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I want to try out Settlers of Catan. I'm a newbie to tabletop games as well but it seems really fun (now just to convince others it's fun too)

Savage Worlds is ridiculously cheap, has only one book, and is one of the most open ended systems around.
D&D Next (aka 5th edition) hasn't been released yet, so you can get the playtesting materials from Wizards for free.
You can get Cats for free online, you all play cats with magic powers, targeted more towards a younger audience.
Dread is also free online & is a collaborative story telling game with an emphasis on horror

My friends and I are playing Pathfinder. Easy and accessible for free on internet.

RuneWars? Runeage? Munchkin boardgame :D
(they're not cheap)
You can find easily promotional videos explaining how it works, and vreviews.

I'd also suggest anything by White Wolf Studio, but the easiest to pick up are probably WoD baseline or Exalted

Also Wild Talents is easy to pick up and start, and you can ignore all of the expansions if you prefer, personally I run the spin-off game Monsters & Other Childish Things

BESM was another one I used to run back in the day. It's quite free form, and requires a little bit of engineering to figure out what is going to work best systematically for representing powers and abilities. It's relatively easy to find, both the 1st & 2nd editions (the 1st being more loosely defined & the 2nd being more restrictive but also easier to pick up and play)

If you really want to try out some good RPG's just come to GenCon, and you can try out all the games you could ever want there.

In the end it all depends on what you want to play. A game like say Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons or Earthdawn has a very straightforward premise and are easy enough to run, though they tend to be a bit heavier on the rules side.

A game like Vampire: The Masquerade on the other hand have lighter rules and tend to be more focused on player interaction and will also force the game master to think more about plots and more social interactions with the players.

So, do you want "Go down in dungeons & kill monsters!" or "Social play and intrigues"? Some games support both relatively well, and some are more focused on one or the other. You can in theory do a missmatch (Dungeons & dragons in high society with court intrigues and all that fun stuff), but it will require a bit more work from everyone involved.

But do avoid Rolemaster, MERP, Eon/Neotech, Traveler or any of the other really heavy games. They are all good in their own right, but the amount of rules might make your heads spin. Also, something like Nephilim or Nobilis is just too "out there" to be good beginners games.

Personally I absolutely love Blue Planet & Fading Suns, but neither are "easy" to run. Also, Shadowrun & MechWarrior/Battletech: A Time of War are really good, and a bit more focused, but the later will probably just overwhelm a new player, Shadowrun should be easy enough though.

For about $90 you can find Dungeons and Dragons 3rd, 3.5, or Pathfinder core rulebook, game master's guide, and monster manuals. Those three are a great play to start for any player. The fantasy setting is standard and offers a lot of fluff. I prefer the current Pathfinder over D&D because it feels more polished and they fixed a few things.

One argument you will hear is that World of Darkness(Vampire, Werewolf, ect) is more story and D20(D&D, Pathfinder, ect) systems is all hack and slash. That is a lie as the game depends on its players and GM. I have been playing tabletop RPGs since 1994.

In my lifetime I've played Heroclix and Dungeons & Dragons. Both of them were really fun when I tried them out. Heroclix really appealed to me, because they were of super heroes and I was a big fan of comic books/superheroes. That brings me to another question, does anyone know if Heroclix still exists?

d20 SRD 3.5 - everything you need to play classic D&D 3.5

Well, the FATE Kickstarter just closed, not sure if there's another legal way to obtain the Fate core book yet, so... You can find the basic Fate rules here. Look for Fate 2.0 and open the PDF. It's only about 80 pages, not as much as the projected 300+ pages in the upcoming Fate core book. Even so, it's enough to get you started.

Fate is a really straightforward system. Character creation unites group members. Characters get aspects (which are kind of freeform descriptors that can be anything and grant bonuses as well as guide the story) and skills (which are a bit more normal and work just as you'd expect them to.) Then there are stunts which give a character a little extra ability in how their skills get used. There's a list of these, but you could also design your own.

It requires Fudge Dice, but you can use regular d6 and either:

• count 1/2 as a minus, 3/4 as a zero, and 5/6 as a plus.
• take a pipped d6 and a sharpie, draw a minus sign on the 2 & 3; a plus sign on the 1 & 5; draw a square (zero) on the 4 & 6.

Then just add them up (++++ = 4; ++-- = zero; 0++0 = 2) and add that number to the skill being checked. They're easy to read and they tend towards neutrality (you'll normally roll close to your skill - sometimes below, sometimes above) and you'll only rarely roll bigger changes like -3 or +4.

You'll also need some tokens (poker chips, glass beads, etc.)

It's a pretty simple freeform system that gives characters a reason to interact and (with tokens to compel or invoke aspects to cause problems or create interesting bonuses) ensures that scenes have dramatic flair.

If you like some pulp-comic action (Indiana Jones, Sky Captain, Rocketeer,) pick up Spirit of the Century.

If you like hard sci-fi, Diaspora might be up your alley (even if it adds some slightly more complicated mechanics.)

If you like urban fantasy, pick up the Dresden Files RPG.

Paranoia. It's more light-hearted, so you don't need to worry about lore, and death is a slap on the wrist in that game, so you can have fun with it and see if you like tabletops at all.

Dungeon Squad has super easy rules. I occasionally run a game for my younger siblings and this is the system we use.

There is one especially beautiful brazilian RPG being translated by Retropunk books. I think the name will be "Infinite Abyss" or someething like that. Sounds better in portuguese :P

I love it's rules. It's unfortunate to see it and Devastated Land not being translated to you guys...

So try out D&D4th (my group's first rpg), Squared Circle and Fiasco!

Pathfinder > Take a look at this. You can find Core Rulebook here: PRD (free)

Also there is a global campaign called Pathfinder Society. You can find a local Pathfinder Society game with the following link: http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/events

Also you can get in touch with the local coordinator in your region with the following link: http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/about/regionalCoordinators

I would also suggest Savage Worlds if you are willing to do a lot of preparation before games. It's the easiest/fastest RPG system ever. (It's just 10 $ on drivethrurpg)

P.S: You can add me on Steam if you have any questions about Pathfinder :)

http://www.challengerrpg.com its super simple and free

rpg card game? Munchkin it's super fun. Mixing decks can make it even better.

Can't go wrong with D&D 4e, and GURPS is about as non-lore-specific as you can get.

If u like skirmish battles Mordheim is a must. http://www.mordheimer.com/index.htm