New GM to Pathfinder


Advice


Greetings all,

I am a brand new GM and entirely new to the setting of Pathfinder. I've been asked by my students at my job to host a roleplaying game for them and (excitedly) I have decided upon the world of Golarion.

I hope that this fits best in this area and if not, I do apologize in advance. But, I was wanting to get a feel from other GM's who tend to stick to canon and not much editing of the rules when it comes to game play, things to be aware of and more?

I've got everything I need for these guys - so we are good to go. Just looking for some advice, tips and tricks!

Thank you!
-Nerian
(Charles)


I am also a relatively new GM (been at it about a year with a semi-monthly game). Here are a few things I have implemented in my game:

-The first rule is to have fun. If the players are not having fun, then ask them what you need to do differently to let them have fun.

-If I can't remember precisely how a rule works, I say, "I don't remember exactly how this works. We will do this now (insert judgement), and I will look up the rule during the break/between sessions. I will let you know what the rules actually say and we will follow them from there on out." My players are fine with this. Sometimes it works in their favor sometimes not, but we are all learning the rules.

-As an addendum to the above policy, you can also appoint someone to look up the rule while things move forward.

-Stick to the adventure, but be ready to do stuff on the fly when the players jump out of your track.

-For first adventures, I recommend more linear (railroaded) adventures or dungeon crawls. It limits the amount of "on the fly" stuff you need to do. On the downside, it also leaves you completely winging it when they fail to explore the threat in the dungeon that you had planned and instead try to take on the werewolves in the forest that you hinted at and were planning to bring in after they finish the dungeon crawl.

-Use published adventures. They will help you to see how balanced adventures and encounters work.

Okay, that was longer winded than I had planned. Hopefully it's somewhat helpful.


Could you (or anyone) tell me what good first level adventures / modules are? This is where the group is wanting to start and I plan on having them begin to look things over today / tomorrow :)

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Neriandal Freit wrote:
Could you (or anyone) tell me what good first level adventures / modules are? This is where the group is wanting to start and I plan on having them begin to look things over today / tomorrow :)

There's a module called "We Be Goblins!" that is loads of fun. It comes with pregenerated PCs (all of them are goblins) and is a one-shot module designed to take about 4 hours. It's not too serious (Goblins are funny) and introduces you to some classes and the mechanics of the game in a relaxed environment.

Additionally, completing it gives players (and the GM) a "chronicle sheet" that can be applied to a first-level character in the Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign. So there's a perk at the end in that respect.

Also, I highly recommend trying out Pathfinder Society ("PFS") as a player as you learn the rules. PFS scenarios are pretty "by the book", and therefore can help you learn.

And finally, as the GM, I suggest you focus your rules-learning on the CRB chapters of Getting Started, Combat, and Additional Rules. Let the players worry about races and classes, while you focus on how the world at large functions.

Good luck, and have fun!

Grand Lodge

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Neriandal Freit wrote:
Could you (or anyone) tell me what good first level adventures / modules are? This is where the group is wanting to start and I plan on having them begin to look things over today / tomorrow :)

•5: Mists of Mwangi and 2-11: Penumbral Accords (set in the same museum)

•35: Voice in the void (in the basement of the museum of 5 and 2-11)
•37: Beggar's Pearl
•39: Citadel of Flame

The First Steps mods are also good to start with.


Crypt of the Everflame was a fun module that I went through as a player.

Master of the Fallen Fortress looked fun when I read through it. I believe it comes with pregenerated character sheets (if you want them). And here's a big bonus: It's FREE!!!

OR since you are just starting out, you could pick up the Beginner box, run through what's there (a slightly simplified version of pathfinder meaning less options, not dumbed down rules) and then start looking at modules/ adventures.

In fact, if I was just starting out and nobody in my group knew DnD3.5 or Pathfinder, I would be starting with the Beginner Box.

Grand Lodge

Are you planning to run Pathfinder or Pathfinder Society? The society is an organized play campaign which has additional rules for creating and leveling characters. It's Pathfinder with adjustments to allow people to play the same characters in different venues.

If you want to run PFS, I would start with the three "First Steps" modules. They are free and have an introduction to the factions which are an important part of society play. This would allow you to try things without too much of an investment.

If you do not have a consistent group of players, Pathfinder society could be problematic as characters wouldn't advance at the same rate, making scheduling more difficult.

Scarab Sages

Very right. The "First Steps" modules do also give some great items on the Chronicle Sheets and a great start to the Pathfinder Society's NPCs, venture captains, and foes in Golarion.

Dark Archive

Neriandal Freit wrote:

Greetings all,

I am a brand new GM and entirely new to the setting of Pathfinder. I've been asked by my students at my job to host a roleplaying game for them and (excitedly) I have decided upon the world of Golarion.

I hope that this fits best in this area and if not, I do apologize in advance. But, I was wanting to get a feel from other GM's who tend to stick to canon and not much editing of the rules when it comes to game play, things to be aware of and more?

I've got everything I need for these guys - so we are good to go. Just looking for some advice, tips and tricks!

Thank you!
-Nerian
(Charles)

I only recently came to pathfinder from 1st/2nd ed. myself. One thing that I do in my home game is to type up a simple paper with my take on controversial rules. If you search on the forum you will find many differant disputes over RAW and RAI ect. It is good to have your stand on these topics clearly stated prior to the game starting, to avoid discussions about rules. I always put in the referance to the GM section in the Core, to remind players about GM fiat ect.

This only applies for house games of corse, which it sounds like what you are intending. If your intent is to run PFS, then just have a strong understanding of the core and you should be ok.


There is a new Beginner Box that you may want to look at. It might be just what you need to get started.


dotting as i am a new gm myself. looking forward to pro tips


In terms of adventures, I would recommend running Crypt of the Everflame. This is my go-to adventure for brand new players/GMs, or those new to Pathfinder. As an added benefit to the GM (and additional cool-factor for the players) it even has its own Flip Mat available which means you can just cover the mat with black paper and remove sections of the paper as they explore to reveal more of the dungeon! That might seem a bit pricey for a single adventure, but I've run this now for about 3 different groups as has a friend of mine who just started GMing. If there's a chance you'll repeat this with different groups, it would be worth the investment as it will save a LOT of time drawing, etc.

I would also recommend you check out the brand new Beginner's Box as that WILL teach you (and the players) the game without overwhelming you. In fact, you could run the party thru Everflame using the rules from the Beginner's Box.


Wow, so much great information you guys - I greatly appreciate all of this! I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and what not, but as someone has mentioned I am more worried about the logistics of the world vs. the races and what not, leaving it to my players for the time being.

PFS isn't much of where I am looking to go at this time. I have seen a few things published by the Soceity and they look outstanding! I hope to incorporate that into their world here long term.

This Beginner Box I have seen or heard nothing but great reviews of it, so I think I may just check it out to get an idea of what is really up with it and go from there!


Yep, Beginner Box definitely.

Another suggestion is what you're kind of already doing -- these messageboards are a great resource.

Specifically, you can usually find a thread on a published adventure using the search bar or going under the appropriate forum, that is for GMs only, where other GMs give advice to go along with the module. I definitely used some information from the Crypt of the Everflame thread when I ran it.

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