frogimus's page

Since I think there'd be interest, I think I'll do some "going to the full rules" articles as part of the series as well.

That would be great! Well, I'm going to digest the rules before I start asking more questions.

Thanks again.

Frogimus, your question inspired me to write an article/review on my blog, in which I most decidedly come down on the side of the Pathfinder Beginner Box. Of course, it is only my opinion. But reading it should help you form a more-considered judgment. I hope it helps, and enjoy! :D

First off, I want to thank you for a well-thought and well-written discourse. That and the other replies I have received was exactly the kind of comparisons I was hoping to elicit but feared I wouldn't since this is, after all, an internet forum.

I have ordered a physical BB and have purchased the PDF from here so I can begin reading and have an e-copy on my tablet. It is much better than I had hoped. Visually engaging and well planned, it should hold their attention. BTW, whoever did the art on the Wizard must know Larry Elmore pretty well since he looks exactly like him other than hair length.

Since you've made a transition from BB to Core with kids in the same age group, do you have a written plan you used? Or is the gap between BB and Core not so large?

@Mark Hoover: thanks for the insight. It's good to see the evolution of B/X > AD&D > PF.

I think it might be worth a try at the Beginner Box. Maybe by the time we've completely explored the BB world, 1.) there will be more content for it (official or not), or 2.) I'll have an appreciation for PF that lets us delve into the Core.

Thanks to everyone for the constructive discussion. So many "official" game forums are full of enthusiastic defenders of their game, it's nice to see this type of conversation.

frogimus wrote:

Now my kids have found the Basic Rulebook and want to try it out. Unfortunately, this is all I still have of the original D&D (we won't count the stack of AD&D boat anchors).

frogimus wrote:

Wow! Some really good feedback here. I appreciate the honesty in every reply.

From what I'm reading, I think I'd enjoy the Beginner Box, but not so much the Core Rules. That's a shame, because I like that Pathfinder has a large library of well written Campaigns and Modules, as well as a great community.

Since your original question was in the context of your kids trying it out, you might want to ask yourself what they will enjoy most. Obviously they won't have a good time if you are not, but my 11-year old son loves the complexity and system mastery aspect of the full Pathfinder rules. He can go on for hours about the relative merits of great swords, much to the annoyance of his mother :)

That's a fair question. My daughter enjoys story telling and would eat up the RP side of the game. She plays tabletop games with me (Infinity, Hordes, Dust, Blitzkrieg Commander, etc) and handles herself very well for an 11-yo. My son doesn't like any game that requires measuring, consulting charts and rules, or aught else that interrupts the gameplay.

Wow! Some really good feedback here. I appreciate the honesty in every reply.

To answer the question about what I liked about Basic:

1. The players could show up to the table with a single sheet of paper - their Character Sheet.

2. Basic was much more immersive than AD&D. To me, it ruins the whole storytelling to stop and roll a die for every flipping move. In Basic, it felt that the DM orchestrated the game. In AD&D, it felt more like the DM was a bookkeeper.

From what I'm reading, I think I'd enjoy the Beginner Box, but not so much the Core Rules. That's a shame, because I like that Pathfinder has a large library of well written Campaigns and Modules, as well as a great community.

@Doug's Workshop; thank you for the suggested games.

@Hendelbolaf; AD&D allows freedom compared to 3.5/Pathfinder? Since I found AD&D too restrictive, that statement scares me.

Thanks all!

I played the Moldvay rules and loved them. My friends and I had a great time crawling dungeons and RPing.

Then AD&D came along. We started playing and it got old fast. Roleplay was replaced by pages of charts and die rolls. Everything that was in the least bit "fantasy" related was crammed into the game.

Gygax's beautiful creation was reduced to a bookselling dollarfest.

Now my kids have found the Basic Rulebook and want to try it out. Unfortunately, this is all I still have of the original D&D (we won't count the stack of AD&D boat anchors).

I've looked at the Beginners Box and it looks like a good gateway - but a gateway into what? Is PF the streamlined system of the original, or is it the overly complicated madhouse of the latter?