What is the best general RPG system for new people? My friends aren't normies by any means...

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BRP based systems are all pretty simple and straightforward. Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, and Elric/Stormbringer are excellent introductory games. The big advantage of d100 based systems, is that a new player can immediately assess a character's strengths and weaknesses. The major drawback is that BRP isn't a particularly sexy or refined system.

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The thing is, earlier editions of D&D are even worse than 3.5 in every way short of fluff, and both Worlds are awkward, amateuristic games.

D&D 5e is really the game to recommend these days.

>The thing is, earlier editions of D&D are even worse than 3.5 in every way short of fluff

>B/X
>not the most tightly focused and well designed D&D of all time

>3.5
>better than other D&D editions

Pull the other one, user, it's got bells on!

BRP would be my recommendation. It runs really smoothly and doesn't get in the way of the game.

GURPS might also be a good introduction game as long as the GM has the sense to not throw too many supplements in the mix (which is unlikely if this is his first time as well).

D&D should in theory be a good first game because it contains a little bit of everything, and players should therefore be able to say that this or that particular aspect appealed to them and then look deeper into games that cater better to their sensibilities. My experience is, however, that people rarely move away from D&D and the reason most often given is that they don't want to learn a new system. It's needlessly complicated from time to time and assumes that you know how to optimize your character. People who are introduced to it as their first game tends to think that every other game will be an equal hassle to learn.

What a sad grognard you need to be.
3.5 has weaknesses, but compared to previous editions, it a considerable step forward in almost every regard mechanically. Of course, it itself is now outdated, but you really need to stop buying into those weird memes that people try to pass on Veeky Forums.

>it a considerable step forward in almost every regard mechanically.

Oh please, it's a fucking trainwreck. AD&D 2e broke a few of the game structures that it inherited from OD&D, (structures which arguably reached their best expression in Basic's B/X) but 3e threw them all out the window entirely in favor of a giant tangled rat's nest of character building horseshit.

THACO

I suggest aWoD. It's fast, it's easy, it's simple, and allows for a good variety fo characters

analogkonsole.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/advanced-wod.pdf

>THAC0

Is a 2e thing, and it ain't hard. THAC0 - d20 = AC hit.
It's literally the same mechanical arrangement as OD&D through 5e, just the math is expressed in a different way.

Every system has weaknesses, calling what 3.pf has a "weakness" is like calling genocide a minor headcount reduction.

3.pf is, just ignoring the abysmal character balance, a complete mess of rules that have seemingly no cohesion, logic, or regard for the player's or GM's convenience. The CR system is non-functional, character resources are hilariously miscalculated in both extremes, grappling was a fucking mistake, and up until book of weaboo fightan magic beatsticks might as well have traded in their sword and shield for pom-poms. Pathfinder manages to be even worse with this shit, but we won't get into that.

5e is a little dull, and sometimes the balance is wonky, but at least at its core level it fucking functions on a normal table without having to houserule literally EVERYTHING about it just to minimize the headache involved with running it or playing in it.

I might recommend Barbarians of Lemuria. Not sure about a oneshot game, but it's pretty ruleslight and heavy on the thematic side so it's easy for everyone to understand and get into it.

It depends on what they want to play

Generally I'd say everything mentioned here might easily be on the "too complex for many starting players".

Lasers & Feelings and Risus are my go-to "here's how an RPG works" one-shot games.

If you think they'd have a handle on that, almost anything you yourself are comfortable with because that will greatly mitigate problems in itself.

Even Ryuutama, the game designed to be a tutorial for new players?

Do you want to talk about 2e's terrible character balance? It's almost like they didn't even really try or care about PC balance.

>complete mess of rules that have seemingly no cohesion, logic, or regard for the player's or GM's convenience.

Did you start describing 2e all of a sudden? That's 2e to a tee. When you've got hundreds of conflicting micro-systems and gamist holdover sacred cows, it's hard to claim it's a better system just because it takes longer to figure out just how awful everything is because it lacks the transparency and ease of more modern systems.

I understand you have a wicked hate boner for the system that makes you sperg, but to ignore all the ways it improved the previous edition makes you look like a butthurt 4e/2e fan that just can't handle 3e stealing your favorite edition's thunder.

3e just finished the hatchetjob 2e started of destroying the core gameplay of early D&D. Both editions stink, but 2e still has the ghost of OD&D alive in it.

Are you joking user? Ryuutama is easily a 7.5 in a 1/10 scale.

AW is I dunno, 5 and something. Try The Warren fpr a real simple PBTA.

The design doesn't matter in the least. I mean, shit, COC is "designed" to relive HPL stories.

Mini Six is fairly easy for new players to grasp. 12 dice on stats, 7 dice in skills and perks, record static defenses, grab some gear and maybe a complication and you're done.
I've had character creation explained and finished in less than 30 minutes which allowed me to kick off the campaign and let us start playing. Meanwhile D&D (including OSR and 5e, both of which I enjoy) would take upwards of an hour for character creation...

Most people don't really like the core gameplay of early D&D though.

The only real logic or cohesion that exists is this strange self-defining quality of what early D&D is supposed to be.

Right... If Ryuutama is complex for you and you think that design doesn't matter, I've got bad news for you.

I meant that the intended design doesn't mean shit about the actual product.

And yes, Ryuutama is a complex game, if you consider the whole RPG world. Jesus, just the page count, and I mean just considering the pages about rule, is a pretty good clue. Why should that be a problem?

I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that Ryuutama's actual design is congruent with its intended design.

It gradually introduces concepts and complexity to players and GMs alike through the level system and the Ryuujin system, greatly supported by two sample scenarios that are themselves structured as tutorials.

And if you're just going off page numbers, I suggest actually reading both Ryuutama and Apocalypse World, the latter of which spends most of its page count on further illustrating rules that have already been fully explained and providing suggestions for altering the game when you have already grown accustomed to it.

BRP/Call of Cthulhu.
Skills are percentage based. It's clear and simple, pretty much no feats/wacky abilities. CoC in particular is fun for horror fans, as they're playing regular people trying to survive a monster story.

this

BoL is simple and fast, character generation is a breeze and generates actual, well-rounded and competent heroes, as opposed to one-trick ponies that have to rely on niche-protection. Combat is fast (and furious), the magic full of atmosphere due to the spell requirements, and very flexible on top of that.

Dungeon World. It's both easy to get into while also pretty much making DnD irrelevant.

>Most people don't really like the core gameplay of early D&D though.

Irrelevant, if some folks like it (and they do). I don't even know what you're trying to say with the rest of your post.

Nice bait, but still a decent suggestion for beginners.

Barbarians of Lemuria for more of a conan feel or Torchbearer for more grim and dark. Both systems are pretty straightforward and fun to use, both have a good setting.

Ignoring the autistic comment about D&D, this is a good suggestion for beginners. I strongly recommend playing a bit of this and then graduating to D&D 5E.

>I might recommend Barbarians of Lemuria
This user gets it.

System just uses six-sided dice, rules are straightforward and don't require constant checking, character generation takes about three minutes.

looks cool

GURPS Lite. 32 pages of immense flexibility.

I'm a GURPSfag, but...Mouseguard

Hear me out, it's fun, simple, not too complicated, and you're Jedi mice.

I STRONGLY recommend staying away from D&D, or Pathfinder. They're rather complicated, and have a bad habit of sucking people in so they won't try anything else.