Am I dumb for taking like over a month to learn a TTRPG system?
What is supposed to be the average time to learn a 200-600 pages system anyway?
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Am I dumb for taking like over a month to learn a TTRPG system?
Am I dumb for taking like over a month to learn a TTRPG system?
What is supposed to be the average time to learn a 200-600 pages system anyway?
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CRIME Shirt $21.68 |
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Wait, you're supposed to read the entire book?
I don't know, I find it very hard to learn just by reading a system so I'll try to figure out the basic mechanics, maybe do a test character, and then learn as a I during the session.
Not the best way but I'm stupid what do you want from me.
Most people don't even read the book and just demand the GM spoonfeed them forever, like this guy
Yes. If you can't learn how to play or even run a system within a day you're brain damaged.
most people read like half the book and wing it so arguably you're very smart for actually learning how to play
The last system i learned took me about two and a half weeks, with one week spent actively studying it by writing a reference sheet of the core mechanics and making test characters/enemies/puzzles. I still got plenty of stuff wrong
>What is supposed to be the average time to learn a 200-600 pages?
1-3 days, you don't need to memorize everything because part or the rulebook will be just lists and charts: standardized prices, weapon attack profiles, spells by effect, range, and material component - that sort of stuff, you don't need to remember it all just be able to reference it quickly.
At the risk of being far more of a hippy than Ganker tolerates: Who cares? Learn at your own speed, dude. The universe drums to its own drumbeat. Duuuude.
That said I will usually read a rulebook in one or two sittings, spend a day reflecting on it, and then run demos for myself on the third day. Not more than 2-3 hours per day of these activities but it's important to space it out so it sinks in. True system competence comes after a few dozen hours playing for real, but at the end of a 3-day process I'll feel confident enough that I can run it with minimal disruption. Gun to my head I could run a system with 2 hours of prep including reading the rules, but then it'd have the quality of prepping for 2 hours. The standards you set for your own comprehension is going to be the main determining factor in how long it takes.
You dare taint the hallowed halls of Ganker with this Reddit-tier pile of shit!?
>be me
>severe adhd and dyslexia(had to retype this like ten times)
>after years of D&d becoming less frequent and eventually becoming the forever dm for the few remaining hold outs
>necromunda looks rad
>me and remaining bros get into it(the model painting aspect at least)
>none of them even open up the core rulebook
>when can we play?
>been months and barely got them to start picking out their gangs and equipment
>one hasn't even finished painting their gang
>still not sure on the rules entirely
>the more I learn the more I believe teaching these guys might be impossible for my dyslexic adhd ridden ass
Unironically, get tested for ADHD dude. I was in your boat for the longest time (parents are boomers who think the solution to everything is "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and don't believe mental illnesses exist), but since I went to get diagnosed and got a prescription, I'm actually a functional person. I thought I was stupid too, but it turns out I just couldn't focus for shit. It's hard to overstate just how life-changing this was.
Yes, amphetamines are a life changer lmao
This tbh. I'm pretty sure I could get a lot more done if I had enough adderall.
Amphetamines are the bees knees.
MDA>MDMA
You are talking about a hobby that a majority of people that play never understand the rules of their chosen system. If you can learn a system you are already above the average and if you are capable of learning more than one you obviously didn't start with D&D.
Honestly it depends on the system and how experienced you are in general with ttrpgs.
Some games have books that are laid out atrociously (looking at you pretty much any white wolf game ever) despite the actual core mechanics of the game being straightforwardish. Some games are complex but laid out very beautifully to the point learning takes no effort. Some games are so light that you'll read a book and still not understand how to play (avoid these games).
The best thing I can offer is, summarize the rules in your own words or with AI, learn the core resolution mechanic every game has one, learn the core actions/roles that can be employed and then go from there.
There's a reason most players and GMs stick with their first game (D&D) though. Learning new systems is hard unless you already have a systematic mind and can break these games down to their core bits and pieces it's just too much work, especially if the first system 'works enough for you'.
Ttrpgs are really no different from programming languages in a lot of ways. Functionally they're all very similar, but many have their own niches and most novices stick with whatever they were taught first and graft outrageous libraries to it to make it work from them (homebrew).
>some games have books that are laid out atrociously
necromunda
>Some games are complex
and necromunda
I still fricking love it
What system OP?
I have been playing shadowrun on and off for ten years and I still don't know a bunch of rules
Probably not, but it depends on what you mean by "learning" a ttrpg system.
I have read like 200 rpg books so by now it takes me like 20 minutes to learn the basics, 1h~ to be okish and a couple days to be able to GM it
That's for most games ofc, if it's something really weird (like Riddle of Steel) then it might take me weeks (that I'm never going to invest to learn a game I probably won't play, so I just skip them 😉
Try learning Anima, we are still learning shit to this day about rule interactions.
Whenever we get Anima 2 it's gonna take another 15 years to work shit out
>Whenever we get Anima 2
Here you go
Thats 1.5, he is still working on 2
There's a Seth Skorkowsky YouTube video that gives good advice to learning a new system. Some suggestions include making a character as you go along so you have a reference for all the rules that come up, and running as many different combat situations as you can imagine. Don't remember if he gives the same advice but I wouldn't read a game manual from cover to cover. It's reference material, not a novel.
Most buttholes who play and half of those who run never bother to learn the rules, so you're already a step ahead of everyone else.
As long as you play every week and make an effort, you'll gain system mastery.
>What is supposed to be the average time to learn a 200-600 pages system anyway?
Almost two decades if you're me but just because i've been an adhd system-hopper with preconceived notions on how to run properly a fricking game. I got better though.
>What is supposed to be the average time to learn a 200-600 pages system anyway?
Page count is absolutely meaningless. FATE core is 300 pages and could feasibly be crammed into 3 + sheets.
It really depends on the system how long it takes to learn it but if you really really want to learn it inside and out it takes a while.
Recently started playing a game where one of the players really really knows the system and the other is just know it, the difference is highly noticeable anytime combat starts.
Learning a new system is directly related to how much sincere effort you put in.
Read by chapter and take notes, then read your notes. If your notes don't make sense re read the chapter and fix the discrepancy.
Most importantly, pace yourself. Take a break and dial back the work load if you get overwhelmed
Depends entirely on how you define "learn a TTRPG system." Are you taking over a month to understand core mechanics like what dice to roll or how to make a basic character? Sorry buddy, you're probably dumb as hell. Are you taking over a month to grok how various parts of the system work together to create a holistic game? Maybe you're a bit dim, maybe not, really depends on the system; some games really are more complicated than others. Are you taking over a month to fully understand the ins and outs of the system, what options are more viable, and finding great synergies? That's normal (or even speedy), system mastery takes time.
How to read a TTRPG book.
1. Resolution system. view the combat rules if there are any. Look at the skill system.
2. Build a character. Chances are you picked this game to play a specific trope. if your favored character is listed among pregens, lucky you, figure it out. If not, make a starter character and see how much you can shove in there.
2b. If you think youre dumb, make a character that doesnt use any subsystems, like magic.
3 Figure out what kind of things you want your character to do in game. If you don't already know how to, learn it.
If youre trying to minmax, then just grab a build online, chances are people are smarter than you. if youre an innovator, then you dont need any help reading the book.