What is a great introductory RPG?
RPGaDay prompt #2, from https://www.autocratik.com/2022/
I think there’s no real answer to this question, to be honest. A good introduction heavily depends on what an individual person would like to get out of playing. It’d have to be something that gives a decent overview of what to expect but that also heavily depends on what you’d end up running. So, overall, I think a varied experience would present the best introduction: something gripping and drama-like, something with some heavy roleplay as well as some crunchy combat, but also moments of rules-light experiences. How else could somebody new to RPGs really form an opinion of what RPGs are?
So, really, I think the best introduction is playing many different one-shots and thinking about what you’ve played afterwards.