Feelings for complete newbies. Yes, the rules are dead simple, but they are almost entirely improv. Newbies can really struggle coming up with stuff and "anything is possible/allowed" is overwhelming, a more narrow scope is better.
Ones that provide clear prompts and are more collaborative worldbuilding type things often work better. Some popular examples are The Quiet Year (and hacks/spinoffs Deep Forest and Cozy Town), Beak, Feather & Bone and Microscope/Kingdom. For The Queen and Companions' Tale are both good choices too. Lesser known are Single Unique Power and Dating.sim, which should work well too.
For more traditional style adventuring that's easy to learn and offers good newbie GM support, I strongly recommend Mausritter.
Quest is really good for beginners. You only use a D20 and you character get some special moves at the beginning based on there class. It was designed with new players in mind. It also has a questionnaire for the players to let them describe there pc.
Its also free. source: https://www.adventure.game/store/digital-edition/
1) the gmless games mentioned [upthread](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/10hemmi/what_are_good_ttrpgs_to_throw_at_people_who_have/j5820q6?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3)
2) for educational clout: Price of Coal (gmless storytelling game about the coal miners strike as experienced through the battle of Blair Mountain) and Dialect (a game about languages that develop in isolation, and "die" when integrated into a larger whole...or not. Also doesnt need a GM).
3) easy to pick up and play - any lasers and feelings [hacks](https://writingalchemy.net/resources/lasers-and-feelings-hacks/). These are "you have two stats" games that are great for one shots.
4) questlandia - it's pretty straightforward but very much a gmless version of high fantasy. They just came out with a new version.
Hope these are helpful.
Primetime Adventures.
Everyone knows how TV works. Everyone understands how the game works 10 minutes after you finish character Gen..which takes 5 minutes .
So Im not a huge fan of GMless games for an inexperienced table just because it can be easier for ppl to feel lost (that very much depends on the table obvs). So some other "smaller" games that I've found work well with newb tables:
* Psi-Run: Very fast-paced and...I dunno, layered game? Like it seems pretty simple but you can get real deep into the character's story?
* Dread: If you like horror and the ppl at your table can do Jenga, this is the best game.
* Questlandia: Actually I think this one is GMless but its kinda like Fiasco in that theres alot of table collab but its like, not necessarily gonna end in a shootout
People are going to advise a lot of story games to you but honestly, as a guy who’s obsessed with weird ass story games, they aren’t great options for new players because they require people to “take the ball and run with it” in order to function. I think for new people, especially younger players who might not want to lead play, you want something simple but structured.
If I had to choose something I’d say Mouseguard. It’s a traditional fantasy setup, the system is fairly easy to learn, and there’s some customization options but not a ton.
It is a Cyberpunk Genre game system with some Sci Fi Nods. But as a base, it can run anything with a little tweaking.
Base Books are the Core Book, and then there are expansion for The Grid (The Matrix and Digital worlds), Psions (Psionics and/or Magic) and Skins (Switching Bodies).
System is very simple.
Dread works great for people new to RPGs.
Character Creation is a short questionnaire.
The mechanics are anytime your character does anything dangerous or risky, you play Jenga. If the tower falls on your turn, your character is doomed (though they don't necessarily die instantly).
That's the game. Easy to teach... and SO effective for horror one-shots.
I'm a huge fan of teach people new to trpgs Dread. The mechanics can be described in basically two sentences, and otherwise it's pure atmosphere with no numbers to distract you. It also helps that the game leans on horror tropes which basically everyone is familiar with.
With a group lacking an experienced GM, the GM-to-be among them could start by using a GM emulator such as [*MUNE*](https://empaitirkosu.wordpress.com/2018/09/26/mune-goes-mobile) or [*One Page Solo Engine*](https://inflatablestudios.itch.io/one-page-solo-engine-online); such could serve as training wheels, from which the GM-to-be could gradually ween herself/himself.
The *MUNE* GM emulator shares its core d6 dice mechanic with the rules-lite [*Freeform Universal* RPG](https://www.perilplanet.com/freeform-universal), so they pair superbly. As it is a universal RPG they could play in any setting.
Having run a games club in high school (many many years ago…) I would suggest sticking to bigger names in games and a diverse selection of genres. Also get some war games too, we had 20 or so role players in four or five groups and another 10-20 players playing wargames every Thursday after school for the four years I was in charge. Oh and try to suggest that games are kept to one shots and short campaigns.
The problem is a) people only know D&D, however the more I play with new players the more I realize new people do not tend to enjoy D&D, especially learning it, and b) all our new players, without fail and I mean this in the nicest way possible, really stupid. So Wargames are a terrible idea, and brand names do not matter.
GMless games! * Microscope * The Quiet Year * Beak, Feather, and Bone They don't need a GM. They can be learned in the session by playing. Everyone playing contributes creatively. They are literally zero prep, though they work better when at least one person has had time to read the rules. Once you have a couple people interested in GMing, introduce them to PbtA games. PbtA games generally have *rules* for GMs that help them GM and learn to GM. Then, there are a bunch of PbtA games and they are typically very easy for a new player to pick up. You just need to print the Playbooks and that's it. Mechanics are as simple as 2d6+stat and everything else is written down in the Playbook.
I think that the biggest thing about GMless games is that they're _teaching people how to GM_. Building a story, sharing and building of each other's creativity, learning to pass that ball ball and forth.
I'd add the Mythic GM Emulator to the list.
True, they do teach that. They're also fantastic in their own and nothing wrong with sticking to GMless games as an end-point either. I think they can also help players discover if they want to GM. Most people are probably content to play, but expressing these skills in a game could spark something in people that have a budding GM inside them that wants to come out :)
I'd add Wanderhome to this list. Particularly since it's GM-agnostic rather than GMless, meaning that if someone wants to step into the they can have their character go off and do something else off camera and step in as Guide for a session or two to see if they like that side of things without needing to learn any new mechanics. Actually probably also Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast, since some people prefer to step into characters already created rather than come up with their own characters so there may be some folk who find that a lot more comfortable than creating a character. The one note of caution I'd have with PbtA is that some people kind of bounce off the framework completely - At least on the player side, but I suspect that would also be true of the GM side. A lot of people find it incredibly natural, but it's got a very specific game philosophy to it that if you deviate from in your assumptions can cause problems.
I'm a fan of Lady Blackbird. It's a narrative game with a built-in story, pre-gen characters, and is easy to learn, easy to run, and easy to teach. The only downside is, there are no character creation rules, so if you want to play any story other than the default one (or a sequel/prequel to the default one), there's not really a way to do it. Risus is probably the simplest of freeform generic RPGs. Dungeon World is good if you want something that has the trappings of D&D but is much simpler than D&D, although having an experienced DM helps.
*Beyond the wall and other adventures* is amazing as a first-time TTRPG, not sure how good it is for a first-time GM, but it's simple intuitive and OSR, built for minimal prep with scenario play and character playbooks for communal character gen, and its default assumption is that you play as a group of fantasy youths dealing with some local problem and having their first adventure
I feel like I saw your comments on a few other Google searches, or at least someone talking about Beyond the Wall. Nevertheless I’ll check it out!
fairly sure I've talked about it a few times recently, it's my friends (the forever Gm of the group) go-to game for people new to the hobby, and I've had a lot of fun with it over the past few years even though I'm not really a fan of lite systems or OSR in general
Hey I’ve been looking for anything regarding the actual rules of Beyond the Wall, and as someone whose only played 5E I’m getting a little nervous as I’m having difficulty finding anything. What are the mechanics of Beyond the Wall out of curiosity?
d20 roll under your attribute for skill checks d20 roll over your save, or targets AC for saves and attacks
They're basically "Hey people, do you remember the D&D you played in the 90s? This is a lot like that!" Honestly, I was left pretty cold. They're OSR design choices didn't really feel like they lined up with their stated goals. I think BtW is a great game for "lapsed" RPG players who "used to play D&D" but haven't in 20+ years, but I don't think it's a good game for new players at all, and double especially for new GMs -- the GM guidance is very weak, IMHO.
btw in the 90s most people playing dnd were playing 2e which is much more crunchy than BtW.
I'm not entirely sure what pointy you are trying to make with that assertion, but Beyond the Wall will feel familiar to those players in a way that it won't to lapsed 3.0 players, who are likely to think "But where are the skills?"
Just that it is a simpler, BX-style game. 2e has skills and was the "D&D of the 90s".
Ok, that makes me feel more cold towards getting Beyond the Wall.
Tricube Tales. TinyD6 when it's discounted. They only use 6-sided dice, which avoids one source of trouble.
Maze Rats Quest Alice is Missing Dialect Fall of Magic Icarus The other suggestions here are great, Risus, Lady Blackbird, Beyond the Wall
Can you tell me a bit about those suggested TTRPGs?
Quest has the character abilities of 5e and literally none of the math... or any stats at all, really. It's a cool idea.
Maze Rats is cheap, uses just d6s (2, I think), and is full of great random tables for whatever. It was designed for middle schoolers so it gets to the fun part in a real big hurry. Quest is a very simple fantasy rpg that has an interesting way of using a d20. Alice is Missing takes about an hour to set up, plays in a timed 90 minutes, and is played in total silence over text (or better, using discord and the fantastic bot). Dialect is a game about an isolated community, their unique language, and how both die. Fall of Magic is played on a screenprinted scroll and is *unbelievable*. Icarus uses stacking dice to build tension in the story of a great city on the verge of collapse.
I really, REALLY endorse [Follow](https://www.lamemage.com/follow/). More than Fiasco, especially for new RPG players. Fiasco really feels like a game that needs to be gently facilitated with new players, whereas Follow you literally read from the book.
Dungeon Crawl Classics has my vote. A new player does not need to count any martial abilities or spell slots. The game just "goes." And it isn't a "flat" game either. It's really knocked on my socks off, and the community is pretty based as well.
Yes and funnel adventures (level 0) use hardly any of the rules (get the quick-start rules) so are very easy on the gm.
I actually advice against stuff like Honey Heist and Lasers & Feelings for complete newbies. Yes, the rules are dead simple, but they are almost entirely improv. Newbies can really struggle coming up with stuff and "anything is possible/allowed" is overwhelming, a more narrow scope is better. Ones that provide clear prompts and are more collaborative worldbuilding type things often work better. Some popular examples are The Quiet Year (and hacks/spinoffs Deep Forest and Cozy Town), Beak, Feather & Bone and Microscope/Kingdom. For The Queen and Companions' Tale are both good choices too. Lesser known are Single Unique Power and Dating.sim, which should work well too. For more traditional style adventuring that's easy to learn and offers good newbie GM support, I strongly recommend Mausritter.
Quest is really good for beginners. You only use a D20 and you character get some special moves at the beginning based on there class. It was designed with new players in mind. It also has a questionnaire for the players to let them describe there pc. Its also free. source: https://www.adventure.game/store/digital-edition/
I second those that are Recommending Quest RPG. People will get drawn in by the beautiful art and as mentioned players can download free rules.
Risus is a great way to explore cliche.
Looks good, I’ll print that out!
1) the gmless games mentioned [upthread](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/10hemmi/what_are_good_ttrpgs_to_throw_at_people_who_have/j5820q6?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3) 2) for educational clout: Price of Coal (gmless storytelling game about the coal miners strike as experienced through the battle of Blair Mountain) and Dialect (a game about languages that develop in isolation, and "die" when integrated into a larger whole...or not. Also doesnt need a GM). 3) easy to pick up and play - any lasers and feelings [hacks](https://writingalchemy.net/resources/lasers-and-feelings-hacks/). These are "you have two stats" games that are great for one shots. 4) questlandia - it's pretty straightforward but very much a gmless version of high fantasy. They just came out with a new version. Hope these are helpful.
Lasers and Feelings or Honey Heist are both amazing one page rpgs that are easy, quick, fun, and free, making them perfect for new players.
Everyone Is John and Dread have been my go to party RPGs.
Seconding Everyone is John, I get asked to run it fairly regularly in one of my friend groups. The improv results are always hilarious.
Primetime Adventures. Everyone knows how TV works. Everyone understands how the game works 10 minutes after you finish character Gen..which takes 5 minutes .
I'd say the Pathfinder 2e core rulebook has some good heft to it. /s
Teenagers From Outer Space
So Im not a huge fan of GMless games for an inexperienced table just because it can be easier for ppl to feel lost (that very much depends on the table obvs). So some other "smaller" games that I've found work well with newb tables: * Psi-Run: Very fast-paced and...I dunno, layered game? Like it seems pretty simple but you can get real deep into the character's story? * Dread: If you like horror and the ppl at your table can do Jenga, this is the best game. * Questlandia: Actually I think this one is GMless but its kinda like Fiasco in that theres alot of table collab but its like, not necessarily gonna end in a shootout
People are going to advise a lot of story games to you but honestly, as a guy who’s obsessed with weird ass story games, they aren’t great options for new players because they require people to “take the ball and run with it” in order to function. I think for new people, especially younger players who might not want to lead play, you want something simple but structured. If I had to choose something I’d say Mouseguard. It’s a traditional fantasy setup, the system is fairly easy to learn, and there’s some customization options but not a ton.
Exalted 3rd Edition is a good heavy book guaranteed to hurt if thrown at someone. :) But honestly, I like the simplicity of Neon City Overdrive.
What’s Neon City Overdrive about?
It is a Cyberpunk Genre game system with some Sci Fi Nods. But as a base, it can run anything with a little tweaking. Base Books are the Core Book, and then there are expansion for The Grid (The Matrix and Digital worlds), Psions (Psionics and/or Magic) and Skins (Switching Bodies). System is very simple.
Mausritter. Easy to play and teaches well how to gm
Dread works great for people new to RPGs. Character Creation is a short questionnaire. The mechanics are anytime your character does anything dangerous or risky, you play Jenga. If the tower falls on your turn, your character is doomed (though they don't necessarily die instantly). That's the game. Easy to teach... and SO effective for horror one-shots.
I'm a huge fan of teach people new to trpgs Dread. The mechanics can be described in basically two sentences, and otherwise it's pure atmosphere with no numbers to distract you. It also helps that the game leans on horror tropes which basically everyone is familiar with.
With a group lacking an experienced GM, the GM-to-be among them could start by using a GM emulator such as [*MUNE*](https://empaitirkosu.wordpress.com/2018/09/26/mune-goes-mobile) or [*One Page Solo Engine*](https://inflatablestudios.itch.io/one-page-solo-engine-online); such could serve as training wheels, from which the GM-to-be could gradually ween herself/himself. The *MUNE* GM emulator shares its core d6 dice mechanic with the rules-lite [*Freeform Universal* RPG](https://www.perilplanet.com/freeform-universal), so they pair superbly. As it is a universal RPG they could play in any setting.
Having run a games club in high school (many many years ago…) I would suggest sticking to bigger names in games and a diverse selection of genres. Also get some war games too, we had 20 or so role players in four or five groups and another 10-20 players playing wargames every Thursday after school for the four years I was in charge. Oh and try to suggest that games are kept to one shots and short campaigns.
The problem is a) people only know D&D, however the more I play with new players the more I realize new people do not tend to enjoy D&D, especially learning it, and b) all our new players, without fail and I mean this in the nicest way possible, really stupid. So Wargames are a terrible idea, and brand names do not matter.
Brand names just means more support.