That as well. I also realized through my studies of some RPGs today that they can be a bigger money and time sink than board games. I think I'll just stick to what I know. It's not like I NEED even more gaming in my life.
Not at all. Outside of some dice and maybe a deck of cards, the cost of playing RPGs can be rather negligible. Many people new to the hobby think it's only the 800-pound gorillas like D&D, Pathfinder and White Wolf/Onyx Path that are worth looking at and nothing could be further from the truth. In a number of cases the cost can be as low as zero or pay-what-you-want for a game PDF, or only a few dollars, and these games are
good.
You can spend as little or as much as you want, just like any hobby. I have many RPG game books and PDFs, just like I have many board games because I really like the hobby. Both of them have a low cost to entry if you just want to test the water and see if it's to your liking.
Usually find it easier to introduce rpgs to players by using more rule heavy games. The hardest aspect about role playing games to teach is generally getting players to actually roleplay. For folks who do board games and video games, usually to move into something like D&D with a lot of structure, is much easier. The hardest thing lot of players have trouble with, is actually getting into a character and understanding what real roleplaying is about.
While I agree with your point that players vary in levels of comfort regarding what they're comfortable doing at the table, I disagree that a rules-heavy game is the solution to guide their way. I find that is more the role of the GM to get the player engaged with the story and the character. Often timid players will resort to discussing game mechanics rather than what is actually occurring in the game itself, rules-heavy games can encourage this and it can be a difficult habit to break.
Of course pressuring such a player is not a good idea, the aim is for them to have fun not have a spotlight shined on them to make them uncomfortable. Guiding them through it to encourage interesting play by offering suggestions and giving examples as well as other players at the table demonstrating varying degrees at which this can be done. "I sift through the dirt on my hands and knees looking for the hidden door we were told would be found here" is infinitely more interesting than "I roll perception, what do I find?" It can be as simple as asking what their character is doing, to describe their actions. Again, suggestions and examples and questions laden with hints can start to get them on the right track. To engage the fiction which triggers the rules instead of directly engaging the rules.
Some people aren't comfortable talking in the first person and such, and that's fine. There's no need to push for those, they'll either start when they're ready or not at all, but the player should at least demonstrate some sort of control over their character. "I roll dice and you as the GM tell me everything that happens" is not what roleplaying is about, at least for me. If I want story time, I'll read a book; if I want to craft a cool story with my friends or other people, I roleplay.
I believe most people have it in them, many of us did it as kids, so it's really nothing new. Playing cops and robbers, pirates, <insert favourite cartoon/tv show/movie/whatever recreated with friends here>, playing with action figures. All these are roleplaying and there were very little rules other than what was made up on the spot and maybe iterated on as they were played more often. The only real difference is that whatever game system is used at the table has rules for conflict resolution and benefits/penalties to encourage certain types of behaviour.
