Hello everyone!
I'm very interested in starting a game night for my son and a group of his friends. I used to play DnD when I was younger and have missed playing.. I was hoping I could get some advice on the best newbie product list so I have a great launch with staying power. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
If its pathfinder be sure to at least have the core book and bestiary one.
For more player options get the APG and for more monster variety the Bestiary 2.
Thats about all you need.
The AP's are good to start with as well if you don't want to come up with something on your own.
Thanks,
Does the campaign setting fit well with the AP's? Also does the core book have rules on miniatures?
Thanks,
Does the campaign setting fit well with the AP's? Also does the core book have rules on miniatures?
The Adventure Paths take place in the same campaign world (Golarion) as outlined in our Pathfinder products. (The Pathfinder RPG line is designed to be system neutral). The combat section of the Core Rulebook (also viewable online on our Pathfinder Reference Document) does cover using miniatures in game play. Was there something specific about miniature play you were looking to have answered?
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WELCOME TO PATHFINDER!
Yeah, get the Core Rulebook and the Bestiary.
Then get a couple prewritten adventures.
But, to begin from scratch, I'd avoid the Adventure Paths for a while. It's not that they are any more complicated or challenging; it's that they're longer and more involved.
See, it's gonna take a bit of playing before you and the kids get familiar with the rules and what you like. You're gonna make some mistakes and go through some growing pains. If you start with a couple short adventures you can work out the kinks with those. Then, when you're ready, start something longer -- the Adventure Paths are GREAT.
Paizo has a number of good, inexpensive, short adventures that you can get a PDF of. Some are Pathfinder Society Scenarios that are $4 each and can be played in just a few hours; others are free or inexpensive PDFs of Pathfinder Modules. Liz Courts (or some others) can provide links to some.
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Before you begin your gaming night, take an evening or so to make a couple of characters of your own -- just to learn them! Then, a couple days later take another evening and run the characters you created against some monsters. Run the PCs; run the monsters. This will give you a bit of familiarity with the game system.
Then present the PCs you made to the kids and let them choose which ones they want to start with. Having built and run the PCs ahead of time, you'll be better prepared to DM on your first gaming night.
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Welcome and pity the new intro box set wasn't out yet. That would likely be perfect for you. Not sure how soon it is coming out either.
The Falcons Hallow adventure line and region book. With the core rule book would be a nice start for a new group. I forget the name of the adventures in the series off hand. I am sure someone else will come by and post them up. I know a couple of them are free though.
I was just about to post almost exactly the same question. I have already ordered the core rule book and bestiary one from amazon. I was looking for resources to get started while waiting for the books to arrive when I found this post.
I am wondering if there is a FAQ for new Pathfinder GMs somewhere? I'm imagining it as a "10 things you must know before running pathfinder" list or as a "things I wish someone told me when I started" article somewhere. I haven't run a game in 10+ years and I'm looking forward to getting back to it.
Thanks for the posts so far, it's good to know I already ordered the right books to get started.
If you're a new GM, I really heartily recommend the GameMastery Guide. The PDF is only $9.99, and we have non-mint copies of the hardcover book available.
If you're a new GM, I really heartily recommend the GameMastery Guide. The PDF is only $9.99, and we have non-mint copies of the hardcover book available.
Can I buy everything in PDF or is this only available if you but the book?
Thanks to everyone for the advice..... Very cool to have all of this support!
Developer
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Can I buy everything in PDF or is this only available if you but the book?Thanks to everyone for the advice..... Very cool to have all of this support!
Pretty sure you can buy it all PDF-only (but I've been wrong before). They're great PDF's, too. Bookmarked and everything.
The community support is one of the things I love about Paizo, pretty much everyone in the company, be it design and development or marketing, even the CEO checks and responds to the boards. They're pretty nice people, to, from what I've seen.
Can I buy everything in PDF or is this only available if you buy the book?
All of our Pathfinder Roleplaying Game hardcovers are available as $9.99 PDFs, which you can purchase separately from the hardcover book. The Core Rulebook, Bestiary, GameMastery Guide and Advanced Player's Guide are available for free online at the Pathfinder Reference Document.
However, subscribing to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game line gives you the hardcover book, but you will receive the PDF of the book for free. You'll get access to the PDFs once your book ships. (Please note, the free PDF only applies to upcoming products in your subscription, not older items).
If you're a new GM, I really heartily recommend the GameMastery Guide. The PDF is only $9.99, and we have non-mint copies of the hardcover book available.Can I buy everything in PDF or is this only available if you but the book?
Thanks to everyone for the advice..... Very cool to have all of this support!
You can buy PDFs for the majority of things (no card decks...)
They are priced lower than the dead tree editions.
If you subscribe you get free PDFs, which is very handy for some of us who like to do their reading on paper and their gaming on the computer.
If you subscribe to the Adventure Path line, you get a price break on the AP and everything else (mostly). Pretty good deal.
Welcome to Pathfinder.
I might also suggest the module "Crypt of the Everflame" it is a 1st level module designed to introduce both the players and DM to the Pathfinder game. Also there is a Flip map that goes with it.
Good luck
I'm buying a bunch of PDF's ....... Again many thanks to everyone..... Awesome!
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Everyone seems to have covered the bases. Hollow's Last Hope and Crown of the Kobold King, as mentioned above, are good lead-ins. If you play through those and are looking for an Adventure Path, my newbie group LOVES Legacy of Fire. Granted, there's a Path that plays to almost everyone. Hope you guys grow to love the game as much as we all do!
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CEO
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Can I buy everything in PDF or is this only available if you but the book?Thanks to everyone for the advice..... Very cool to have all of this support!
Pretty sure you can buy it all PDF-only (but I've been wrong before). They're great PDF's, too. Bookmarked and everything.
The community support is one of the things I love about Paizo, pretty much everyone in the company, be it design and development or marketing, even the CEO checks and responds to the boards. They're pretty nice people, to, from what I've seen.
Reporting for service!
-Lisa
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CEO
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Welcome to Pathfinder.
I might also suggest the module "Crypt of the Everflame" it is a 1st level module designed to introduce both the players and DM to the Pathfinder game. Also there is a Flip map that goes with it.
Good luck
I'll second this module! Jason did a great job of making this module an intro point to the Pathfinder game. We had a blast playtesting it!
-Lisa
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If you're new and have not played dnd/pathfinder for a while then I would suggest sticking to products marked as PFRPG.
There are adventures and the like which are OGL (for the dnd3.5 system). These are good and experienced players can convert them easily but it might be confusing for a new player or GM.
If you're a new GM, I really heartily recommend the GameMastery Guide. The PDF is only $9.99, and we have non-mint copies of the hardcover book available.
+1. The Gamemaster's Guide isn't essential, but it does have a lot of neat ideas you can use as starting points. I love the rules for Haunts, for example.
Small world. I am in the midst of doing the very same thing. My two sons have recently shown an interest in RPG's so last week I ran them through some rudimentary scenarios I whipped up using my 20 year old original AD&D manuals. I was amazed how quickly it all came back to me after not having played for two decades +.
Despite my rustiness, everyone enjoyed themselves enough that I thought I'd try progress into the modern era and try D&D 4e. I bailed on that idea when a little research revealed that things on the D&D front have changed in ways I wasn't at all happy with. Needless to say, I was very pleased to discover Pathfinder as it sounds like exactly what I've been looking for. Spiritual successor and all that. Perfect. I've yet to pick up any books, but I'm off to do that tomorrow.
Great thread, and great forum/community you have going here.
Thanks!
datter
Small world. I am in the midst of doing the very same thing. My two sons have recently shown an interest in RPG's so last week I ran them through some rudimentary scenarios I whipped up using my 20 year old original AD&D manuals. I was amazed how quickly it all came back to me after not having played for two decades +.
Despite my rustiness, everyone enjoyed themselves enough that I thought I'd try progress into the modern era and try D&D 4e. I bailed on that idea when a little research revealed that things on the D&D front have changed in ways I wasn't at all happy with. Needless to say, I was very pleased to discover Pathfinder as it sounds like exactly what I've been looking for. Spiritual successor and all that. Perfect. I've yet to pick up any books, but I'm off to do that tomorrow.
Great thread, and great forum/community you have going here.
Thanks!
datter
I just downloaded everything that I needed to my iPad..... Works perfectly! I'm in Western North Carolina if anyone is in the area I would love to observe or maybe join a game....
I just did tc1 into the haunted firest. about half my players were new to pathfinder. They had ALOT of fun and it provides an npc you can use to justify about any adventure. the problem though is it is 3.5 and while I found the conversion easy for someone really rusty it might not be the best. we are doing d1 crown of the kobold king. again they are having slot of fun but it is also 3.5.
I recommend both adventures but doing one labeled pfrpg might be best when itsva first time for everyone.
Welcome to Pathfinder!
I took my son, his friend and friend's dad (good friend of mine) threw D0: "Hollow's Last Hope" and I was very pleased with the dynamic and ease of adaptation to PF (almost none if you check the PRD). I was planing on checking the other D's but I admit that "Crypt of the Everflame" sounded interesting.
@Liz: Shouldn't a cookies issue be covered? ;)
@Liz: Shouldn't a cookies issue be covered? ;)
I didn't have any butter to make the cookies with, and I was out of milk! Those problems have been rectified, though.
Welcome to the boards!
@Liz: Shouldn't a cookies issue be covered? ;)I didn't have any butter to make the cookies with, and I was out of milk! Those problems have been rectified, though.
Welcome to the boards!
Cookies? This is possibly the best forum in history. *munches cookies*
Cookies? This is possibly the best forum in history. *munches cookies*
Yes... yes, it is. My group has committed to making the Pathfinder switch, but with a number of other things going on, I've not yet actually RUN a PFRPG session yet. I may get ahold of Crypt and give it a go, to help us be sure we've learned the variations from 3.5 (which most of us know - and play - in our sleep).
ETA: I did it - went and ordered a scratch-n-sni- errr, DENT version. I don't need pristine - one of my players is 6, so it wouldn't be pristine for long. So, soon we'll have a primer to walk us thru the upgrades...
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Someone else recommended sticking with material that says PFRPG when considering the prewritten adventures.
This should be repeated with emphasis.
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is an evolved rules-set of the "D20 System." Thus the rules content is gonna be slightly different from earlier Paizo products.
A couple of recommendations earlier, though excellent content, are the "older" rules set and thus will require conversion to your new Pathfinder rule books.
The Adventure Path, Legacy of Fire and the shorter adventures, Hollow's Last Hope and Crown of the Kobold King are from the older rules set.
The Paizo store does a pretty good job of categorizing their products; it shouldn't be difficult to see the difference -- but don't hesitate to ask.
I'm in Western North CarolinaFurther down in these Messageboards is a Forumn titled "Gamer Connection" where you can start a Thread specifically for Buncombe County or wherever in Carolina you are.
Thanks! Will do
By the way, what age is your son? There are some adventure paths that explore more mature topics or are simply somewhat dark in their outlook. There's probably no need to tell you that, but give the adventures a good reading before you start leading :) .
I think Crypt of the Everflame was fairly safe though, I was DMing a game on it a while ago and I didn't see anything that struck me as risky.
By the way, what age is your son? There are some adventure paths that explore more mature topics or are simply somewhat dark in their outlook. There's probably no need to tell you that, but give the adventures a good reading before you start leading :) .
I think Crypt of the Everflame was fairly safe though, I was DMing a game on it a while ago and I didn't see anything that struck me as risky.
Thanks for the consideration.... My sons is 15 ..... I've purchased crypt of the ever flame PDF and have started reading it .... Seems perfect.... PDF's are awesome and using them in my iPad is pretty slick..... The artist did a great job.... Bestiary 1 and 2 , core rule book, inner sea campaign setting, advance player guide, and game mastery..... Awesome...
Cookies? This is possibly the best forum in history. *munches cookies*
Make sure your browser doesn't block cookies!
Thanks for the consideration.... My sons is 15
Then they should be okay with most of the stuff going on. At 15, you're not exactly a child any more. I mean, I remember when I was 15, it hasn't been tha... wait, it has. Damn. I'm almost 15 again. Double damn!
The artist did a great job.... Bestiary 1 and 2 , core rule book, inner sea campaign setting, advance player guide, and game mastery..... Awesome...
The artists Paizo uses are quite good for the most part. There are sometimes styles I personally don't like that much, but there's always something. Paizo seems good at spotting talents and giving them the right input.
Cookies? This is possibly the best forum in history. *munches cookies*Make sure your browser doesn't block cookies!
Thanks for the consideration.... My sons is 15Then they should be okay with most of the stuff going on. At 15, you're not exactly a child any more. I mean, I remember when I was 15, it hasn't been tha... wait, it has. Damn. I'm almost 15 again. Double damn!
The artist did a great job.... Bestiary 1 and 2 , core rule book, inner sea campaign setting, advance player guide, and game mastery..... Awesome...The artists Paizo uses are quite good for the most part. There are sometimes styles I personally don't like that much, but there's always something. Paizo seems good at spotting talents and giving them the right input.
I guess I'm blocking them? What am I missing?
I guess I'm blocking them? What am I missing?
Liz's tasty cookies. They're more addictive than space cookies, so be cautious ;-)
Did someone mention cookies?
lol, you are getting sucked in. Stay away from the Pathfinder, it is bad for your wallet! Way too much great material, not enough time to play it all, unfortunatly. I have been back for about 7 months myself, and really enjoying Paizo's great products. My wife, not so much. Hopefully, when the kids get a little older, and are interested in playing, she might pick up some dice and join in, that would be a perfect world.
Cheers!
