Getting into a TTRPG is a big investment of both time and money and so it can be very hard to be willing to try a new system. Whether you’re wanting to try playing a tabletop RPG for the first time, you want to dip your toes into a new system for fun, or you’re looking to change systems because your current game of choice’s company is being extremely problematic, I have a tip for you. Look for and use Quickstart Guides. A Quickstart Guide is a document that typically has the barebone rules of the game, a short adventure, and pre-generated characters. The best part? Quickstart Guides are typically free!
Quickstart Guides are designed with the express purpose of getting you to try the game and hopefully get hooked so you buy the full rulebooks and supplements. Think of them as free samples at the food court. You can try that system your friend keeps begging you to try without any monetary investment with everything needed to play a session or two (depending on how much time your group meets for). As we speak, I’m actually picking a Quickstart Guide to go over and get ready in case my normal GM isn’t quite ready to resume our usual campaign. The adventure is planned, a lot of fluff is trimmed out, and my friends don’t have to make characters and worry about all of those rules. It sounds perfect for someone who has very little time to prep.
Please note that not all games/systems have a quickstart guide. One alternative that some games utilize are beginner’s boxes/guides that are very similar to Quickstart Guides but do cost some money although it’s usually considerably cheaper than buying the core rulebook.
Below you can find a list of games with links to their Quickstart Guides that I found. The links below are affiliate links that support GeekTyrant if you use it. Also, feel free to share your favorite systems with Quickstart Guides in the comments below.