Hello fellow GOGers!
I would like you to recommend me my first RPG title!
Yes, it's true. I've never played a cRPG game before.
I am a loyal point n click adventurer, but I decided to try something new.
I have no idea about RPGs, so I am counting on you to help me.

What I like:
1) excellent story and plot
2) interesting characters
3) not too complicated controlling

What I hate:
1) killing hordes of zombies and mindless orcs. It is ok to kill a few, but just a few.
2) a lot of special in game terms for attributes, potions, skills etc. It will be my first RPG so I have to understand what is going on.

In general, I would like something with great story, easy to follow gameplay and no mindless bloodbaths.
I hope I was clear.

Thank you guys!

Story over combat? That'd be easily Planescape Torment.

Hmmm... Planescape: Torment or The Witcher.

Planescape: Torment is more hardcore and slightly harder to understand, but - it doesn't revolve around combat, it's based on dialogue, great writing, fantastic setting and characters. It's got the best story and characters I have ever seen in a videogame, period. But... Well it won't hurt you to read a manual - while it's not hard to figure everything out by yourself, it'll just be easier that way. If you have any questions during playtrough, PM me. And don't play it if you hate reading, it's basically an interactive book with great freedom.

The Witcher is easier to control, more cinematic and generally modern. Again, it's a game revolving around story and dialogue with a really good story, even fantastic if you add the sequel. It's easier to learn, there's more combat and ... well, it holds your hand far more.

Point and clicker into RPG... Well, find the free Quest for Glory 2 remake.

Planescape sounds like a good game to start with, because it's pretty easy on the RPG stuff, but with a fantastic story.

Word of warning though... you'll be spoiled with the story, and every other story afterwards will feel like an afterthough compared to Planescape.

After Planescape, you should try Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. It's a lot deeper and stat-heavy than Planescape, but take your time with it and you'll learn the game while progressing. Besides, it's the only story that may not be a crushing dissapointment after Planescape.

Arcanum is also very, very good in the story compartment. But it is rather stat heavy, so you might want to leave it for later.

Now this might get me a lot of flak, but if you like Science Fiction in general the Mass Effect series is excellent as a space opera and very light on the stat part.

Also, and now I will get downreped, Dragon Age II has a compelling enough story and is very easy on the stats. But you will go through hordes of slaughter. And while the story is largely seperated from DA:O, you might need the backround info provided in DA:O.

Edit: And I didn't mention Planescape because everybody mentioned it. But is is the best out there. Just make sure your character is "brains over brawns".

The first two Fallouts are an excellent choice - they're pretty easy to get into for beginners.

I was thinking the same thing

Planescape: Torment puts all other video game stories I have seen so far to deep shame. And yes, like StarEye said, everything else might feel a bit lame after that, especially since many fantasy settings have black-and-white morals and such. Of course, you could always start a new playthrough in Torment just to experience the story one more time. I do, and I haven't tired of it so far. If anything, I keep discovering new things and re-discovering brilliant stuff that I've forgotten. Planescape: Torment says hello. It's not just the story that makes it great: the characters may seem weird if you just read quick summaries of them, which is why you should play the game and see how much more sense a floating skull makes then. That would be Planescape: Torment then. The battle system is pretty simple, but that's okay since you probably won't be using it all that much anyway. Most of the time you'll be just clicking around to move or to talk to someone. Roughly estimated, half the time you'll be actually playing the game, half the time reading what's going on. The writing is gripping, though, so don't worry. They really knew what they were doing. With stealth and cunning, I think you could play through Planescape: Torment without killing almost anything. Combat yields relatively few experience points, so there's no incentive from that front either. Just as well, considering the rather lacklustre combat system (compared to, say, Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale). Some of the spells are fantastic, though. You're in luck: Planescape: Torment has this one covered as well.

I may come across as some sort of a human advertisement for the game, but I honestly can't recommend Torment enough. There's a very good reason why it's often called the best game of all time, not least by myself.

Just for the sake of variety, I'm going to include another game as well. The Witcher is a pretty safe bet. In my opinion, the battle system is pathetically simple considering the amount of fighting (mindless bloodbaths, I'd guess, but often you can avoid them simply by outrunning your pursuers), but at least it's very easy to get the hang of it. The level-up system is a bit baffling at first, but you'll get used to it in no time: even if you don't it's pretty difficult to screw the game up with putting your points on bad skills. The story is pretty good as well. It's not the best RPG around, but I'll be damned if I regret having bought the Collector's Edition thing.

EDIT: You can run from most enemies or sneak past them. The frequency of battles largely depends on how fast you read. Quite. It's a very different sort of game for those who are used to Dungeons & Dragons in the Forgotten Realms sense. There are some open areas too, but most of the game takes place in Sigil, which is a city no matter how you look at it.

Fallout 2 - my fist cRPG - nothing was the same after F2 :-)

Hifiiiive!

[snap!]

This.

Planescape is set in a city of Sigil, built on top of a huge spire located between ... let's say worlds. All landscape there is is desert and rock. Trust me, the city itself is the most colorful thing :D But it's really beautifully designed, so don't worry. There's also modding guide in the PST forum on GoG, nothing is really necessary except for resolution patch if you have widescreen monitor.

As far as combat goes, well, theoretically, you HAVE to fight I think 2 or 3 times trough the entire game. In practice, you'll find yourself in combat situations far more during the game - just remember that you can just run away if you wish, and when you get a certain thief, that only one character needs to reach the entrance to other area for the entire group to proceed. Oh come on, you just have to click on evil in certain rhytm for it to die! :D Weeeell, on the other hand, as far as game world goes, baldur's gate is far more "LOTR" than PST. And it's also far more stat-based. And Planescape has this inexplicible sci-fi feel all over, at least for me and a few friends. You MIGHT consider giving Witcher another go and, again, reading manual, since it's closer to LOTR than PST. Still not that close thou.