Best products from r/tabletop

You could go all in with an awesome collection of Cards Against Humanity!

It requires you to have a pretty twisted sense of humor but it's a ton of fun with friends.

You could check out Firefly the Game.

If you're a fan of the space opera, this is one of the more enjoyable games I've ever played.

If you really don't mind blowing 300 bucks, there's the Star Wars X-Wing miniatures game!

You take control of a spacecraft in the Star Wars universe and each game is like an episode of a Star Wars tv show, with a clear goal and twists and turns along the way as you try and accomplish that goal. The miniatures can get pricey but 300 bucks would get you started on a pretty sweet collection if you buy the smaller ships.

300 bucks would also get you started with the world's greatest trading card game: Magic the Gathering!

This classic card game has been around for over 20 years, features thousands upon thousands of cards to select from and, just like chess, takes 10 minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. For 300 bucks you could both have a gaming mat, plenty of dice, a kick-ass card collection and more than enough to start building multiple decks. Heck, you can just go and buy pre-made decks from a plethora of websites. Check out Youtube for suggestions on what formats you might enjoy, but kitchen table Magic the Gathering is VERY satisfying for two people.

Of course, if you really want an epic adventure, you could check out the bigger, meaner, older cousin of Magic the Gathering, and maybe the most infamous table top game in the world: Dungeons and Dragons!

A little more effort than most, but hugely rewarding if you have a colorful imagination and don't mind some simple math (most games requre SOME math, just look at Monopoly), and you have decades of books to explore, and many are available for pretty cheap from both used book stores and your local library (hopefully). This is a hobby that lasts for the rest of your life.

Like Dungeons and Dragons but want a more easy and accessible game to start out? How about [Muchkin!] (http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jackson-Games-1483SJG-Munchkin/dp/B004U7JJWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1462113434&sr=1-1&keywords=munchkin)

We're talking dungeons...dragons...knights in shining armor and a LOT of fun. It's a good start for tabletop gaming.

Of course, Tabletop gaming is pretty extensive when it comes to choices. Here are a few more to check out:

The Game of the Century: Settlers of Catan

Spooky fun with Arkham Horror!

Big Adventures: Small Heroes... Mice and Mystics!

Survive the Zombie Apocalypse with Dead of Winter!

Of course, like Levar Burton says, you don't have to take my word for it. Here is the awesome Wil Wheaton's Youtube series, Tabletop! He plays with his friends so you don't have to! This series is amazing at helping to decide which tabletop game might be best for your playing needs.

Need a little help deciding if Magic the Gathering is right for you? How about Spellslingers on Youtube! Game Guru Day[9] plays Magic with his friends. Not only is this a super easy way to learn the game, it's a lot of fun to watch.

Need a little help understanding Dungeons and Dragons? Give Critical Role on Youtube a listen!

Luckily, you happened upon a time where tabletop games are going stronger than ever so...good luck!

Hi!

Being in /r/tabletop, I'm assuming that what you are looking for is a Tabletop RPG. I will go forward assuming that is the case, as I'm not a wargame player.

For anyone getting into RPGs (unless they have a very focused idea in mind already of what they want), I would recommend Dungeons & Dragons or a derivative. D&D is the Lingua Franca of RPGs, each of its editions have different leanings, and many people have made their own adaptations of various versions. The editions of D&D are varying levels of kid-friendly - the learning curve having shot up in the late 90s and is sorta coming down now.

Now, if you're wanting something more bordering the lines of power fantasy, sort of superhero-y, and very "Kill monsters, level up" as the baseline of the experience: Get the "Essentials Kit" for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It's a very nice set and has everything you need for a good long while. This current edition is on the border of learning steepness, but with an adult to help along it wouldn't be too bad - especially with the Essentials Kit, rather than the full three core books.

If you want something with a more classic adventure feel (Maybe think Conan, The Hobbit, or even the Princess Bride), where survival is taken less for granted, there's some more challenge and some more creativity in solutions from players encouraged: You want something more in line with the 70s-90s D&D. It's still D&D - it still maintains that Lingua Franca status - it's just a bit different in terms of feel and can be a good deal less complex.

Down this line of thought, I usually recommend "White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game", which is a rewriting and modernisation of the original 1970s game. It's very easy to learn, runs very smoothly, and is great if you want that "Adventurer out to make a name and earn some treasure" feeling. It doesn't come with its own adventure like the 5e Essentials Kit, but it is compatible with basically any D&D adventure from the 20th century - and others written for games like it more recently - if you need one. If that's the case, for the purposes of a new player it pairs very nicely with "Tomb of the Serpent Kings" as a beginner's dungeon, and "Blackmarsh" as a premade setting (with its settlements, environments, and its own adventure prompts rounding out a nice adventuring sandbox for a campaign).

Everything I have mentioned here is absolutely free in PDF form, except the Essentials Kit - although the 5th Edition Basic Rules are also free.

If you like the rules of 5th Edition, but want more of the feel I described when laying out White Box - I would suggest checking out "Five Torches Deep" (Which isn't free, but here is an in-depth overview of it by its author).

Likewise, if you like the rules of White Box but feel that "actually it is a bit too lightweight even for my eight-year-old", perhaps check out its big brother: "Swords & Wizardry: Core Rules" (Its free PDF found separately here). It remains compatible with the same products as White Box.

Buy some dice.

Buy some books.

Honestly, it depends what kind of game you want to play. I think here you're going to get a lot of weird niche games suggested but for starters you're better off sticking with the a more 'traditional' experience. D&D is an excellent starting point if you want to play a fantasy game, you can even pick up one of their adventures if you don't want to write your own material.

If you're unsure about spending that much just to get started you can pick up this starter set that will include the basic rules, a set of dice, some pregenerated characters, and a short adventure. From there, if you like the game, you can pick up the full rulebooks and some more dice and whatever else you like. Alternatively you can try out the free basic rules by downloading them from the Wizards of the Coast website. All you'll need is a set of dice to get started.

If you don't like or don't want to play D&D you can check out a bunch of other systems that will let you play other games or settings. [Edge of the Empire] (https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Edge-Empire-Rulebook/dp/1616616571/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=edge+of+the+empire&qid=1563883870&s=gateway&sr=8-1) is a really cool Star Wars game, but it requires custom dice. My personal favourite sci-fi rpg is Traveller though, and it has the advantage of only requiring six sided dice.

A lot of people really like Savage Worlds, it's fun, it's cheap, and it's generic enough that you can run almost any setting you like with it. Unfortunately there's a new edition due out really soon so take that in to consideration. If you want a more in depth generic system then I can recommend GURPS, although you'll also need the Campaigns book. This system is absolutely not beginner friendly, it slaps you in the face with tables and rules for all sorts of scenarios, but I adore it and it's not really all that hard to figure out.

If you want an alternative to D&D Green Ronin has the "Age" series of games, starting with Fantasy Age, continuing with Modern Age, and the recently released The Expanse RPG covers Sci-Fi. I will admit that I've not actually had a chance to play any of these games, but I've read the rules and like the system.

Honestly you can find a game to cover practically any genre you want, whether it's Grimdark Fantasy, Martial Arts, Space Exploration, Lovecraftian Horror, Anime Cyberpunk Space Opera, or almost any other thing you can think of.

Don't fall in to the trap of playing a game because someone suggests it's 'easy', play something that really grabs your interest and inspires your imagination.

If you want some things with simplicity of game-play for beginners but with enough depth to have a good time, I have a few suggestions:

Mouse Guard - you are defenders of a vast community of mice in a world bigger and scarier than you. The conflict system is able to be adapted to any circumstance, and the world offers lots of opportunity for fun and adventure without crazy number-crunching.

Here is Some D&D - you may want to pick up the clean version, as the "Fucking" version joke gets lame after two seconds. Mechanically it is a slick and fun system which emulates the fun of fantasy roleplaying without needing to buy $100+ of rule books.

Offworlders - great simple sci-fi system for running adventures in the galaxy!

If you want slightly longer books with more detail and resources, I suggest the Cortex Universal System or Fantasy Age.

Glad to see you getting into the hobby! It's always great seeing people eager to join in the fun!

For 4-5 (No DM) players I would look into this:
http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Wrath-Ashardalon-Board/dp/0786955708
It has premade characters with some customization and doesn't require a DM.
or for 4 players (No DM) this:
http://www.amazon.com/Mice-and-Mystics-Board-Game/dp/B009TNOF9G/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1427499846&sr=1-1&keywords=Mice+and+Mystics
(I don't know too much about this one except it's got some hype).

Or, if you're inclined for non-fantasy roleplaying, this:
http://www.amazon.com/Bully-Pulpit-Games-BPG-005/dp/1934859397/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1427499923&sr=1-1&keywords=Fiasco

This game is amazing with the right group - but does better with 3-4ish, doable with 5 definitely but it gets kind of cluttered.

Other than that, I would just suggest home-brewing a D&D 5th edition campaign. Character generation is easy, or you can find some premades (I think someone made levels 1-20 for each class). It can be as combat heavy or as political as you want. It would be a lot of work, but you can always steal ideas from the various D&D reddits. You can do a new theme each time you play with new characters - horror, politics, war, ect. It takes a lot of work and flexibility as a GM, but it's completely worth it if your players are invested.

There are long lasting non-rpg board games as well... Diplomacy, Twilight Emperium are the ones I think of off the top of my head, but if you are looking for a fantasy D&D 5th edition is your best bet in my opinion.

One similar to Champions of Midgard is Raiders of the North Sea.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170042/raiders-north-sea

https://www.amazon.com/Raiders-of-the-North-Sea/dp/B0721VGFKF (US)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Renegade-Game-Studios-RGS00585-Raiders/dp/B0721VGFKF (UK)