No, I haven't played any previous Dragon Age games. In fact, this is the first video game of my life, not counting mobile games, haha. A friend recommended it to me, and I really liked it—it unlocked a new passion for me. 😁
Since I've already started this one, I’ll continue with it, but later on, I'll try to get the previous parts. And thank you so much for the advice, here you have another reader. 😊
You can skip the first game if you really wanted to but should play the second as it lays the ground work for the ongoing Mage Vs Templar conflict in Inquisition. Although if you did want the full story on what started the rebellion you'd need to read the book Asunder!