Planning To Create An RPG - But Which Language?

(1) Scan through the previously answered questions in this area for some discussion of the merits of Java, C++, and C#; try "getting started in games" or similar.

(2) Since you have little/no experience in programming, the programming language is only half of the battle. A game usually has a lot of information to keep track of and a good understanding of data structures is necessary. Some languages make that part of the learning process easier than others. For example, C++ has the STL so if you're going with C++ you will want to make sure your book (and I suggest you find a good one; my standard recommendation is Koenig and Moo's _Accelerated C++_ as a starter and then anything not by Deitel and Deitel to follow that up) teaches the STL from the beginning so that you have a collection of working datastructures and some guidance on how to use them.

Java has similar collections but they can be harder to use because of the lack of templates (don't worry about what a template is (and to other experts, I know 1.4 has templates. I haven't used them enough to recommend them)).  C# is currently Windows only (so it requires the .Net framework installed on any machine that runs your game) though some open source .Net clones are coming of age (Mono, dotGNU).

(3) None of the above really addresses your question. What language should YOU learn that can be learned in 360 hours of study over almost a year. Not many languages fit that bill as game programming is hard. I would suggest two things first: Set some smaller goals and work on incremental steps. You should design some simple, simple game projects and work them up. In the industry these are known as tech demos, a demonstration of the technology (and your knowledge of the tech). Prove to yourselves that you can handle mouse and keyboard input by writing something that reacts. Prove that you can draw and animate picutres on the screen, etc. Then work on some gameplay prototypes. Small versions of the game you want to write. If it is a point and click adventure/RPG, make one where the user explores two to four rooms. That simple map (how are you going to store a map...odds are you'll need to use those data structure things) can be kept around to test the inventory system (pick up and drop things), animation, combat (drop in a couple of baddies and go to it), loading and saving games, etc.

(4) You didn't ask for an essay but I tend to write essays. Game programming is hard. Any hard task is usually best tackled in bite-sized chunks that fit into an overall goal. You should set a somewhat smaller goal than "knowing enough to program games in 9 months" because it is probably too ambitious and lacks a way of measuring your progress (a sure recipe for disappointment).  

(5) Finally: Language doesn't matter. I happen to program in C++ and find it a useful, powerful language. It is somewhat low-level, however. Java is often easier for people to get pretty drawing programs running in from a still start (that is what I teach intro programming in, for example). I would urge you to look at those two first (maybe find a good tutorial on the Web for each). There are free versions of both; Java requires a run-time to be installed on the user's system but Sun's implemntation of the run-time is free. From a books standpoint, I really like Koenig and Moo so I lean toward C++ because their book is unmatched in the Java literature.

Good luck and post any followup questions you have.
-bcl