My players and I have come back to gaming after several years of absence; we haven't had a steady game going since the early 90s. Though several of us moved off to the four corners of the earth (Kuwait, Peru, Oklahoma, etc), we managed to get in the occasional game. It happened maybe once a year.
However, since we've all moved back a little closer to our roots, we started up a steady, fun, ongoing campaign. That hadn't happened since we played 2e. So, we found Pathfinder and dove into Curse of the Crimson Throne. The APs are magnificent and really help us keep our campaign together. Though we only get to play every 4-6 weeks, we love it.
However, since the majority of us haven't really played since 2e, the Pathfinder system seems mindbogglingly complex to many of my players. They are there to have fun, escape awhile, role play, etc. Not one of them is a rules lawyer in the slightest. They want to have some fun adventuring together and the rules are only seen as peripheral to that.
So the way it has played out it, as the GM, I am expected to know the rules enough so that we can function. Before every session, we have a review tutorial of things with which they are unfamiliar (CMD, CMB, DC checks, etc). It has worked out ok. I don't mind doing it, and as long as my players are having fun, I'm happy.
But we've hit a snag. Some of the other guys would like to GM (and I'd love the chance to play as a PC), but the ruleset is just too much for them to feel comfortable doing it. I struggle with it myself and it seems overwhelming to them.
So, to finally ask my question: have any of you experimented with a simplification of the rules? How would you go about doing that anyway? All the rules seem very pertinent and valuable, addressing so many of the game's concerns - where would you even begin to boil it down a bit? We'd love to play the APs and modules, but is there a simpler way to do it?
I appreciate any help I can get on this.