I've been thinking about getting an RPG going and am wondering what the difference is between the two. Is one meant for quicker play, younger ages, etc?

Where there is some crossover, RPGs and board games are two completely separate entities.

Some RPGs will use board game elements to help describe situations. In fact, the new 4th Edition of D & D is pretty much designed for maximum compatibility with the D & D Miniatures game.

There are some board games (like Descent) which mimic RPG elements.

Unfortunately, there is little to no comparison between Talisman and an RPG. The former is a "light" game of sit and play, I move here and attack that. A roleplaying game is generally more immersive and more intense an experience.

If you have the time and inclination, an RPG is a very worthwhile endeavour. When you don't, slap down Talisman

I agree with dth. RPGs and board games like Talisman really don't compare to one another. D&D and Talisman both have fantasy settings, so they have a similar feel in that respect, but Talisman is a game where someone will win and the others will lose (assuming you play to completion.) There's dice rolls and cards drawn and rules which (generally) should be obeyed without question. D&D (and other RPGs) on the other hand, are more of a cooperative experience where there are no winners or losers, just a bunch of people collaborating to tell a story. (That said, I've certainly known a few people who play RPGs to "win" and they can be the biggest pricks about the smallest things, but that's a rant for another day.)

You ask which one would be better for younger players. The answer is really "either one." This is like asking "which is better for my kid: a book about Spongbob Squarepants or a DVD about Spongebob Squarepants?" It really depends on the kid and what he likes doing. If your kid enjoys making things up and exploring possibilities, then he might enjoy D&D more. If he prefers a limited set of rules and figuring out the best path to victory, he might prefer Talisman. Having said that, elements of both those preferences can lead to interest in both activities. Like I said, they can't really be compared, it's a question of personal taste.

Edit: Neither Talisman nor D&D are known for short playing time, however, Talisman generally runs for - at most - several hours (5-6 maybe, for a long game) whereas D&D is generally run in multiple sessions over the course of months or years. In that regard, Talisman would be shorter.

Talisman is a good board game for those times when running an RPG is not practical. It is also a competitive, even cutthroat, game where as an RPG is a cooperative game.

From what I have seen D&D is now a cross between Descent and WoW.

There are other RPGs besides D&D as well, quite a few are much better. Many of them won't re-write the rules every 6 months to be like the latest fad in gaming and rake in a new source of revenue.

Shop around and seach the web fo other RPGs, FFG has some. I don't want to get in trouble with the board admins but i will mention that Tunnels and Trolls is still a good choice, several free games are on the net as well, many based in old school role playing, some unique.

4e D&D is played more like a video game than a board game. It takes away all the Roleplay aspect in favor of beefing up the combat with cooldown timer powers.

I've played Talisman for about 2 years now (so I guess I'm still a noob ompared to those who have being playing since the 1st Edition!).

I had my first game of Dungeons & Dragons the other night and it's an experience unlike any board game (even Descent).

As described above, Dungeons & Dragons is more of a collabrative story (guided by the Dungeon Master). Even though the heroes will fight the Dungeon master's monsters and anything else he pits you against, the Heroes are not directly trying to beat the Dungeon Master.

There's also the issue of rules. We played a cross between 1st and 2nd Edition D&D, without the use of any tiles the new edition pushes (which is actually a good thing).

I was dismayed by my Level 1 Wizard who is the most useless thing ever. However the day after I wrote an "After acton report" I combined all of my stupid actions into a fully fleshed character and I didn't mind that I nearly bled out and died (Wizards should charge three Orcs in close combat!).

And as a story, Dungeons & Dragons is something played over a long time.

Talisman is great game played with some mates during a single night.

Cailus said:

LOL this reminds me of my first D & D character (using the basic rules NOT AD&D... we're talking Basic/Expert/Master/Grandmaster editions here, so OOOOLD).

My wizard (Char Kiel...who my mate nicked the name of for his WOW character) started off pretty crazy (claiming he was at least 6 levels higher than he actually was...the old edition used to have titles for each level up to 9th or "Name Level") but over a period of some 5 years real time, not only was insanely powerful but also insane and powerful I was the only character to start from level 1 who played every session in that 5 year period and only died a few times (1 use of the Clone spell and 1 Raise Dead), so didn't lose too much experience... Wizards required the most XP but somehow I ended up the highest level character at level 23... before we became immortals (the end of the game).

So...stick with it because true power can be within your grasp one day

I've actually done a D & D 3.5 conversion to One-Roll which I will one day get around to posting on my website...

The big difference in old school gaming and the new 'RPG systems' (yes dth, I too remember the original books) is that in a good RPG you do not need to have a board or map at all. We played a lot of AD&D (which is available as OSRIC and some other open game license remakes on line for free) and Tunnles and Trolls. All the action was described, mimed even acted out. The ocasional mini would hit the table but only to get a notion of every ones relative position.

D&D 3.5 was ok but it got to fiddly with over defining all the things a character was able, and not able, to do.

In my opinion, for RPGs, the fewer rules the better the game.