This is going to be a pretty big post. There are a lot of free and cheap systems that are pretty amazing. Full disclaimer, I make no claim to have run all of these systems, but I've at minimum read them and mined them for ideas. A number of them I have run however. Also, I should mention I'm a perpetual GM. I've never gotten to play these games. Disclaimer over, onto the list!

Free Titles

• Stars Without Number - This one is mentioned a lot whenever anyone asks for scifi. There's a good reason for that. While the system is a little complex, it has a great guide on how to run games. It also has amazing rules for running factions.
  
• Eclipse Phase - I'm going to be honest and admit that I didn't care much for eclipse phase. It has one of the most amazing settings I've seen but a rule set that is so dramatically more complicated than it needs to be. Love the setting, hate the rules. Has a real focus on the opportunities, problems and consequences trans-humanism brings about. Really epic setting.
  
• Fate: Core System - Fate is interesting. It's a setting agnostic system and actually plays rather well. It does require a GM that is on the ball or longer campaigns can and will stagnate. I do actually highly recommend the system, just go in understanding it's as much a system as it is a framework for building a system.
  
• Fate Accelerated - It's a more simple version of Fate Core. Some people find Fate Core too crunchy and Fate Accelerated does largely solve that.
  
• Basic Fantasy RPG - Essentially a streamlined version of D&D. Reasonable system, comes with all the usual tropes and there's lots of content for it.
  
• Dungeon World - This is my personal game of choice, though I used a rather heavily modified version. It's essentially a love letter to D&D using a far more simple, narrative based, system. It runs on the Apocalypse World engine. I can't recommend this enough, but it admittedly is not sci-fi. There are two SRD's for it online that include the entire content of the book (and it's legal). The one I recommend is here and the other can be found here.
  
  EDIT: Forgot a fairly important one.
  
  
• Maze Rats - Just realized I'd forgotten this one. Great free RPG. While I don't personally think it has enough depth mechanically for long campaigns, for one shots or dungeon delving it's amazing.
  
  

  Not Free, But Cheap!
  

  
  

• The Sprawl - Shadowrun without the elves and magic. Runs on the Apocalypse World engine (PbtA). Heavily focuses on individual missions.
  
• The Veil - This is more cyberpunk than sci-fi, but I'll be damned if it isn't amazing. Another PbtA game.
  
• Savage Worlds - This is another generic system that gets recommended a lot. Uses a standard deck of playing cards and exploding dice. Fun but very swingy which some people greatly dislike. There are a tone of supplements for it that add settings and such.
  
  • Savage Worlds Science Fiction Companion - Here's your science fiction setting and gameplay mechanics for Savage worlds.
    
• Apocalypse World - I keep mentioning Apocalypse World and PbtA. This is the game I'm talking about. It spawned hundreds of RPG's. I love the gameplay in this system. I would highly recommend it.
  
• Urban Shadows - Oh man, this is one of my favorites. Wizards and sorcery, a world where the things that go bump in the night are very real even if the average person is unaware. This might as well be Harry Potter written by Raymond Chandler. Think World of Darkness meets The Dresden Files. And again, PbtA.
  
• Monster of the Week - Ever seen shows like Supernatural or Buffy? Then you know what to expect out of this. Tooooons of fun. Monster mystery of the week. And yes, it's also PbtA.
  
• Mouseguard - Don't ignore this game. You play civilized mice in a sort of midevil setting. They have their own towns, forts and kingdoms. Heavily favors problem solving over direct combat. One of the best games I own. Don't overlook it.
  
• Torchbearer - Okay, this is one I've recently picked up and it's very different from the games I usually run. I tend to run very narrative focused games. This is effectively a roguelike. This game focuses on the grind, attrition and suffering that is dungeon crawling. That isn't to say that there is no role playing, there's lots to be had, but it's a very simulationist game. Despite not liking rules heavy games, I fell in love with it.
  
• Blades in the Dark - This one is pretty new and has only been out a couple of months. I backed the kickstarter for it and I sooooo don't regret it. You play a group of scoundrels, thieves and butchers who form a guild with the intent of taking over the seedy underbelly of a post apocalypse industrial city called Duskvol. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries and all sorts of things. Focuses on missions and downtime. So much fun to be had here.
  
• Dresden Files Accelerated - If you're a fan of the Dresden Files novels or TV show, you'll love this game. Very similar to Urban Shaodws in a lot of ways but of course uses the established cannon. It runs on a modified version of Fate Accelerated.
  
• Index Card RPG Core Set - This is sort of the new hotness in /r/rpg. It's a pretty awesome dungeon crawling experience with a great GM section. Honestly, it's not a system I'd run, but I stole a great deal of ideas from it. Seriously, this game has amazing ideas and even a great implementation. It's just not my cup of tea.
  
  Now that I've bored you with that huge list... Let me give you my personal favorites from it. You can't go wrong with any of them, but my personal favorites have got to be Dungeon World, Blades in the Dark, The Veil, Urban Shadows and Monster of the week. Admittedly, the only sci-fi book in that list is The Veil. It's really good.
  
  Now go find an RPG to play! Hopefully your eyes didn't glaze over reading that huge dump of RPG's.

1. You can use pretty much anything for figures. You don't need actual minis to play. If you still want tot go that route, there's a couple options. The first option is to grab a box of Paizo's Pawns. They're meant for Pathfinder, but they're just pictures of monsters printed on card stock slotted into a plastic base. The Beastiary box is $36 on Amazon right now. The other option is to buy miniatures for creatures as you need them. There's no real "complete" set of minis and they are much more expensive than pawns or flat tokens for obvious reasons. If your players really want models of their characters, they can opt to have them made or find ones that are "close enough" for their taste. For maps/boards, you can draw your own on paper. Get a pad of 1" grid paper and draw your dungeons on that. Most pre-made D&D modules will have gridded maps that you can replicate on your own paper. A slightly more expensive option in the short term is to get a dry/wet erase battle mat. Use vis-a-vis markers to draw your map, then a damp paper towel to wipe the lines away when you want to put down a new dungeon. Battle mats are expensive on Amazon. Maybe try to find one in your local game shop?
   
2. The core rulebook has options for this. Basically there's three ways to do stats: Array, Point Buy, and Roll. In Array, you are given a specific spread of stats from the book and you decide what attributes to put those values into. In point buy, you have a set number of points (27) that can be dropped into stats, but it isn't always a 1:1 increase. As stats get higher they cost more points to buy. You can use a Point Buy Calculator to plan characters. For Rolling, you roll a number of dice and that determines your stats. What dice you roll is up to you, but the two most common ways are 3d6 per stat with no re-rolling or 4d6 keep highest 3 with no re-rolling. For beginners, I would recommend the Array option for stats.
   
3. Ok, so it sounds like you have nothing invested in the system so far, so here's the stuff you absolutely will need: The D&D 5th Edition Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide. These three books have everything you and your players need to play a full game. However, none of these have pre-made adventures for you. You will either have to make it up as you go along, or buy pre-made adventure modules. If you're worried about being able to tell a story on your own, I heartily recommend grabbing a pre-made adventure module and running that before you try anything homebrew (homebrew meaning made entirely by you) The two that are widely regarded as the best out so far are Storm King's Thunder and Curse of Strahd. Read their synopses and pick one to run.
   
4. No, but a "Session 0" where you create characters and set the tone/expectations for the campaign is a very good idea, especially when you're just starting out. If you can, make the Player's Handbook available to all of your players before you begin the game, so that they can start getting an idea of what kind of character they want to play. Then, during Session 0, make your characters together as a group and talk about what each person wants from the game. What kinds of things interest them and what stories do they want to tell, that sort of thing. Pay *close* attention to what they say. As the DM, it's your job to help them tell their stories and explore topics they're interested in. Most players, however, will not tell you exactly what they want, instead they'll tell you something related to it. For example, if a player says that their character is descended from an ancient tradition of spellcasters and takes proficiency in the history skill, then they're probably interested in the history of the world even if they never told you that's what they're interested in. This is what game masters will typically refer to as a flag.
   
5. Generally speaking, all of the classes in D&D are pretty well balanced, especially before you start adding extra supplements. The Dungeon Master's Guide has rules for awarding treasure to players. Use them. Keep in mind every player and their class when awarding magic items. For example, a +1 sword is a great, useful upgrade to a Fighter, but is nearly worthless to a Wizard. There's tables for awarding magic items in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Those are great guidelines to help you think of how to give out magical equipment, which will be the deciding factor of if a player gets overpowered or not. If you only hand out magic weapons and armor and one player in your group is a fighter, then they will naturally be overpowered. It's also really easy to fall into the trap of just handing out stuff that is really useful in combat but isn't very useful elsewhere. Keep utility items in mind and hand those out just as often if not more so than magical weapons. Give players utility items and support them using those items in weird situations.
   
6. The Player's Handbook gives you a guideline for each class's starting equipment. After that, players may spend their gold in towns to buy additional gear (but not magic items!) As for quest rewards and other loot, the Dungeon Master's Guide has rules and tables for that sort of thing.
   
   As for #7, I've got a whole list for you.
   
   

• Read the player's hadnbook and the dungeon master's guide cover to cover. Make notes in them, bookmark them. If you're making up your own scenario, read the monster manual too.
  
• Read adventures cover to cover before running them. Important advice for them may be further back than you might think. Read the adventure several times.
  
• During play, if there's a rules question, make a judgement call on it, then make a note to look it up later. Ruining the momentum and pacing for something just to make sure you're following the rules isn't fun for anyone.
  
• You are the final arbiter of the rules. If a rule in the adventure or rulebook is ruining your fun, toss it out. This is an RPG where you can just ignore encumbrance rules.
  
• Buy a Pound o' Dice. You'd be amazed how often having extra dice is useful. By buying one of these 100-die packs, you get at least one full set (1 each of 4/6/8/10/12/20) for each person in your group and extras for higher level rolls.
  
• Don't discount online tabletop services, even for in-person games. Having big maps is just not feasible in my apartment, but setting up a map to display on a TV works great.

More quick tips:

• AnyDice.com will show you exactly what the percentages are for many common dice expressions used in RPGs. Use this to examine games you like and games you don't like to find patterns.
  
  
• Ask yourself if the ideas you have are minor tweaks or best practices for running a game. If that's where your focus is, then there is no need to create an entirely new RPG to express those ideas.
  
  
• Remember there is nothing wrong with making supplemental material for existing games (new and old). You are not more or less of a game designer because you used PbtA as a base for something else or because you came up with an interesting variant magic system to bolt onto D&D.
  
  
• Check out multiple online forums and gaming communities to get an idea of how people feel about the hobby, specific games and the types of things you want to make. The goal here is to avoid duplicating other people's work and making sure you don't fall into common pitfalls that have bedeviled others.
  
  
• Listen carefully to all advice, good and bad, that you receive. Figure out what applies to you, make changes that you feel are needed, and ignore the rest. No set of rules will please or delight everyone; don't make pleasing people your goal.
  
  
• Don't spend more on the game than you can afford to lose. Don't assume you will make the money back through online sales. Only commit money to your first project that you could just as easily burn.
  
  
• Start small. Jason Morningstar of Fiasco fame started with a small game he and a friend packaged and mailed out by hand. Each new game was made using whatever money was left over from the previous venture.
  
  
• Don't try to imitate the major publishers in terms of art quality, the amount of art and graphics, the type of paper, size of books, etc. Start with what you can afford, which likely will be PDFs or print-on-demand options.
  
  
• Do take advantage of free-to-use art if you need it. Look for commercial licenses that are available for items. Many people resell art for low prices or make items available for the general public to use.
  
  
• Make sure you do have the legal right to use whatever you publish, including fonts. Don't assume that because you have a font on your computer that you can use that in a book that you sell to others. That's a great way to get sued.
  
  
• Do consider using things like Adobe Creative Cloud once you are very far along in the process. Or hire someone to handle layout, design, editing, etc.
  
  
• You will need an editor at some point. There are no ifs, ands or buts to this. Editors have other people go over their work, too.
  
  
• If you employ freelancers, pay them! Don't do things like "pay on publication" or "pay when we make money". Make sure you have the money to pay a freelancer set aside before you commission work, that way you won't wind up short.
  
  
• Only focus on what you need. If don't need detailed rules on swimming because the game takes place on spaceships, then don't bother with it.
  
  
• Don't use a game mechanic or idea just because it is popular. Making your game with the Powered by the Apocalypse engine is no more likely to make you a success now than making a game with the d20 license was a decade ago.
  
  
• If you have a game that you want to playtest, consider going to local cons to show off your game. Play it with anyone who shows up and make a note of every rough spot that comes up in play.
  
  
• You can run your ideas past people on /rpgdesign and /tabletopgamedesign.
  
  
• Crowdfunding is not the key to free money. Make sure you fully understand the tax implications and legal requirements you assume before running a Kickstarter or IndieGoGo campaign. Many backers won't even consider fronting money for a project that is not mostly complete, since their money is not necessary for you to write rules. Backers are more comfortable giving to projects where the money is mostly going toward art, layout, and other technical work required to make a physical or digital format of the rules.
  
  
• Make sure you contribute to the online sources you use if you want to be paid attention to by that group. That means commenting on forums, backing Kickstarters or sharing information to communities on Google+ about things beyond just your projects.
  
  
• Consider attending Metatopia. This game design festival has panels from people who have been able to make and sell indie and traditional games. You can find some panel recordings online as well. You also can play many other people's games in various states of design, offering your feedback and getting feedback from other platesetters in return.
  
  
• Keep in mind many of the game designers talked about online still have day jobs and don't expect to be able to provide for themselves and their families just through their work in RPGs.

4e is pretty simple. Even simpler than that is Swords and Wizardry which is made to resemble old school DnD. Microlite 74 is similar but does not hew as closely to any incarnation of DnD. All of these are free.

Swords and Wizardry has quick start rules here. I listed some beginner modules for it.

>Is there a D&D "basic" set in its latest incarnation?

You mean like this?

The Red Box, then Rules Compendium, Heroes of the Fallen Lands, and then the Monster Vault.

The Red Box comes with some premade characters and a quick adventure. Its pretty cheap and will help you determine if this is the system you want (note your free options.)

If you like it, then:

Then the Heroes book will help you guys build characters.

The Rules Compendium contain all the... rules. (What happens on each players turn, etc etc).

Monster Vault has monsters for the DM.

Not a lot of good adventures available for 4e though, though if you like 4e and want to run premade stuff for it, some options are laid out here.

You also have the option of subscribing to a service called DnD Insider, which will give you access to, among other things, an online character builder for the players and a monster builder for the DM with all the stuff from the books,. It costs like 10 bucks a month... but its an option that you should be aware of.

You might get some recommendations for Pathfinder, because redditors love them some Pathfinder (which is based off DnD 3.5 so if you know that, you know PF). It's a good system--I'm playing it right now--but its so complex that I have some trouble recommending it to absolute beginners in good conscience. You can look into it here. If you do go with it, I highly highly recommend a character builder like PCGen.

EDIT: Fixed some links.

Revenant World

Print | Digital | Free Print Resources

Disclaimer: I made this game.

​

Back Cover

The gods are dead, the New World Order is up and running, and trans-dimensional portals are interrupting morning commutes. Welcome to the city of Polis. Revenant World is a tabletop role-playing game where you and a group of friends will take on the roles of Vagabonds-- rebellious adolescents from Polis just doing their best to navigate the treacherous halls of high school as well as the alien worlds of the Microcosmic Plane.

Boasting a robust, fast-paced combat system, freeform crafting mechanics, and a unique two-part Class and magic system that gives rise to 1,920 unique abilities, Revenant World is your portal to a vibrant science fantasy world filled with undead gods, uptight law enforcement, fearsome monsters, and teen angst in outer space.

What could go wrong?

​

What's it like, basically? (a.k.a. the TL;DR)

Revenant World is loosely based on the Powered by the Apocalypse family of games, but it’s somewhere between Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark in terms of how much individual flavor and mechanics have been woven into the basic frame of the PbtA system. The setting is heavily inspired by Andrew Hussie’s Homestuck, but any fan of the “fantastical coming-of-age” genre (Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, TrollHunters, etc.) will find something to love. It’s a modern-ish science fantasy game about high schoolers fighting monsters in another dimension using magical powers and high-tech weaponry.

​

Key Systems

Revenant World's magic system is powered by Lullabies and Lyrics. When you create a character, you choose a Class in two parts: Job (Fighter, Medic, Witch, etc.) and Arcanum (Flame, Storm, Space, etc.). There are 10 Jobs, each of which gives you access to 4 Lullabies; and 12 Arcana, each with 4 Lyrics. That's 120 Class combinations with access to 1,920 unique abilities, as each magical action from a Lullaby interacts differently with each elemental effect from the Lyric you pair it with. These aren’t just meaningless skins either; for example, a Lullaby which reduces something could put out a fire if combined with the Flame Lyric, cure someone if combined with the Disease Lyric, or allow someone to leap great distances if combined with the Gravity Lyric.

Revenant World's combat system is powered by Maneuvers, action commands consisting of 4 ATK and 4 DEF moves, which offer constant meaningful choices for dynamic combat as you weigh the risk vs. reward of each Maneuver. Should you dodge or parry? Attack all the enemies, or hit one extra hard? Go for that risky final blow, or heal your friend? The game also contains useful advice for using Maneuvers to resolve non-physical conflicts, like debates or interrogations.

Tying in nicely with Maneuvers is the Synthesis system, an open-ended crafting mechanic that allows players to choose which Maneuvers they want to prioritize with their homemade gear, while the GM decides which Ratings they have to sacrifice in return. Alongside armor and other gear, weapons can be created and altered through Synthesis, and each weapon is customized as a unique combination of tags that effect how it operates in the game. Items are crafted with the same resource used to level up, giving you a great deal of control over how to build you character.

Health is handled in a unique way, with the player character's Eudaimonia stat being reduced by physical damage as well as general misfortune. Losing Eudaimonia doesn't have an immediate effect like losing consciousness or dying at zero. Rather, as a Vagabond's ED drains, the GM gets access to an expanding list of maladies and misfortunes they can apply to the character, who can either except them or spend XP to remain in the fight.

Overall, the game is brimming with options for adding layers of complexity and variety to encounters, and they can be seamlessly added into the game without any rules changes as your group becomes more comfortable with the basics of the system.

Lastly, one of my favorite small details about the game is that character creation involves choosing from 6 Drives, 8 Races, 10 Jobs, and 12 Arcana, meaning you can just roll a set of dice to randomly generate the basic framework of a character.

​

The World

Revenant World is based around a vibrant neo-urban, post-post-apocalypse, science fantasy setting. The manual gives you enough information to immediately start brainstorming scenarios that could play out in this strange world. There are a lot of moving pieces, often in conflict with each other, that make the setting a goldmine of ideas to work with. That said, there are also plenty of blank spaces to make the world your own, and your version of Theogaea and the Microcosmic Plane will probably look drastically different from those of another table, even if you start with the 2 sample scenarios included in the back of the book.

​

In Conclusion

I could go on and on, but this is already a wall of text. Revenant World is a game with a unique setting and a lot of interesting mechanical ideas. If you’re interested in science fantasy, coming-of-age stories, teenage rebellion, dynamic combat, and a gear/ability system where player creativity is encouraged above all else, you'll probably find something to love in Revenant World.

Answers to your questions in order:

1. You may want to pick up other books in the Essentials line. As a DM start with the Rules Compendium and you may want the Monster Vault as well. Both of these books have a lot of the same material as the old Core rulebooks but with up to date errata and the monsters in the Monster Vault are also written far better than those in the original Monster Manual. The Core rulebook you might want to get is the Player's Handbook since your players may want to use options out of that. The Essentials series of Player Handbooks are fully compatible with the Core book but the Core book has more options and has more complicated abilities like Rituals.
   
   
2. You don't really need the DMG2 or the later Player's Handbooks. A lot of the material in the DMG2 was folded into the Essentials Rules Compendium or DM's Kit. I think the DM's kit is a better buy than the DMG2 since you get more tokens, some adventure modules, a book with monsters, and a DM screen. Note that if you get the Monster Vault and DM's Kit you'll end up with some duplicate monsters (stats and tokens) or ones that are only slight variations. The later Player's Handbooks have more class and race options for players so as a DM you probably don't need them. Let your players pick them up and share with the group. If you've got the money you can obviously pick them up but you don't need them.
   
   
3. Every square on the D&D maps represents a 5'x5' square. So if someone is four squares away they are 20' from your character. Starting out I would get used to using a grid for combat situations. Those numbers are there to help you come up with consistent travel times and distances for your game. When your player asks how far they can travel in a day you can give them an internally consistent answer. You can have characters move at the speed of the plot if you want though. What I like to do for long distance travel is make it a Skill Challenge. Say characters need to get to a town several miles away. Their normal walking rate would say how long they could get their normally but if they hurried I'd make them make some endurance checks. If they passed their checks they could run the distance and get there in half the time.
   
   
4. A staple of the classic D&D adventure is finding awesome loot in those dangerous dungeons the characters are exploring. Gold is kind of abstracted in the game. In the Rules Compendium and DM's Kit book you'll find suggestions for rewarding your players with gold and items. You can have them just find gold and other valuables and let them buy stuff back at town in Final Fantasy style or have them find magic items worth that much gold down in the dungeon. Some DMs like to ask for shopping lists from the players, magic items they want for their character, to give them some ideas about what they find inside the dungeons. It sucks as a player if you fight with a sword for the DM have you find a +1 quarterstaff. Magic items all have levels which tell you what level of character for which the item is appropriate. You can give a character an item a little above their level but don't give a level 5 PC a level 28 magical armor.

By Starter Kit, I'm guessing you mean this? If so, it's going to have an adventure along with the rules and whatnot, as well as pregenerated characters for you to pick from. The adventure, Lost Mine of Phandelver, also has lots of advice for whomever's GMing the game. It is, after all, a starter set for them as well :)

For a more complete game, you'll need to drop some doss on the holy trinity - Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual. All in, around $100 new, a bit less used. The PHB is going to outline most of what you need to run the game - character creation (all the options for races and classes and spells and whatnot), the rules for task resolution and combat, equipment, spells, and a lot of miscellaneous bits and bobs. The Monster Manual has a bunch of monsters in it, without which it'd be pretty boring to roam the world. The DMG is sort of a catch-all of everything else - magic items, extra/alternate rules, and a lot of generally helpful advice about things like what to do when the players go off the beaten path and designing worlds and campaigns. While it's helpful, I'd say it's the least crucial of the three to actually playing the game.

There's also a bunch of adventures and campaigns, published by both Wizards of the Coast and third party publishers. You might check some of those at as a good starting point for your adventures. While it's probably not as fun as making everything up yourselves, it'll be handy to play for awhile with the safety net of "here's what comes next" laid out in print.

You might check out Geek & Sundary's Critical Role, which is actual D&D being played by actual overly attractive people in a manner which is both fun and informative. Matthew Colville's channel has a lot of really great advice for people just starting out, especially related to running the game.

Hopefully that answered some of your questions. If you have anything specific, toss it out and I'll see if I can answer it.

The following are great dark medieval games, but some might require you to remove their magic systems:

• Aquelarre, IMO the medieval RPG, but to play it now you have to read Spanish for the original version. An English version is coming this year.
  
• Cthulhu Dark Ages, where the players most likely wouldn’t have magic anyway
  
• Rolemaster Classic. You will need Character Law and Arms Law. There is a Spell Law book, but without it the world has no magic.
  
  Other than that I would recommend generic systems like GURPS, Hero System or Genesys.
  
  Some would recommend Fate also, but I generally think it is rules-light but adventure-crunchy, since you have to remember during play many contextual situational modifiers with the aspects' system. Instead, I would get its parent game, Fudge. You need special dice for this, and for Genesys also.
  
  Some of the editions I linked above are older than the most recent, and reflect personal preferences.
  
  Other systems, although great in itself, really work best when you have at least the effects of dark corruption like Zweihänder.

My typical List of OSR style Fantasy games

----------------

Retro Clones

• Swords and Wizardry(ODnD) - almost a direct rehash of the very first edition of DnD
  
  
• The Black Hack (ODnD) A very modern hack of ODnD. Fast and streamlined.
  
  
• Labyrinth Lord (BX DnD) - Almost a direct rehashing of the old BX dnd system. There's a separate Advanced Edition Companion which makes it more like ADnD.
  
  
• Lamentations of the Flame Princess(BX DnD) - this is the current hot stuff. Dark and Mature with a great ruleset. Lots of the best supplements coming out are based on this system. Veins of the Earth was built with this system in mind.
  
  
• Basic Fantasy RPG (BX DnD?) BX dnd with race separated from class.
  
  All of these have complete free versions on their websites(usually minus art)
  
  
• I would also recommend the Rules Cyclopedia as one of the most complete versions of dnd ever created. It's now available as print on demand!
  
  New Stuff
  
  
• Dungeon World (Great for 1 shots and short campaigns. I'd also recommend the supplements Freebooters on the Frontier and the Perilous Wilds)
  
  
• World of dungeons (1 page OSR-like Dungeon World hack)
  
  
• Maze Rats (Small Booklet, Even if you don't play it, get it for it's amazingly useful tables.)
  
  
• Shadow of the Demon Lord (Starts with a basic Character and then builds in complexity over time. My favorite class system.)
  
  
• Dungeon Crawl Classics (Beautifully done. Every class feels really unique.)
  
  
• Godbound (High powered OSR style game by the same guy who made Stars Without Number)
  
  
• Stars without Number (Possibly Best Sci-fi RPG you can get right now)
  
  
• Index Card RPG (What it says on the Tin)
  
  ------------
  
  One of these don't stand out to you then i'd recommend Microscope. It's a timeline building RPG that makes worlds and histories. Lord of the rings was done with this one, you'd produce something like the silmirallion. If you don't know what to play, play this and get some inspiration going. once you have a better Idea of the style of game you want come back and we can give you a more focused RPG suggestion.
  
  Someone also suggested Chuubo's Marvelous Wish Granting Engine. If the idea of playing in a Ghibli film excites you, this is the way to go.
  
  Someone suggested you might be looking for Video games. This is the wrong place for that but I'd recommend Divinity Original Sin , Pillars of Eternity, The Original Fallout, Planescape: tides of Numenera, Supergiant Games products (Bastion, Transistor, Pyre), Dark Souls, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and Darkest Dungeon.

The Star Wars RPG beginner boxes have great "learn the system as you play adventures". The adventures are broken down into a series of "encounters" and each encounter is designed to help the players learn the system in some way, and combat is typically reserved for the third or fourth encounter.

Force and Destiny

Age of Rebellion

Force Awakens

Also those beginner adventures tend to be challenging enough for a new party of those who don't roleplay, but not so challenging as to not make them want to continue playing RPGs (which Lost Mine of Phandelver in DnD 5e starter box has issues with). Each adventure also has a free adventure followup. AoR Followup. These follow up adventures don't read as easily (they read more like FFGs pre-published ones, but are still really excellent).

For GMless and a one shot I recommend Fiasco. Which can also be found in PDF form here. It's a system more geared towards actors and story tellers, and less for those that want heavy combat. There's even a video of Wil Wheaton playing it with some writers/actors. And there are tons of free playsets.

For one shots with a GM:

I recommend Dread. It's a horror system that uses a Jenga tower instead of dice rolling for any sort of check. In Dread the idea is you're playing in a horror movie, there's even an Alien (Ridley Scott) playset for free on the website, and the goal is to survive. The GM has the players pull from the Jenga tower when their character does something out of their normal skill range, or under duress. A good Dread GM will get the tower to fall at the most dramatically appropriate moment. It takes skill and practice, but it's also an excellent system.

Tabletop Dread Episode.

For beginners, those are my recommendations. Star Wars FFG is a more traditional, but easy to read RPG, while Dread/Fiasco are one shots that are incredibly fun.

If you play Pathfinder, then note that they put all their rules and bestiary online for free and so you can save some serious dough. You can then spend your money on things like battle mats, paper miniatures, and adventure modules. They have an upcoming beginners box that would probably be perfect for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KPv80QsBfI

If you play D&D 4th Edition, you kind of have to choose between the original line and "Essentials" line (it's very confusing). Personally I say go with the Essentials line because it is easier, cheaper, and (to me at least) "feels" more like what D&D is supposed to be like. WotC doesn't publish anything online for free like Paizo, so you'll have to buy some stuff. I recommend:

• At least one copy of Heroes of the Fallen Lands (class book for fighters, clerics, wizards and rogues: ~$14 on Amazon
  
• Optional: At least one copy of Heroes of the Fallen Kingdoms (class book for rangers, druids, paladins and warlocks): ~$14 on Amazon.
  
• Semi-Optional At least one copy of the Rules Compendium:~$14 on Amazon. The reason I list this as semi-optional is because most of the rules you'll need as a beginner are contained in the class guide books
  
• Monster Vault. This contains monster stats and a whole bunch of tokens. ~$20 on Amazon.
  
  If no one wants to play a ranger, druid, paladin or warlock at first you can skip the one book and meet your $60 budget. Eventually you'll probably want to get a Dungeon Master guide of some sort. The kind of information in those books is mostly generic advice on how to run games and handle personalities, so it's possibly to buy an older used copy from the original line even though you are playing Essentials. Hell, since it's just generic advice, you could even buy the Pathfinder guide (which is amazingly well written) and use it for D&D.
  
  In summary - I think it's easier for you to meet your budget by going with Pathfinder, since they publish a lot of material for free, leaving you to spend your money on the adventure modules which is where all the fun is anyways. It's unanimous that Pathfinder does a much better job on published adventures too, since they are a company that started off as an adventure publishing company and that is their strength. However, D&D 4e (especially Essentials) is much easier to play, but you won't have as much money left over to spend on adventures (and those adventures kind of suck).

If you are looking for the fantasy genre in particular, I suggest Fantasy Age. It has everything you really need in one book, and has a slick combat system with some fun edges to it. You have to be a bit creative with monster ideas, but I find that isn't usually a problem, as they can be made up or adapted from sources you like!

If you want a shorter, free system with lots of openness for potential interpretation and depth, I also suggest Here is Some Fucking D&D (clean version in the folder as well). You can be up and running in minutes, as the rules only cover what you need to know, and can make up the rest yourself! (It's four pages too, so its a nice easy read)!

If you want a slick and open generic system with everything you need, Cortex Classic is a great option as well! I highly recommend it!

Hi!

Most importantly - don't panic! It's OK. Every experienced RPG player was new once.

If you have a local RPG group - that's great. Do they play at a store? At someone's house? A community center? If it's a store, then you can just go to the store instead of to the group because - hey, they're a store - their whole job is to get you comfortably into the hobby so they can sell you stuff, right?

Also - just to be clear: There are many tabletop RPGs, not just D&D or D&D + Pathfinder. There are literally thousands of games available today. I mention this because "D&D" is kind of like "Kleenex" - sometimes one brand gets used to refer to the whole range of options. So you should know that there are LOTS of choices. And many of them are less about giving experienced players advantages than D&D / Pathfinder are.

If you want to learn and play D&D, that's great. Here are a few things I would point you towards:

• The D&D Essentials Kit is designed to get you playing without any prior experience, and only requires ONE other player. It has everything you need except a pencil - it even has the dice! You could read the rulebook and be ready to play with your local group, or recruit a friend and jump right into the fun of being the DM!
  
• The Basic Rules are free to download and have the real meat of the game. What you won't get are all the variants that the main rule books have - but the basic rules will let you understand all those variants. If you read just Part 1 (making a character) and Part 2 (playing the game) you'll have done more homework than most 1st time players do before they show up to play. These rules are fully playable, but you'll need dice at least.
  
  If you want to play TTRPGs but not D&D, then there's a whole world of games out there for you to choose from, but that's kind of a larger discussion.
  
  Welcome to the hobby!

The old DC Heroes system (published by Mayfair at the time) has held up great. Look for a book called Blood of Heroes. It's the DCH system with improved magic, but with DC's trademarked material removed. Completely compatible with old DCH modules. The art in the book is butt ugly, but it's a great system. It's easy to use, but still capable of handling any power or power level you throw at it. And it has a thriving online community.

Blood of Heroes on Amazon

Writeup.org: Biggest DCH community online. Very active, updated at least once every week or so, with THOUSANDS of character write ups and tons of updated, tweaked, or optional game material.

List of Influential RPG Titles

Dungeons and Dragons - By TSR and WotC

Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition - TSR

• Core Rulebooks
  
• Adventures (Keep on the Boarderlands, The Tomb of Horrors, The Temple of Elemental Evil)
  
  Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition - TSR
  
  
• Core Books (PHB, DMG, MM)
  
• Unearthed Arcana
  
• Campaign Settings (Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun)
  
• Arms and Equipment Guide
  
  Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 - WotC
  
  
• Savage Species
  
• Deities and Demigods
  
• Stronghold Builder's Guidebook
  
  Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 - WotC
  
  
• Core Rulebooks (PHB, DMG, & MM)
  
• Expanded Core (PHB2, DMG2, MM2, 3, 4, 5)
  
• Psionics Handbook
  
• Unearthed Arcana
  
• Complete Series (Arcane, Adventurer, Warrior, Divine, Champion, Scoundrel, Mage, Psionics)
  
• Campaign Settings (Ebberon, Forgotten Realms)
  
• Adventures (Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil)
  
  Dungeons and Dragons 4e - WotC
  
  
• Core Rulebooks (PHB, PHB2, PHB3, DMG, DMG2, MM, MM2, MM3)
  
• Essentials (Heroes of Forgotten Kingdoms and Heroes of Fallen Lands, Rules Compendium)
  
• Settings (Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun)
  
• Adventures (Tomb of Horrors)
  
  Pathfinder - Paizo Publishing
  
  
• Core Rulebook
  
• Advanced Player's Guide
  
• Advanced Race Guide
  
• Ultimate Magic
  
• Ultimate Combat
  
• Ultimate Equipment
  
• Game Mastery Guide
  
• Ultimate Campaign
  
• Mythic Adventures
  
• NPC Codex
  
• Bestiaries 1-4
  
  Not Dungeons and Dragons
  
  World of Darkness - by White Wolf
  
  
• Vampire the Masquerade - Vampires are so mainstream now...
  
• Werewolf the Apocylypse - Where there are vampires there are werewolves.
  
• Mage the Ascention - and witches and wizards.
  
• Hunter the Reckoning - and someone to hunt them.
  
• Changeling the Dreaming
  
  "New" World of Darkness
  
  
• Core Book
  
• Expanded Core (Vampire, Mage, Werewolf)
  
  AEG
  
  
• Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition Core Rulebook
  
• Legend of the Five Rings 1st Edition Core Rulebook
  
• 7th Sea
  
• Deadlands
  
  Other
  
  
• Shadowrun
  
• Savage Worlds
  
• Dungeon World
  
• FATE Core
  
• Call of Cthulhu
  
• RIFTS
  
• GURPS
  
• Paranoia - Super expensive on Amazon, not sure why.
  
• Elf Quest - Also a very popular graphic novel.
  
  Authors to Look for
  
  
• Gary Gygax - Role Playing Mastery and Master of the Game
  
• Monte Cook
  
• John Wick
  
• Dave Arneston
  
  RPG Related Non-Fiction
  
  
• Confessions of a Part Time Sorceress - Shelley Mazzinoble
  
• Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It
  
  RPG Fiction, also essential
  
  
• Dragonlance - Chronicles Triligy by Weise and Hickman - Set in a D&D campaign Setting
  
• Drizzit's Series - By R. A. Salvatore. Icewind Dale Trilogy and The Dark Elf Trilogy
  
• The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist - It's allegedly the story of the author's long running D&D game.
  
  Other Lists
  
  
• Good Reads Popular RPG titles.
  
• Wikipedia timeline of RPGs
  
  Honorable Mentions
  
  
• Star Wars - d6 Edition, d20 Edition, SAGA Edition, Star Wars RPG (Fantsy Flight)
  
• Star Trek - Various Incarnations
  
• Serenity the RPG
  
• D&D Comic Books
  
• Buffy the RPG
  
• Whatever the heck "Demon" is...
  
  *Please add suggestions below, I'll add to the list as I revisit this thread throughout the day. Adding Amazon links now.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten. Super easy system and good zombie game.

AFMBE (Unisystem) is d10+relevant attribute and try to get a 9 or better to succeed. The higher your result, the better you succeed.

easy.
Here's one on Amazon.

Are you doing a remote game, with players that can't get together? Cause if not, I'd go with a mat, preferably double sided with both grid and hexes, so you can support multiple games and modes. You don't need proper minis (though those are particularly nice for players to have something for there character), when I first got a mat, we used chess pieces. You can also find free printable paper minis that look pretty good. If you want something a bit more durable, I'm like Pathfinder Pawns, the stands in it are great for paper minis too.

Overall, my group has greatly preferred grid combat. Since everyone knows the distances and sizes of everything, it makes the game feel more tactical and less arbitrary. And it is just cool to see everything laid out.

I've never played the d20 version, but I play the standard d100 game. If you want to just give the game a try, you can download the quickstart rules, which come with a sample scenario. You can print out the rules, character sheets, and scenario, and run a game off of just that.

The only book you really need is the Call of Cthulhu rulebook. This book is pretty much a player handbook/DM guide/monster manual built into one. The great thing about Cthulhu is that the game is so basic that you only need 1 copy of the book (for the DM, or keeper) and can give the rest of the players quickstart rules that you can print online. Cthulhu is such a simple game that I think about 70 percent of the book is just flavor text and sample scenarios.

In that book, you can get some beginning sample scenarios that you can run with your group, which will give you a sense of how the game is run. One of the great things about Cthulhu is that the game is very story driven. Combat has very simple rules, and there are no experience points or levels, although you do increase skill points. The whole point of the game is that you are presented with a mystery, and the players must gather information and solve the mystery, at the risk of their own sanity. So don't expect any monster mashes or anything like that, unless that's how you want to run your game.

I bought this from Amazon some time ago and it has been a great product. Wet-erase only, but super durable, huge (but not unwieldy), and durable as hell. It rolls up for storage quite simply, and is overall a great buy. They sell smaller ones as well for slightly less. Check them out. I highly recommend them.

I'll once again be the lone voice for DC Heroes/Blood of Heroes. and www.writeups.org


The scaling is fantastic. Captain America can fight alongside Thor.

The system was originally made for DC's heroes, yes, and Writeups doesn't have many of their stats as they were published in copyrighted materials, but you can find them with searches.

Sorry. My love for this system is beyond all reason. It's my fave. I can't say I've played them all, but this is the best of the ones I have.

Thanks again, you've convinced me to get the DM Kit and core rule book (hopefully it supplements the D&D for dummies book i got). Theres been come conflicting advice but your reasoning makes sense.

But for players we'll need at least one players book between them if they want to level and stuff or create new races right? So This?
Or what others have been recommending

Lastly 3 Gameplay questions.

• As a DM when i role for initiative, if theres like 6 minions do i role once for all of them and they all go in a row or is it always a separate role for each creature?
  
  
• When the players enter the room i put down the goblin or two they see. but behind a door or around the corner theres some more. I read i should roll initiative for them from the start. but when do they engage? Would they hear the battle or 'war cry' from a goblin being attacked or is it eyesight or do i make it up based on the environment/creatures?
  
  
• Lastly how do i divvy up treasure? I've found a lot on this and apparently everyones got their own way so im curious as your thoughts? The end of the adventure in red box lists 9 parcels with 3 of them being magic items and i am to divy them out across the adventure. 2 of them are story based and can be unlocked so i assume they count, but there are 7 possible encounters. The others i throw in here or there? some people say its easiest for the party to have a collective bank so i might just wait till the end and let them sort it out. At least my first game so i can concentrate on other stuff.
  
  Thanks again

For D&D4e, I recommend starting with Essentials. Personally, I prefer 4e because it has balance and encourages working together. You can get the 4e Red Box, but it is slightly inconsistent with everything else and will only take you so far. Anyway, here's a minimal shopping list:

• Heroes of the Fallen Lands
  
• Rules Compendium
  
• Monster Vault
  
  The Essentials DM kit is also good. With the exception of the Red Box, all 4e material is compatible across the board, so adding in new player options or DM stuff is as easy as picking up a supplement or getting a DDI subscription.
  
  If you've never played before, WotC holds an "Encounters" programs on Wednesday evenings at local gaming stores. It is specifically designed to introduce players to D&D as well as sell their latest product. If you live in the DC metro area, I can give you some pointers on where to go, if you're interested.

I know you said no D&D, but 5th edition is definitely the easiest one to understand. The D&D Starter Set or the D&D Essentials are both good places to start.

> And then we shell out $150 for the books at some point before we can even use supplements.

You don't need the GM's guide. However:

Player's handbook: $28

Monster Manual: $34

GM's guide: $30

Total $92. These are all Amazon prices, and other vendors are cheaper - eg Wallmart has each of the books for less than $30.

I still think you only need the Player's handbook plus an online 5e monster list, however. But even if you want a player's handbook and a monster manual the total would only be: $62.

I mean, if you want 'cheap,' then Fate Core is free and there are pay what you will scenarios for it on drivethrurpg. But it's not as universally accepted/popular as D&D and I personally think the D&D starter set does a better job at handholding a beginner through the learning experience. So I'd still recommend that.

Gaming carry bag - like the Bag of Holding.

Battle mats, maybe a big one.

d20 socks, cause who doesn't need socks?

One Round T-Shirt would be good - gamers love shirts. Penny Arcade has a bunch. They also have some cool prints that are table gaming related.

Just giving some non-dice suggestions, as I have a crap-ton of dice myself.

Basic Role Playing (or its more directly fantasy-tuned offshoots Magic World or Runequest) could do this fine. The system is easy to GM, easy for players to comprehend and enjoy, but has a ton of depth and options to create and play the kind of game you want.

Interesting tidbit, the original Fallout was originally based on the GURPS system, but IIRC a licensing dispute with SJG stalled development and they ended up just making up the SPECIAL system from scratch.

Just based on the long skill list and percentile rolls, I think you could probably come the closest to modeling Fallout's system with Basic Roleplaying. The big gold book has everything you need for a variety of settings and styles.

If system doesn't really matter to you I might also recommend World of Darkness, actually, just because it's so flexible and easy to stat stuff out and, again, long skill list.

When you said she loved "Mice & Mystics" I thought of Mouseguard. I'm not sure how well it does 1 on 1 and it's certainly more expensive than free (although cheaper than many core rulebooks). But it might be something to at least take a look at.

Man softcover from approved retailers is really hard (no sarcasm), so many good games only come in hardcover. If you give me more information about his preferences I could help you narrow the list down.

https://www.amazon.com/Esoterrorists-RPG-2nd-Robin-Laws/dp/1908983523/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494289945&sr=8-1&keywords=Esoterrorists

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Rose-AGE-Romantic-Fantasy/dp/1934547743/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494289980&sr=8-2&keywords=Blue+rose+rpg

https://www.amazon.com/Microscope-Ben-Robbins/dp/0983277907/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_9?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0983277907&pd_rd_r=Z3RJ2JPXJQYDRYA06S2Y&pd_rd_w=hHGH4&pd_rd_wg=W5G5p&psc=1&refRID=Z3RJ2JPXJQYDRYA06S2Y

https://www.amazon.com/Bully-Pulpit-Games-BPG-005/dp/1934859397/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1934859397&pd_rd_r=JBAWXXB309ERX5KH0PXT&pd_rd_w=Eunmp&pd_rd_wg=OTd2y&psc=1&refRID=JBAWXXB309ERX5KH0PXT

https://www.amazon.com/Monster-of-the-Week-EHP0009/dp/1613170920/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1613170920&pd_rd_r=WFVTZB7V8R3S7S8F462W&pd_rd_w=HYjgo&pd_rd_wg=K0zZT&psc=1&refRID=WFVTZB7V8R3S7S8F462W

https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Hat-Productions-EHP0002-Accelerated/dp/1613170475/ref=pd_sim_14_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1613170475&pd_rd_r=JBAWXXB309ERX5KH0PXT&pd_rd_w=Eunmp&pd_rd_wg=OTd2y&psc=1&refRID=JBAWXXB309ERX5KH0PXT

https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Shadows-Softcover-MPG007-Truman/dp/1987916166/ref=pd_sim_21_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1987916166&pd_rd_r=DKP8DTTM0N8MT2HDRFPZ&pd_rd_w=i0nmQ&pd_rd_wg=KPg28&psc=1&refRID=DKP8DTTM0N8MT2HDRFPZ

https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ben-Robbins/dp/0983277915/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_13?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0983277915&pd_rd_r=A9ZZTCT4BD1KY3DA9ZYW&pd_rd_w=jRFtT&pd_rd_wg=biDau&psc=1&refRID=A9ZZTCT4BD1KY3DA9ZYW

https://www.amazon.com/Bully-Pulpit-Games-Durance-Playing/dp/0988390906/ref=pd_sim_14_26?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0988390906&pd_rd_r=T0HFDYG416QT8CZBM6C7&pd_rd_w=ljUZO&pd_rd_wg=hK410&psc=1&refRID=T0HFDYG416QT8CZBM6C7 (I think)

Character playbooks for pbta might be hard to print off.

https://www.amazon.com/Havenshield-Complete-RPG-Rulebook-Myers/dp/154258356X/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494291018&sr=1-7&keywords=Rpg (this seems like its worth a look)

/u/amightyrobot speaks truth. I'd mentioned CoC yesterday, but I guess it was easy to miss around all of the other posts. It's very simple to learn, has a ton of good adventures and setting books, and all of the published material is 99% compatible across editions.

You can even get the core rulebook for cheap.

Here's an Amazon entry.

Here's DriveThruRPG's PDF of the same.

You could no doubt find cheaper ones with some effort, but that was just off the top of my head.

I seriously don't understand how this is cost effective considering it's going to cost at least about the same as a battlemat (unless you somehow get the whiteboard for free). If you did get the whiteboard for free that doesn't mean it's a "cost effective solution" that just means it's a "recycled solution". Not only that but the time and effort involved in making the grid, maintaining the grid, and dealing with all that saran wrap makes this far from a cost effective solution.

34" x 48" battle mat $31.64: http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IUAAG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331743125&sr=8-2

36" x 48" whiteboard $51.88: http://www.amazon.com/UNVSL-Dry-Erase-Melamine-Satin-Finished-Aluminum/dp/B000J0CARW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331743143&sr=8-3

Edit: found a cheaper brand whiteboard, still not cheaper than a battle mat of similar size:

36" x 48" whiteboard $35.62: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Dry-Erase-Melamine-Aluminum-Plastic/dp/B0015ZW7H8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1331743143&sr=8-6

The Ctuhulhu system is the Basic Rople Playing system. It's pretty indepth, and really doesn't allow players to min/mix. Each character is just like a real person, having an area of expertise, and a few extras. From there, they "level up" naturally based upon the skills they have used during their adventure.

Amazon Link for the book

Chaosium BRP page

There is a system out for zombie apocalypse. Its called all flesh must be eaten. I have yet to try it because one of my gaming group members refuses to play in any game that has zombies. I believe there is a trial version available for free from the makers of the game. look around for it if your are interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Must-Eaten-Core-Afmbe/dp/1891153315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332955451&sr=8-1

> White Wolf did more to bring people to gaming as a hobby in 5 yrs than TSR did in triple that time, in terms of effort, and we can probably attribute some non-trivial fraction of how diverse the gaming community is to their efforts.

I agree with this, though I must say that TSR was child of a "nerds only" era, when marketing was not an issue, as there were two or three major fanzines where you found advertisement, and most publicity was done by hearsay.
It is to their fault that the failed to adapt to changing times, that's for sure (I would advise anyone interested in their history to read Of Dice and Men, an amazing book), but I can understand why someone "younger" did a better attempt at it...

All Flesh Must Be Eaten. You can pretty much run it in any setting and tone as you like. Maybe check out Zombies!!

the starter kit is 15$ on amazon and should contain everything you need to give it a shot one night.

The essentials kit is 16$~

you can get several extra sets of dice for 10$

the starter kit and the dice is like 25$ total and can easily get you started.

If you want to go all out I'd recommend these books:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Monster-Rulebook-Roleplaying/dp/0786965614/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-6&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

https://www.amazon.com/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-10&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

https://www.amazon.com/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840456&sr=8-14&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

Enough dice for you and whoever you're playing with:

https://www.amazon.com/Wiz-Dice-Pack-Random-Polyhedral/dp/B01KN7REWQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840537&sr=8-4&keywords=1+pound+of+dice

If you want minis:

https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Roleplaying-Game-Codex-Pawns/dp/1601254725/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840982&sr=8-4&keywords=monster+codex+box

https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary/dp/1601255616/ref=pd_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1601255616&pd_rd_r=d89745e3-2d8a-11e9-bc59-4fcf3b72f982&pd_rd_w=Ip8Jz&pd_rd_wg=d87AF&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=CQ2TM4MZQSVKFXX2GYRS&psc=1&refRID=CQ2TM4MZQSVKFXX2GYRS

https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Pawns-Villain-Codex-Box/dp/1601259255/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549840982&sr=8-3&keywords=monster+codex+box

Your best bet is to combine Pathfinder Pawns with D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated.

This is a great starting point: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1451640501

Check out FATE Core and FATE Accelerated. They are both "pay what you like (including free)". FATE Acceleratedin booklet form is only $5. FATE Core is less than $25 shipped.

http://www.faterpg.com

It's an excerpt from this book, Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It.

Sorry, I linked to the Chessex website, but I actually ordered it via Amazon. Here's the actual link.

On Amazon it's only $24.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1568821816

Or, updated, edited, etc. The Blood of Heroes

Hey a quick question by monster vault did you mean this one?

They kinda sell 'em on their own.

Monster Vault

Might I suggest that you check out: Blood of Heroes

I haven't read it myself, but this book is well-reviewed.

You've purchased a setting supplement for Dungeons & Dragons, 4th Edition. 4th Edition (aka D&D4e, 4th, 4e) is very different to earlier editions and isn't particularly compatible with them.

There are many others in this thread recommending products and games that are not compatible with the product you've purchased, because they are different games (and thus the rules are different, in the way Scrabble and Monopoly are different). Be aware that The Shadowfell box is not compatible with non-4e games.

My suggestion is to start out with the Red Box that you've looked into already, and also the "Essentials" books -- Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, Heroes of the Fallen Lands, and the Rules Compendium.

After that you'd want to look into the Monster Vault box.

Each of these (including the Monster Vault box) is about $20. The MV box is well worth the money.

No. I mean D100/percentile.

> min bekanta! I started filling this in but when I got to question 4 I realized something was wrong. Smallest storage option of 200 miniatures? That box would be huge! Not to speak of a 1000! What am I missing?

It's for papper pawns
https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary/dp/1601255616