Hi
I'm considering to try DMing myself. It would be the first time I do that, and it would be a PbP game (as I don't really know any PF players in my area).
I don't want to dive head first into one of the big APs, so I figured I start with one of the standalone modules.
I'd prefer to play that game with more novice players as well, and not 30 year D&D veterans who literally have seen it all already.
Are there any you can recommend, that are good for a novice DM, and not too hard on inexperienced players?
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Hi
I'm considering to try DMing myself. It would be the first time I do that, and it would be a PbP game (as I don't really know any PF players in my area).
I don't want to dive head first into one of the big APs, so I figured I start with one of the standalone modules.
I'd prefer to play that game with more novice players as well, and not 30 year D&D veterans who literally have seen it all already.
Are there any you can recommend, that are good for a novice DM, and not too hard on inexperienced players?
Try Crypt of the Everflame ... it was the PFRPG introductory adventure (the first one released).
-Skeld
I had thought about using that, I have started playing it once, up to the first encounter, but the game sort of died then.
But wasn't sure if its suited for beginners, guess it is, thanks.
If you are with inexperienced players, just mess around. Pick a place you all know. Like your hometown. Then Pathfinderize it. Don't worry so much about encounters. Pick people and place you know and then just give them a fantasy flare. You stop in the 7-11 to get some magic weapons and a troll tries to rob the place. Whatever. I found my first time DMing was better without XP as well. Just let it flow. I dont know It depends on how long you have played, and how knowledgeable you are about the rules. Keeping the setting recognizable makes learning the other DMing things, like designing fun encounters, Role playing NPC's, and lets not forget naming those NPC's on the fly, much easier.
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I second Crypt of the Everflame, and it's two sequels (Mask of the Living God and City of Golden Death). They do a great job covering a wide range of play. Crypt is a semi-straight dungeon crawl, while Mask involves intrigue and infiltration, and City has wilderness and a massive..well...city of golden death. Which is rad to play.
If you don't mind a little conversion (you can check d20pfsrd.com for my own conversions, hint hint), Hollow's Last Hope is fun, light, and free from the paizo website. It leads into the module Crown of the Kobold King, which leads into Revenge of the Kobold King (also free).
Other free modules from Paizo include last years Master of the Fallen Fortress (straightforward tower crawl, quick, and fits well into a homebrew game) and this years We Be Goblins! (In which you play goblins. It is fantastic).
After reading it "We be Goblins!" is a great adventure to hook first time players. It seems fairly easy to run through provided you view yourself as a capable individual. :)
It may require some tweaking, so if you don't want to do so ignore the suggestion, when me and my friends were first starting (we first tried a single campaign of 3.5, then redbox, and came to Pathfinder which we stuck with) we did "A Dark and Stormy Knight", its short but should be something a first time GM can handle.
~Aod43254
I second the suggestions of downloading the free ones. We be Goblins is silly fun, and very short. It comes with pregenerated characters, and lets your players learn the mechanics without committing to "serious" roleplay.
I used Master of the Fallen Fortress to introduce a new campaign IRL, and it went well. After they've played a few different things, your players will probably have a better idea what kind of characters they want to play (and IF they want to play), and you haven't invested much in learning the game.
I started recruiting for a We Be Goblins PbP here, and the players are already having fun with it. We'll start the actual game Monday, if you want to follow along. Most campaigns aren't nearly so goofy, but it looks like it'll be entertaining, and that's really the whole point, innit?
If there's no one playing in your area, try playing through virtual table top. Combined with a voice client it's almost the same, except there's no spilling of drinks on character sheets (maybe on your keyboard...), and much easier to share maps and the like. :)
Fantasy Grounds or Map Tools being the best contenders IMO.
Any of the level 1 modules should serve you well, like Crypt of the Everflame, Master of the Fallen Fortress, etc., like everyone has said. Only thing I hazard against is using some of the 3.5 modules. Not only do you have to do some conversions, but a couple (especially Hangman's Noose) seem to be written for more experienced role players.
I have We be Goblins (it's free after all), but I'm not really sure I want to play an evil monster campaign as my first one.
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I have We be Goblins (it's free after all), but I'm not really sure I want to play an evil monster campaign as my first one.
I don't suggest it as a campaign but as a one off session, almost like a board game. Everything you need to run the game is self contained in the module.
If you want to start a campaign I would suggest Carrion Crown is an excellent AP and my wife who is a fairly new GM has been doing a great job running it.
I ran Master of the Fallen Fortress in connection with a Pathfinder Society event at a convention. The group featured a mix of players, some who were familiar with POathfinder, some with 3.5 experience and some completely new to roleplaying. Everyone had fun, and we got almost all the way through the module in about 4½ hours.
The module does a good job as an introductory module, containing a lot of different opportunities to use different aspects of the rules. The map is very self-contained and easy to draw on a battlemat.
You might also want to look at the Postmortem Studios 6-Pack scenarios - RPGNow page - short one session scenarios with pre generated characters, which might help take off some of the pressure of being a first time DM.
Whatever you choose, good luck and above all else, try to enjoy yourself. If you do, then the odds are the players will do to.
- Neil.
Postmortem downloads are also available at Paizo in the PDF section, including our adventures.
Hollow's Last Hope, despite being a 3.5 module, remains the best intro adventure out there.
+1
I agree with those that say Crypt of the Everflame.
Check out the back end of Pathfinder Chronicles Podcast #1 They spoil the module, which will go a long way in helping a new GM.
Keep in mind that if you're attracting players you don't know from the internet, they well might have a LOT of experience, so you want to provide as solid an experience as possible to keep them interested.
One of the BIG advantages of PBP is you're not caught off guard so easy. If a player suggests something you don't understand, or they go off-course of the story, you have time to figure out how it should be handled.
Hollow's Last Hope, despite being a 3.5 module, remains the best intro adventure out there.
In terms of introducing players and DMs to the mechanics and role playing, yeah its good. However, its a bit too vanilla for my tastes. Go here, fetch this medicine, fight some wolves, end of story. Not too interesting, especially when compared to the Godsmouth Heresy and Crypt of the Everflame. It does lead into the other Falcon's Hollow modules though, so that's good at least.
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Hollow's Last Hope, despite being a 3.5 module, remains the best intro adventure out there.In terms of introducing players and DMs to the mechanics and role playing, yeah its good. However, its a bit too vanilla for my tastes. Go here, fetch this medicine, fight some wolves, end of story. Not too interesting, especially when compared to the Godsmouth Heresy and Crypt of the Everflame. It does lead into the other Falcon's Hollow modules though, so that's good at least.
GH and CotF are pure dungeon crawls, and that might scare away new novice players, especially ones who heard that D&D is "all about dungeons and no roleplaying".
HLH gives several excellent RP opportunities, and a healthy ratio of exploration, social action and crawling.