Hello, I've been here nosing around for a few months and reading a lot of good content through these forums. Posted once or twice but nothing significant as of note. Anyhow, I'm tired of my GM flaking out for various reasons and decided I want to get into DMing.
I really want to play myself, but seeing as how nothing ever gets going and out of frustration I proclaimed I would DM. To keep my word, I bought a few PDFs: Core, APG, GMG, Armory. I plan on buying the actual hardcovers eventually.
My questions is where to start? I'm reading the core rules and GMG currently. I though making my own world would be a simple task but it proves daunting and more intricate than I expected. I read a few threads about running a published campaign, but money is tight for the next few months.
Anyhow, thank you and sorry for the wall of text.
I assure you, you are no where near a wall of text. No need to apologize.
Second, it looks to me like you are off to a good start. Something you may want to consider is to make a small portion of your world, and wrap it in something generic (like golarion or greyhawk). What I mean by this is obviously you have a desire to create and maintain control of your world, but it's a timeconsuming and tedious task for any dm (mine has taken more then a decade to really feel full of life and 'real').
So take the general information from something like golarion, (gods, general cultures, a few locations) and then park a small piece (nation, region, city) of your own creation in it. Then run the adventure local to that area. So you have your little bit of world for the game, where you control and have made up cultures, religions, politics, history etc. But you still have the feeling of their being more outside it if your players ask hey whats on the next continent? or where to gnomes come from?
I have found most dms in worldbuilding dont really have trouble with the grand scheme of things, its all those tiny details (what do halflings do on their holy days?) that make a world feel alive, and are important, but are also ALOT of work to do for your own world.
Next you might want to grab some of the cheaper one off adventures to get you started if you are short on time and money. Or pick up the free Master of the Fallen Fortress. The pdf doesn't cost a penny. So you could pick it up and adapt it to your newly created world. This would get you up and running and then you could take your campaign in whatever direction you wish (either with further modules or an AP if money permits or by writing your own adventures now that you have a taste for what it's like to dm in pathfinder).
There are many worlds already made by fans, they can be downloaded for free. Even WotC allows you to download some old books.
If you make your own world, don't work too much, you don't need much info to play a campaign and some players don't give a damn, they just want adventures.
Btw, didn't you miss to download the Bestiary?
Some useful links for you:
WotC free downloads for 3.5, maps, adventures. Adventures should work ok with Pathfinder.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/downloads
(aah! they deleted the AD&D stuff!)
I assure you, you are no where near a wall of text. No need to apologize.
Second, it looks to me like you are off to a good start. Something you may want to consider is to make a small portion of your world, and wrap it in something generic (like golarion or greyhawk).
Thank you for your advice. I was looking into Golarion but all I find is Gnomes, Elves, Orcs, Gods of Golarion. Is there nothing written on the setting of Golarion itself or is it all topic centered?
Familiarize yourself with any classes that your PCs take, also feats.... I assume that they will select races/classes that you might not play yourself.....
Thats one thing I am dealing with now. My PCs tend to play beastiary characters. It took tooth and nail to deter one of my players from playing a gnoll. I have a player who is a Tengu rogue and a Aasimar cleric. The Aasimar doesnt bother me much.
I know if I tell them no beastiary characters they will not be interested otherwise. Its kind of annoying.
Is there nothing written on the setting of Golarion itself or is it all topic centered?The Pathfinder Campaign Setting: World Guide—The Inner Sea (PFRPG) Hardcover is what you're after. It's the main campaign setting book, though technically it's focused on the Inner Sea region, the two continents where all the current Adventure Paths and modules are set.
That is the pathfinder rpg version, there is a 3.5 version (in which the setting material is all quite useful as is most of the crunch) Campaign setting in case you dont want to wait.
You can also check out the pathfinder wiki for lots of great information on golarion.
Explain to them how they can help you learn to DM by playing standard PC's.........
For non-standard PC's I would wait.....
Good luck.
So what about the tengu bothers you?
Other than its from the Beastiary thats about it. The swordsmanship training the Tengu has did strike a nerve with one of my other players.
I just read through Master of the Fallen Fortress and will run that for them.
Kenderkin,
That was it, basically. The swordsmanship bothered him more than the linguist ability the Tengu also has. Honestly, Im not worried about his complaints about another players choice, which isnt all that game breaking in the least.