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Hi,
Throughout 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e, and now PF my long term group has had a policy of Core Rulebook only for PC's. We have found that as the Core Rulebook printings/errata have developed that the rules are excellent.
I was wondering how many other groups are Core only?
My group and I can't see an end to the possibilities using only what is in the Core Rulebook and find we are already spoiled for choice. Having said that a few of us collect every rulebook Paizo puts out because they are beautiful and a good read, but again we find the combinations available in the Core Rulebook we'll all be many years in the grave if we were to take all options to level 20...
We had a cavalier (that was a Paladin who was on a horse) and a witch (was a Druid - i.e. the herb/heal type witch) PC way before the APG using only the Core Rules...
S.
As we were still learning the rules (and still kind of ARE...) our first campaign (Runelords) is restricted to Core only...
When we first got into the system... we were all amazed at the way ALL the classes were reworked and awesome... Druids... rangers... BARDS... Everything is shiny and new and there are a TON of characters I want to make....
HOWEVER... I also like what I've seen in Magus... and I'm REALLY looking forward to a Jekyll/Hyde Alchemist in a Carrion Crown game... The Archtypes are awesome... the traits are great... and of course Feats and Spells...
I'm a big fan of the APG, and JUST using the Core sometimes feels like playing with one hand behind my back.
The more options the BETTER!!!
We are Core-ish... in that we use PFRPG books only. Our group has used only the items put out by Paizo and we have a gentleman's agreement not to abuse cheese too much. We will rarely add any 3rd party content unless someone really wants it for a specific character and then we bring in that single thing for the one character... for the most part. Overall it works well and in general the only solid rule is to have fun and play nice with each other.
we are most definately Core Rulebook only...heck we are still trying to sort out all the correct rules in this book...why would we complicate things by moving to another book? Just yet.
I would recommend Core Rules only for a first Pathfinder campaign. The APG, however, provides an exponential number of intriguing options.
Having run a few campaigns, I would allow my players to use any first party materials. I currently draw the line there, and do not allow 3rd party character options.
My group uses splat, choosing case by case. In case of PF, APG had a grat success.
As a "splat" player, I feel entitled to say that i "feel" even more the value of the core rulebook as a stand-alone.
Barring some needed clarification rules are solid and the amount of options is amazing. You can build several kind of very different of PCs for each class.
Well done.
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I've played core rulebook games. When I run pickup one-off sessions or mini-campaigns of a few sessions, rather than an involved campaign, I often go with core only or another defined rule list that I'm familiar with. Core rulebook only is a pretty good way for new groups to start off with; while it is sometimes said that the core rulebooks contain some of the most powerful stuff, the reduced complexity and familiarity tend to result in fewer unexpected corner cases and allows a greater focus on the story instead of rules discussions.
Disclaimer: 90-95% of my participation on these forums is in the rules section. I discuss rules here so that I don't have to at the table.