Going to give it a shot! Help for an oldbie / newbie?


Advice


Burned out longtime D&Der. Tried 4E. Bought many books/cards/minis. Did not enjoy it. After trading for store credit at my FLGS I looked through the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide and really enjoyed it. Also picked up the core rules, bestiary, Eternal Flame dungeon/Flipmat and Screen. Alright, you got me.

Here's my question. Are all Paizo products compatible? I saw so many different titles. Pathfinder companion, Pathfinder Chronicles, Adventure Paths, Kingmaker, Modules with and without the PFRPG logo. I'm confused as to which is for which. Is there a guide?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. Speak slowly, I'm old. ;D


Senator wrote:

Burned out longtime D&Der. Tried 4E. Bought many books/cards/minis. Did not enjoy it. After trading for store credit at my FLGS I looked through the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide and really enjoyed it. Also picked up the core rules, bestiary, Eternal Flame dungeon/Flipmat and Screen. Alright, you got me.

Here's my question. Are all Paizo products compatible? I saw so many different titles. Pathfinder companion, Pathfinder Chronicles, Adventure Paths, Kingmaker, Modules with and without the PFRPG logo. I'm confused as to which is for which. Is there a guide?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. Speak slowly, I'm old. ;D

With a little conversion ANY 3.5 product will work with pathfinder. That said, not every paizo product was written for pathfinder rpg. Some were written before it's release and thus were designed for 3.5.

Only products that have the PFRPG logo are explicately writtent for pathfinder. So while it isnt hard to convert them, it does require some work (and thus some consideration in purchasing).

Edit: Any product that follows it's title here on this site with (PFRPG) is made specifically for pathfinder. Anything with (OGL) after it's title will be written for 3.5.

you can use this link to ensure you are only browsing pathfinder based products

Sovereign Court

I agree with Kolokothingie above. :) Your name is too complicated. can I call you Joe ? or Ko ? :)

Anyways, being a long time gamer myself, I believe he pretty much nailed it.

All of them share the same universe, and it's pretty damn good IMO. I have played 1e greyhawk, LGH, 2e FR, lots of other things.... And I'm really enjoying myself now.

So, Yea, everything I can think of is compatible.

Shadow Lodge

And there is the free conversion pdf here for download to assist in converting the 3.5 and ogl items as well.


Thanks so much, friends. That answers my question completely. I've not played 3.5 (or 3 or 2 for that matter, I'm really old lol). But I like the "feel" of Pathfinder very much and the attention to flavor and detail. The advice in the GM's guide is right on target. I love the sturdy screen as well.

Well, thanks again. That one link alone was a godsend Kolokotroni! Stereofm, I shall look at getting the game world guide this weekend, thanks for the recommend. Ferathnu, thanks for the heads up on the conversion guide. I've seen some 3.5 modules on sale so now I know how to convert them if I get them.

All the best!

Paizo Employee Director of Game Development

This page might help you sort out the different product lines as well. (the art on that page rotates each time you refresh, which is cool)

Folks around here are pretty damned helpful, so don't hesitate to ask any other questions you might have.

Welcome to the boards and to Pathfinder!


Senator wrote:

Thanks so much, friends. That answers my question completely. I've not played 3.5 (or 3 or 2 for that matter, I'm really old lol). But I like the "feel" of Pathfinder very much and the attention to flavor and detail. The advice in the GM's guide is right on target. I love the sturdy screen as well.

Well, thanks again. That one link alone was a godsend Kolokotroni! Stereofm, I shall look at getting the game world guide this weekend, thanks for the recommend. Ferathnu, thanks for the heads up on the conversion guide. I've seen some 3.5 modules on sale so now I know how to convert them if I get them.

All the best!

You are most welcome, and feel free to ask any more questions you might have. We all have them no matter how much you have or havent played. Happy gaming!

The Exchange

Senator wrote:

Stereofm, I shall look at getting the game world guide this weekend, thanks for the recommend.

Be aware that if you are talking about Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting (which is 3.5 compatible, or OGL) then Pathfinder World Setting: Campaign Guide - The Inner Sea is coming out in September. This is an update of Golarion for the new Pathfinder rules and will overlap with the old book, although not a complete overlap. There is a discussion about this somewhere on the boards with more info on what is being updated, but I can't put my hands on it right now.

Grand Lodge

Welcome to the Boards, Senator.

I think you'll find a great number of Paizonians here who started gaming in the 70s (I started in '80).

Scarab Sages

Yes yes being an older gamer sigh... I play with a bunch of twenty somethings it's humorous but age has its lessons? Anyway THACO you might want to check out http://goblins.keenspot.com/ for us older gamers (and new) there are a few chuckles (start at the beginning and yes we are Thaco)
Oh I actually started with AD&D so you probably have a few on me too..
Pathfinder is great I'm playing the first set of adventures "Rise of the Runelords" and find it quite well written with good background info

Liberty's Edge

All well described by Kolokotroni above.

I suggest adding to your collection with the Adventurer's Armory from the Pathfinder Player's Companion line. This line is ideal for player's, while the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line (formerly Chronicles line) is designed with the GM in mind.

If you are looking to run a non-Pathfinder setting campaign (blasphemy ;p), the main line (Core book, Bestiary, Gamemastery Guide and the soon to be released APG) are probably all you would need though.

Converting 3.5 from is easy and painless... the Gamemastery Guide suggests some simple ways for monsters, and the free Conversion Guide download (free!!!) is a boon for players and GMs converting NPCs.

Hope all that helps... enjoy the experience. And welcome!


Welcome to the boards, Senator. May you enjoy your stay.


Thank you friends, I am overwhelmed by your kindnesses. Adam Daigle that link is most helpful. Thank you for the tip on refreshing the page. I sat for several minutes just reloading. I think my favorite art so far was the owlbear in the deep woods. *brrrrr*

Kolokotroni, thank you, I'm bound to ask many questions. Gaming has changed quite a bit since I last decided to learn rules lol.

brock, though it will be difficult to wait I thank you for your heads up on the updated source book coming out. I will pick it up in the fall.

W E Ray,thank you, yes, I started in '75. A fellow student told me that there was a new fantasy game that used no board, it was all in your imagination. I rolled up a magic-user and was hooked.

fatouzocat, it's nice to think that age has SOME benefits. That is a very funny link. Thank you, I have bookmarked it. It's funny about AD&D, when it came out we understood that it was only for tournament play so they could adjudicate contests with prizes properly so we never really got into it. Oh well. You and I agree that the imagination put into these Pathfinder products is very rich indeed!

Arnim Thayer, thank you for the welcome and the tip on the Companion books. That Armory book sounds tasty! I can see lots of reading coming up for me. Yes, what you said helps a great deal. I will enjoy the experience.

Sharoth, thanks for the welcome. I hope that my stay lasts as long as I do! ;D

I have subscribed Pathfinder Tales and am settling in here and getting comfortable. Thanks again to all my new friends.

- Senator


We are glad to have you here Senator. You are welcome to try you sanity and join us at the FAWTYhouse Five thread. Just be forwarned. You will become one of us if you venture into there. ~grins~

Paizo Employee CEO

Senator wrote:

W E Ray,thank you, yes, I started in '75. A fellow student told me that there was a new fantasy game that used no board, it was all in your imagination. I rolled up a magic-user and was hooked.

Welcome! You will find a lot of old school players and DMs here on the boards. I personally started with the little white box back when I was in college. I then graduated to the blue box and finally into AD&D. Most of the staff here at Paizo have a similar story to tell. We all have a deep and abiding love for the history of this game that we love and have tried to be true to that history when we created Pathfinder and Golarion. So welcome back and enjoy the ride!

-Lisa

Liberty's Edge

Welcome Senator, I think you will find a lot to like about Pathfinder (and the Paizo community). A lot of the designers and developers at Paizo (as well as lots of the fans EDIT- and reading Lisa's post above, also the CEO) really appreciate the old classics, and I think the products demonstrate a love of those classics while still maintaining a modern ruleset and fantastic writing and stories.


I accept your challenge Sharoth and will be visiting your thread! I once had sanity, but it was surgically removed some years ago. (True story!)

Hello, Lisa Stevens! CEO? I'm honored! I never truly left my first love of the smaller booklets and we crammed many of the early dungeons into the more relaxed ruleset. I can see the evidence of your deep and abiding love of this game in your products. They are exciting and inspiring. When I created adventures all those years ago I used to listen to deep, atmospheric music and look at Frazetta illustrations for inspiration. I tell you that looking through your books gives me the same jumpstart. Kudos! I am buckled up. Let the riding commence.;D

I have had a tiny account with Paizo for some time. My young nephew learned some rpging from me and asked me to buy things for him. So I bought pdfs mostly. Now it comes full circle and I shall be using the account for myself lol.

Hello Mothman! Thanks for the welcome my friend. I agree with everything you said. The love is evident in the quality of the small portion I have purchased. I've no doubt that my subscription listing will get bigger, eh? I have formed a new group of two young men I know and their young sons. My eldest daughter may join us, huzzah! My biggest task right now is to wrap my head around what I understand are the "3.5 streamlined" rules. A big jump for an old guy with only the original booklets, but exciting!

Thanks to all, again.

- Senator

Paizo Employee CEO

Senator wrote:
My biggest task right now is to wrap my head around what I understand are the "3.5 streamlined" rules. A big jump for an old guy with only the original booklets, but exciting!

I agree, that is the biggest hurdle. I stopped playing D&D after 1st edition (I ended up starting game companies and we were playing the games that we created, which were Ars Magica and then Vampire: The Masquerade). When I was at WotC and we bought TSR, I started to play D&D again, and since we were starting on 3rd edition playtests, I had to make the jump myself. To tell you the truth, I still sometimes get a bit overwhelmed with all of the options and combinations. We didn't have that back in the day.

Here is how I deal with it in my own campaign. I learn the rules for the classes and options that my characters have on their sheets. I then spend about an hour before each game session reading through the rules for the adversaries I expect they will go up against in the night's session. I have read the whole rulebook a couple of times, but there is too much to memorize unless you have some sort of photographic memory. It is much easier to break it down to bit-sized pieces and just learn the stuff you need for your game. Over the years, you start to remember stuff and your mastery of the game expands. I have a rule lawyer in my game and it can get a little overwhelming when he spouts off rules left and right, but I tend to use him now as a reference book, since he tends to know where every rule is.

Finally, remember that it is all about fun. Don't hesitate to just make a GM ruling or "eyeball" things rather than letting the rules bog things down. I many times go with the spirit of the rules instead of measuring out every distance or tracking every round of a spell. If the players are having fun and are challenged, that is all that matters to me. So enjoy the delving into a new rules system, but don't let the size intimidate you. At the beginning, you only need to know about first level. Use the slow advancement track for level rising and you will have more time to assimilate each level, learning as you go. Should be fun!

-Lisa


Lisa that is fascinating! I may be old, but you have a pedigree! My younger self would have loved to experience the growth of an industry like that. Your advice is solid. I am printing off this whole thread for future reference. I'll keep it tucked in the GameMastery Guide. Love that book! Brilliant!

On August the 3rd our current campaign stops. My old group, which has been playing my 32 year old Greyhawk setting will finally go our separate ways. I'll pack up my little books and on August 10th I will begin a Pathfinder Golarion campaign that will hopefully last another 32 years (if "I" do).

Phoenix, rebirth! lol ;D

- Senator


fatouzocat wrote:
Anyway THACO you might want to check out http://goblins.keenspot.com/ for us older gamers (and new) there are a few chuckles (start at the beginning and yes we are Thaco)

Thac0 is great, but Fumbles is easily the best! This is my totally unbiased opinion.

Lisa Stevens wrote:
I have a rule lawyer in my game and it can get a little overwhelming when he spouts off rules left and right, but I tend to use him now as a reference book, since he tends to know where every rule is.

Well, if Rule Zero is that DM is the last authority, you must be able to throw down Rule Negative One (i.e. "Well Mr.Smarty Pants, that's officially erratta'd as of NOW) being the CEO.

Grand Lodge

LOL.

That would be pretty cool, gaming with Bulmahn and Cook, correcting them on some rule and having them create official errata to overrule you.


W E Ray wrote:

LOL.

That would be pretty cool, gaming with Bulmahn and Cook, correcting them on some rule and having them create official errata to overrule you.

LOL, had that done to me by Gygax in Gencon!


Holy cats! That would be hilarious! XD

Grand Lodge

Bwang,

There is no way you can possibly give a post like that and then not tell the story.

It's just not allowed.

You have to tell us the time at GenCon when you corrected Gary Friggin' GYGAX and he created official errata to overrule you.


Actually, there are more than a few old timers with stories like that. Not the creating official errata part, that would be unique. But Gary, for all his creativity, was ...(sacrilege!) not that good with the rules. Remember that Dave A actually created most of the original rules, Gary's genius was in organizing and promoting, for which we can all be thankful, else we might not have a game like this to play. He was actually much better with Chainmail, which was his original game.

I'd be more interested in Lisa's rules lawyer. Do you still game with Skip? I thought he had relaxed from his strict rules lawyer days. Or is it a new RL?


Hi, Sen. I'm writing this slowly because I know you're so old. I also write this with the desktop magnifier on, so it's easier to read for you.

Why don't you sit down in this here rocking chair while you read, we don't want your artificial hip to wear out too soon. :P

Senator wrote:


Here's my question. Are all Paizo products compatible? I saw so many different titles. Pathfinder companion, Pathfinder Chronicles, Adventure Paths, Kingmaker, Modules with and without the PFRPG logo. I'm confused as to which is for which. Is there a guide?

Compatibility isn't a matter of what product line it is in. All the lines* were 3.5 up to a certain point, and then switched over to Pathfinder.

That said, it's not that hard to use the old stuff with the new rules, and especially in the case of Campaign Setting stuff, there's way more fluff than crunch, anyway. So you could use that stuff with 3.0e, 3.5e, Pathfinder, a possible Pathfinder 8th Edition from the distant future, original D&D, and Playing Make Believe on the Playground(TM) (any edition).

*Since you don't seem confused enough to me, consider this:
The Companion line has been renamed to Player Companion, and the Pathfinder Chronicles line is now just Pathfinder Campaign setting. Fun fun fun.


Sorry it took so long to respond KaeYoss (hehheh, I love that name) but you wrote so slowly it took me longer to read. ;P

I'd be pleased to sit down! Hey, how did you know about my hip? Creeepy Jester! If I read you right you're saying that I don't have to really worry about the Pathfinder line as a whole because their compatibility makes it easy to use with either 3.5 or PFRPG, right? And there is more story content than rules content on average? Hope that's right.

I spent some time at my FLGS on Saturday and perused the Pathfinder section. The 4e section is right next to it. A rather rude fellow told me to not waste my time as Pathfinder wasn't true D&D. I told him that if he was going to be difficult about it I could maintain that the only true D&D was the little booklets that came out first. Everything else was a ripoff and expansion since then. (I'm not that dogmatic but he got my dander up!) He said "Whatever Fatbeard!" I don't even have a beard! What a difficult young man.

People can be so strange!

- Senator


Senator wrote:

Sorry it took so long to respond KaeYoss (hehheh, I love that name) but you wrote so slowly it took me longer to read. ;P

I'd be pleased to sit down! Hey, how did you know about my hip? Creeepy Jester! If I read you right you're saying that I don't have to really worry about the Pathfinder line as a whole because their compatibility makes it easy to use with either 3.5 or PFRPG, right? And there is more story content than rules content on average? Hope that's right.

I spent some time at my FLGS on Saturday and perused the Pathfinder section. The 4e section is right next to it. A rather rude fellow told me to not waste my time as Pathfinder wasn't true D&D. I told him that if he was going to be difficult about it I could maintain that the only true D&D was the little booklets that came out first. Everything else was a ripoff and expansion since then. (I'm not that dogmatic but he got my dander up!) He said "Whatever Fatbeard!" I don't even have a beard! What a difficult young man.

People can be so strange!

- Senator

A casualty of the edition wars i am sure. Someone apparently didnt inform him that they are over, and everyone won (4E fans have their system well supported by wizards of the coast, and those who liked the style of 3.5 better have pathfinder thriving here at paizo).


Senator wrote:
on August 10th

My 50th birthday!

-- yet another "'74 boxed set" gaming geezer


Kolokotroni wrote:
A casualty of the edition wars i am sure. Someone apparently didnt inform him that they are over, and everyone won (4E fans have their system well supported by wizards of the coast, and those who liked the style of 3.5 better have pathfinder thriving here at paizo).

Yes, I imagine he has been in a lot arguments which poisoned the well so to speak. It was surprising that a fellow gamer would take the time to go up to a stranger and be rude. I felt sorry for him. I think if I see him again I'll take him to lunch or something and try and talk the bitterness out of him. I'll use that win/win fact that you suggest.

- Senator


Damon Griffin wrote:
Senator wrote:
on August 10th

My 50th birthday!

-- yet another "'74 boxed set" gaming geezer

Not that it matters much probably but in honor of your birthday the first NPC my players meet in my new PFRPG is going to be named Damon Griffin.

Happy almost 50th! :)

- Senator


Welcome aboard, Senator!
This thread exemplifies everything that is great about Paizo and the community it fosters here. Pat yourselves on the backs, folks. You've done good.
Now someone needs to tell Lilith bust out that plate of cookies again...

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