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I would buy this series for my Kindle if theay were available. As it is, there is too much good stuff in the genre which is available to buy these in hardcopy.

So...what happen if you lay a never-empty mug on its side?

I don't know if this is the right place to make this comment. I looked through all the forums and this seemed the most likely. Anyhow, here goes...

Is it just me, or are the labels on the maps (white letters outlined in black) very difficult to read.

I was reading the first Kingmaker book last week and, as I read about each location, I was referring back to the map. Now my eyes are very sharp, but the font was so small that the black outline merged and the worrds just appeared blurry (they're not, but that's the effect).

The intent was good. I'm sure the idea is that no matter the color of the background the letters would stand out. But, in reality the letters are just mostly black and hard to read.

Perhaps Paizo could experiment with some other color to make the legends readable or make the outline much, much finer.

Man, thoze sheets are great! Not only do they provide good pregens, but they beautifully done! I'm going to be introducing my group to Patherfinder in the near future. I hope that there will be sheets for the new new iconics for the new classes coming in the APG.

I agree with roccojr. It just isn't necessary to go into detail in an RPG. If you think of it as a movie, just keeping it at a PG rating is plenty.

Romance can be integral tothe plot or might occur by happen stance. In any case romance can be inferred and need not be explict. Now, I'm no prude mind you. However we should be sensitive to the group and there might be those who feel discomfort with a graphic romantic scene. Since we are all trying to derive some enjoyment from the game there is no need to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

I have played hard bitten soldiers who sought out the brothel in every new town the party entered. I also played a pair of characters, one male and one female who were "partners". In niether case did I find the need to be expicit.

The bottom line is that I think that romance and sex can be an essential part of who a character is and can be necessary for the plot. I also think that players and GMs can do this in a mature, appropriate way that is considerate of the group's composition.

These are games of fantasy so it really doesn't matter what the Guiness Book of World Records says or that the women's tee is closer to the pin than the men's. As far as I know PCs who are female roll the same ability attribute dices as male PCs.

In game play, it would soon get very dissatifying for people playing female PC if they couldn't stand side-by-side with the male PCs in a fight or if the female PCs had to be relagated to the non-martial classes. When you think about it, that makes sense. If a female chooses to be a life of adventure in our fictious world, would she be a wimp--I think not.

Of course, there is a world of difference between the stats and how the stats are used in course of role playing. In other words, it's not the attributes that make a PC female, it's how they are played.

As to whether people should play across gender lines. I absolutely agree that they should at least give it a try.

I think there is more common ground here that first appears. I'm not saying (and have not said) that players can't play the other gender, I'm saying that it can be more difficult than playing their own gender.

Is there disagreement on that?

On a side note, though, it really doesn't matter *why* different roles and behaviours are exhibited by opposite genders. What matters in the game is that these roles and behaviours undoubtably exist. Please note that there is no value judgement as to the goodness or badness of gender roles, but simply an objective recognition of what is.

Research (and let's not get into the cite your sources give and take, a simple Google search will satisfy either arguement's side and lead nowhere but to frustration) has demonstrated that male and female brains physiologically function differently.

Saying everyone thinks differently is like saying that all humans look different therefore we are just like dogs. Everyone does think differently--slightly--but even with those individual variations the diffent responses exhibited by genders is identifiable.

By the way, you also jumped from my statement that male and female brains work differently to a statement about logic and intuition. I made no such assertion and I've never read a scientific study that would assert such a thing.

While a male and female may reach exactly the same conclusion, the logical progression of thoughts tends (note that it "tends") to be different. How much of this difference is a result of learned behaviour (learning is the process of establishing or discarding neurological pathways and is, therefore, still physological and biological) and how much is genetic is a matter for further research.

> Dabbler

Just because there are men who can think like women and vice versa, doesn't mean than any particular person would find it easy to do so.

As to the logic of playing fantasy characters...well what can I say but that they are fantasy characters. Furthermore, when one plays a Dwarf, for instance, one plays a role based on a defined (explictly or implicitly) by the setting. To put in another way, a man from New York who is asked to act the part of a Southern gentleman would might take on the cultural aspects of upbringing and environment. The same asked to play a SOuthern woman might have a much more difficult time.

To deny that men and women think differently is to deny culture, environment and biology.

I am male. I appreciate the female way of seeing the world because it brings balance. I appreciate the benefits of being different. To bring this discussion back on topic, I find that the dynamics of a mixed sex group is completely different that a same sex group. The reason is that the sexes are different and they bring their unique (as well as common) characteristics to the game with them.

I have only played females twice. Both times it was simply because it is extremely hard to do (for me). Men and women just think differently and use different decision making processes. Playing a female character is challenging because of that. Mannerisms and adopting a female veneer is pretty easy, but shallow role playing. To really get the character to act and react the way a female would means understanding that the thought processes are fundamentally different--and how they are different.

It is really difficult to actually role play the opposite gender. It is easy to act like a stereotype.

Let me say that d20pfsrd.com has been a huge help to me as I refresh my d20 3.5 knowledge and adapt to Pathfinder. One of the things I like best is that the layout translates pretty well on my iPhone.

I wish there were some suggestions that I could provide, but right now I can't think of any. Perhaps as I use it more, I will come up with something.

All I do now is say "Good job!"

That is a great website. It's been a few years since I played 3.5. Recently I started playing a home brew game which is most unsatifying so one of the other players and I have started looking around for an alternative. While I have lots of different game systems, I really wanted an excuse to buy the Pathfinder book.

When I started refreshing my memory by attempting to generate a character, I recalled what a convoluted process it appeared to be when I first picked up the PHB 3.0 and tried to do it by myself. To be frank, I couldn't and soon found myself calling for help. Of course, after playing for a while that intitial confusion and frustration is soon forgotten amidst the excitement of playing.

Personally, I think one of the most prevalent problems with RPGs is that they are written and play tested by experienced gamers. I think the books would be written much differently if the authors just grabbed someone off the street with no previous exposure RPGs, handed them the rulebook, and said "do it." The assumptions made by the authors would soon be discovered. Years ago when I was a young software engineer it was the policy in the company for whom I worked that the designers did not write the manuals. In fact, after much experimentation, we finally got to the point where we hired people who knew nothing about the software or how to operate it to write the manuals. We found that they would ask exactly the questions that needed to be asked to gain an understanding by a complete neophyte. The designers simply knew too much to be abe to write effective instructions.

The PRD is a distillation of the rules and makes things a lot easier to understand. It is still the same structure and makes the same assumptions as the rulebook. After all, it is the rulebook without the fluff. The PRDdb because of the ability to cross reference very quickly. Its utility, however, is applicable to the solitary user between games. It can't help in a convention setting or when everyone in the group is gathered in my living room itching to kill a dragon and steal his stuff.

Honestly, I think that a reasonable booklet could be created that would be in the 16 to 32 page length of the Chronicle type booklets (and in the same five to ten dollar price point) which would contain just enough information and instructions to initially create 1st to 4th level PCs with enough rooom for some pretty pictures. If I ad my druthers, the first page would be an illustration of the official character sheet with a numerical callout in each blank in the order in which they should be filled in. The rest of the booklet would be a list of these callouts and how the number that goes in that box is derived along with a reference into the core rulebook for more detailed information and context. If a callout need to reference a table, then that table (foreshortened since we are only concerned with intitial PC creation at some low levels) would be appear in the booklet as well.

I think that part of the problem is that the basic knowledge needed to fill out the character sheet and get started is spread thoughout the rulebook. For instance, it doesn't get much basic than figuring out what your Hit Points should be. As it turns out, the instructions for figuring out your HP are in the glossery in front of the book.

Now imagine that you're a brand new player trying to figure out the game. You've rolled up your abilities which were pretty straight forward and clear. Now you want to put a number in that HP box on your sheet. Humm. Nothing in the character generation section tells you how--it just says to go do it. Fortunately there is an index so you consult it and it sends you to page twelve. So now you read that paragraph on HP. Remember you're a complete neophyte. So what does that paragraph say?

"To determine a creature’s hit points, roll the dice indicated
by its Hit Dice. A creature gains maximum hit points if its
first Hit Die roll is for a character class level. Creatures
whose first Hit Die comes from an NPC class or from his
race roll their first Hit Die normally."

Fair enough, so now you go look up Hit Die and find that figure out that the HD is a defined by the class. Let's say you're a Fighter so now you know that your Hit Die is a d10. Now you back and read the paragraph on page twelve again. Eventually you might arrive at the conclusion that at the 1st level you automatically get the max HP(determined by the die type) and every level thereafter you roll that die type and add it you your current HP.

Of course, by the time you've puzzled this out, you're probably asking yourself if it's going be equally difficult to figure out how to fill in the rest of the blocks on the sheet.

I do like the suggestion that parts of the PRD can be lifted and combined to create a quick charcter creation guide. However, I for one would gladly fork over a few hard earned bucks for a nice glossy guide. In fact, I would buy several for my lending library.

Fortunately, there are great first level adventures for a beginning group. However, I think a great addition to the introductory range would be a simplified character creation booklet. Essentially, this would contain a character sheet a description of the process, a shortenedd version of PC races and classes, only the skill and feat (only the feats available to level 1 PCs) tables and just the spell tables for level 0 and 1 casters. For detailed description of feats, skills, and spells the core book would have to be consulted.

This would enable a GM to introduce Pathfinder to a new group (or a old group playing different games) very quickly without everyone having to fight over a single copy of the core book. It would be a boon to convention GMs as well.

Fortunately, there are great first level adventures for a beginning group. However, I think a great addition to the introductory range would be a simplified character creation booklet. Essentially, this would contain a character sheet a description of the process, a shortenedd version of PC races and classes, only the skill and feat (only the feats available to level 1 PCs) tables and just the spell tables for level 0 and 1 casters. For detailed description of feats, skills, and spells the core book would have to be consulted.

This would enable a GM to introduce Pathfinder to a new group (or a old group playing different games) very quickly without everyone having to fight over a single copy of the core book. It would be a boon to convention GMs as well.