RPGaDay 2022 #2 What is a great introductory RPG?

 Of course I want people to play Adventures in Oz: Fantasy Roleplaying Beyond the Yellow Brick Road.

But the secret ingredient to any great introductory RPG is making it easy to run for a newbie GM. I certainly tried to do that with AiO, but I can't confirm that.

Fiasco doesn't require a GM, so it's got a leg up there. The new card based version adds a nice tactile element as well.

I am a big fan of Fate Accelerated for this, as well. The low cost, the simple rules and the sample characters designed to be slightly off of your favorite YA franchises are all good points. Coupled with the "It's Not My Fault!" story starter cards, you could have a lot of fun with just a little work.

With the popularity of online roleplaying via chat, forum or blog, the idea of a game to add structure or variety to that sort of activity could be fun. There are solo RPGs that use journaling to some degree, but not a lot that involve more than one player. The only one I"m aware of is Dear Elizabeth, which is played by writing letters to a partner.

Earlier boxed versions of D&D could also work. By leaning more strongly into the structured, boardgame style of play, it's much more approachable.