First and foremost, I know I am probably opening myself up for some shots but I would like to try and gather some information anyway. I am new to table-tops... be gentle.
That being said, I never really got into D&D or the whole scene when I was younger, but I have always been an avid fan of the fantasy world. So when Pathfinder came along I jumped on the ship and started gathering all the books and materials as they came out, and I thoroughly enjoyed just reading about the world known as Golarion. Never being a table-top RPG player, but an avid book reader and RPG video game player, I understood quite well about basic classes, races, skills, etc. After a year of reading the various PFRPG books I had to get in on this. I wanted to jump into the role of an adventurer facing the multitudes of trials and tribulations that come with the territory. All that being said as background, this leads to some questions I have about RPG gaming in general. I know these questions may come off as ignorance, but I assure you, I am not trying to "troll" or ruffle any feathers. I just want to know if my short term experience is indicative of the genre as a whole. I apologize for any unintended offense.
Q1: Is Pathfinder unpopular?
It took me 3 months to find a legal table of Pathfinder players in my area (the panhandle of Florida) and this comprised of players as far away as 60 miles away. I joined a local gaming group to try and learn the ropes of gaming in general, and they would only play 4E. I gave it a shot, but in the end, I just didn't care for it as much as what I had read from my PF books. The people in the group were vehemently against Pathfinder... so I waited until a PFS game day came up (many many miles away) to play, and loved it. So is Pathfinder unpopular in general? Or is this a geographical oddity?
Q2: Are table-top RPGs as flexible as they seem?
What I mean by this question is can a player jump into the role they wish to play. My favorite class is the bard, but just about every table I have played has given me a strange look when I announce that is what I am playing. Do table-top games stress min-maxing as much as other game mediums? Does role-playing often take a backseat to numbers?
Q3: If you did not play other RPGs, are you seen as an "outsider"?
Admittedly, I am a Pathfinder only guy. That being said, I know the rule system very well. So far when I have played Pathfinder with the groups I have been able to find (society and adventure paths) many of the rules seem to be replaced with variations of 3.5 and 4E, and in my mind I scream "blasphemy". Is this common? Am I overreacting? Or should the game be played as the book states?
Q4: Is there always a gamer who annoys the living *&%@ out of you?
Does every table have players that are only concerned with their own grandstanding, to a point of ruining the experience for others? Every table (and I mean every) I have played in my year of doing this so far has had a chaotic neutral character that wishes only to kill NPCs, steal from any possible opportunity, threaten other PCs with death-by-dagger, and in the end cost the group fun. Is this just part of the game? Is getting a PFS Chronicle scratched of all rewards part of the immersion of role-playing because the alchemist2/barbarian2/rogue4 had to see how hard he could hit the informative shop-keeper with all his might? Am I being too stiff concerning the game?
Again, I do not mean any offense by these. I really do enjoy this game, but just want to know if this is just part of the table-top world we play in. If you stuck around to this point so far, I thank you, and welcome any comments or criticisms.
For Taldor, Cass
