Also, doesnt each issue of the Pathfinder comic have a mini adventure in it? I know the first issue had something for the garbage beach on the north side of Sandpoint...
combat of 4 members takes 15 minutes at least. (Provided the enemy is competent). also 15 minutes doesn't leave very much to allow for players to decide what they want to do- they would have to be led by the hand and only make passing comments on what is happening. But it wouldn't be very difficult to take any AP and simply give the characters a guide that brings them to the next step- but again, doesn't leave room for the players to do what they want.
15 minutes is an encounter not an adventure. Creating encounters while time consuming (to a degree, not as much as creating an adventure though) is fairly easy, IMO.
While I don't have anything to offer you, yet. I am in the process of designing a line of products for Rite Publishing Kaidan (Japanese horror) setting that consist of mapped locations designed as single complex encounters custom designed for mulitple CR challenges. The encounters would include possible combatants, individuals to RP with for getting information or interrogating for investigation, detailed hazards, traps, haunts, magic items, etc. Each will be designed to easily build an entire adventure around, or usable as a momentary stop-over side trek for an existing adventure.
The idea being that many pre-written adventures have storylines that individual GMs might not care for, though selective elements and encounters might be useful if pulled from the adventure. So instead of designing entire adventures, a complex encounter can be more easily used and more easily ported into existing adventures and campaigns.
It probably won't be until next year, that I begin crafting these. Again, it's for a Japanese horror setting, which might not gel with a non-oriental campaign setting.
There's always the world's shortest, yet technically complete, adventure: the Orc and the Pie.
"The door opens into an unremarkable 10' by 10' room. Sitting on a stool in the center of the room is a pie, its delicious scent tantalizing your senses. Unfortunately, a growl breaks your reveille, as a muscled orc wielding a club steps into view."
Roll for initiative. Use the standard orc warrior from the Bestiary. Th orc fights to the death to protect his pie. Replace his standard treasure with the pie.
Let me explain. . . no, there is too much, let me sum up.
I may get to present the Beginner's Box as a family game night demo. There will be multiple tables with a variety board games for many age ranges.
Each table gets about 5 minutes to explain rules and about 15 minutes to play. The idea is to get people interested enough that they want to play at home. The games are raffled off at the end of the night.
Then something like the Beginner bash would probably be best... the only problem is taht the fightyfighty part is (at least in campaigns I am in) the smaller portion of what we do, whereas just making things a bash only shows off the smaller aspect of the game.
Paizo Superscriber, Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber, Pathfinder Comics Deluxe Subscriber
I think the comic suggestion is excellent. In fifteen minutes youre not going to get through more than an encounter. Theyre cheap. Come with a battlemat (easier to teach someone something the more familiar it is, so keeping it like a boardgame is a plus, in my view). The comics are a bit adult for young kids, but you could also give an interested teen the comic to takeaway.
Id tweak the encounter a bit - have stuff lying around the battlefield to interact with, chandeliers to swing from, that kind of thing - open the newcomers' eyes to the possibilities of doing anything but without running the risk of them getting stuck.
oh, i was thinking you wanted something for lunch breaks at school- well i would suggest this, make 2 encounters each to be run in only a few minutes. One would be roleplay the other would be combat. Try to make the roleplay only 2-5 minutes so the rest can be done. Try to have your players incorporate 1 skill check (Diplomacy, bluff, intimidate) and the results will determine the combat. Example:
You and your party are a group of mercenaries. You have been hired by the local mayor to provide safe transport for this merchant caravan. It was a hot day outside, [provide flavor description. Very important]
As the sun dipped low into the horizon you see smoke on the horizon, too much smoke for this to simply be a bonfire. What do you do?
[[for DMs eyes]] Ahead is a pack of bandits, they have set up an ambush using a burning caravan as bait. Have 2-3 disguised bandits look like a family trying to put out the fire. with another 2-3 in the woods waiting to attack.
Assuming your players follow: "Sire, we were attacked by bandits! We scared them off but our caravan is burning! Can you help us?" At this point have your players roll a sense motive check [[ DM MAGIC: Have the player with the highest roll know the bandit is lying. Tell him he is getting a bad feeling but he doesn't know what it is]]
Assuming your players help with the fire, the bandits draw their weapons and surround the players while their backs are turned. Assuming the players DON'T help, the bandits still cling to hope and try to attack the caravan.
15 minutes playing an adventure: get a dungeon-crawler card game, 15 minutes are not enough time for getting the whole experience/fun of playing
15 minutes preparing an adventure: get an adventure generator, there are enough out there, or here http://www.dungeonslayers.com/?page_id=236 (simple, fast and fun with few work)
The additional material in the comics is general four pages of setting content, followed by two pages detailing an encounter with foes of some sort. For example, the encounter in Pathfinder #3 revolves around
Spoiler:
ghouls
. There is a fold-up battlemap/poster included that you can use for the encounter.
The additional material in the comics is general four pages of setting content, followed by two pages detailing an encounter with foes of some sort. For example, the encounter in Pathfinder #3 revolves around ** spoiler omitted **. There is a fold-up battlemap/poster included that you can use for the encounter.
I've got all 3 of the comic books released so far and the great thing is the short encounters can very easily be strung together in to a campaign with out much effort. Especially if you read the comic and take that story :P
It's going to take more than 15 minutes just to explain a roleplaying game to those who haven't played one.
That said, the adventures in the Pathfinder Comics seem ideal. Characters are provided and everything. You could even purchase the minis that go with the adventures.
I'd suggest printing some blank Beginner Box character sheets and copying each PC from the comic onto them. The pregens in the Beginner Box use a 15 point buy and it looks like the comic pregens use a 20 point. So you'd want to use the stats from the comics.
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