I've created countless worlds to set campaigns in. I've created countless characters of all classes. I've modified races and classes and created new content, and have an eye for game balance when doing so. I own the core rule books and several supplements, and read through them eagerly, and buy more when I can. I also have several books in the World of Darkness and D20 Modern series. In all the 5 years since I first held a 3.5 rulebook, however, I have never once played the game as it was meant to be played: with dice. The way my friends and I played was always informal. We'd play verbally while walking home from school or something, not sitting down at a table, and the GM would decide what happened based on character stats and the Rule of Cool, not dice rolls.
So, I have plenty of knowledge of the rules, though I admit that my switch from 3.5 was recent and I still make the mistake of applying 3.5 rules to Pathfinder content, but no experience employing them in the proper manner. Now that I live in a different state, I can't just call up my friends for a real game, and the games near where I live are out of walking distance. This leads me to PbP here, but also swings back to my inexperience. Is the fact that I have never actually played real D&D or Pathfinder going to get in the way? Is PbP appropriate for a dice newbie, or do I need to actually sit at a table with a GM willing to walk me through the ins and outs of proper play?
If you want to start a PbP, I'm in, I need something to do when I'm through at the college.
If you want to start a PbP, I'm in, I need something to do when I'm through at the college.
Well, I've never actually played, so I'm not comfortable GMing. Don't you need experience as a player to do so effectively? I may have spent 5 years memorizing the rules, but I haven't employed them before.
If you want to start a PbP, I'm in, I need something to do when I'm through at the college.Well, I've never actually played, so I'm not comfortable GMing. Don't you need experience as a player to do so effectively? I may have spent 5 years memorizing the rules, but I haven't employed them before.
Heck no, this is the same as if you need training in an RPG. Someone had to GM from 0 experience at one point or another. Most specifically: WAAAAAY back before there were RPGs, the RPG was created, and someone had to run it, because it couldn't run itself.
I would run, but I'm feeling a little burned out from running a year and a half long Hero System game, a Deathwatch game, and a Pathfinder game.
Here's a question. How does one obtain experience in an environment where there is no one experienced? Somebody has to DM.If you want to start a PbP, I'm in, I need something to do when I'm through at the college.Well, I've never actually played, so I'm not comfortable GMing. Don't you need experience as a player to do so effectively? I may have spent 5 years memorizing the rules, but I haven't employed them before.
To be honest, the concept frightens me at the moment. I'd love to actually see an encounter before trying to build one and ending up causing a TPK because I got too heavy handed.
To be honest, the concept frightens me at the moment. I'd love to actually see an encounter before trying to build one and ending up causing a TPK because I got too heavy handed.
We all have to do stuff that scares us every once in awhile, life is full of those shenanigans, it's our place to face those challenges anyway.
You probably won't TPK, unless our dice decide to abandon us. Pathfinder is pretty forgiving, so long as you use this:http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/gamemastering.html
Though I will warn you: Outsiders, Undead, and Dragons break this, consider them 1-2 CR above what they are shown to be, though if we are appropriately funded (as in we have our full WBL, or more) we will still survive.
If you want to start a PbP, I'm in, I need something to do when I'm through at the college.Well, I've never actually played, so I'm not comfortable GMing. Don't you need experience as a player to do so effectively? I may have spent 5 years memorizing the rules, but I haven't employed them before.Heck no, this is the same as if you need training in an RPG. Someone had to GM from 0 experience at one point or another. Most specifically: WAAAAAY back before there were RPGs, the RPG was created, and someone had to run it, because it couldn't run itself.
I would run, but I'm feeling a little burned out from running a year and a half long Hero System game, a Deathwatch game, and a Pathfinder game.
I'll attempt it if the players will step in and tell me when I screw up, and promise not to laugh at my greenness. I actually have some ideas I've been wanting to use in a campaign, but I've been planning to hold off because of my inexperience.
I've always been fascinated by the idea of what could have happened if Vinland had been a permanent colony instead of the site of a couple exploratory migrations, and have been considering a Vinland-inspired fantasy nation.
A second idea I've had is using magic to modernize the economy (A magical revolution of mass produced spells would take the place of the industrial revolution, basically). Within such a campaign, effective law enforcement would effectively kill adventuring, but the PCs could always be the effective law enforcement.
Perhaps I could combine the two ideas into one: a magic-modernized Vinland with the PCs as members of a government organization that deals with both dangerous monsters and powerful spellcasters who use magic in an illegal manner?
Would anyone actually be interested in that and be willing to give advice to a GM new to dicing?
To be honest, the concept frightens me at the moment. I'd love to actually see an encounter before trying to build one and ending up causing a TPK because I got too heavy handed.We all have to do stuff that scares us every once in awhile, life is full of those shenanigans, it's our place to face those challenges anyway.
You probably won't TPK, unless our dice decide to abandon us. Pathfinder is pretty forgiving, so long as you use this:http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/gamemastering.html
Though I will warn you: Outsiders, Undead, and Dragons break this, consider them 1-2 CR above what they are shown to be, though if we are appropriately funded (as in we have our full WBL, or more) we will still survive.
Well, s*&$. I love Dragons and Undead ^_^.
Sure, I'll post my advice in spoilers. Though the modern thing may/may not work, magic in the real world or even a modern setting complicates things quite a bit, you have to look into when it first showed up, who was good at it, and how would the world respond to it.
Let me rephrase that properly: Sentient undead. Dragons are incredibly powerful and should be saved for big boss fights.
Sure, I'll post my advice in spoilers. Though the modern thing may/may not work, magic in the real world or even a modern setting complicates things quite a bit, you have to look into when it first showed up, who was good at it, and how would the world respond to it.
Well, it's not a modern setting. People still fight with swords and bows. What exists is magitek, and lots of it. Unlike in Eberron, which I've heard of but never read the rules for, magic items created with cantrips or 1st level spells can be mass produced (and I plan to make some new cantrips and first level spells to increase what's available for mass produced magic items), and magic has revolutionized agriculture, allowing an urbanization of the population similar to what is seen in the US. To put it simply, people like and work in the service industries and eat an amount and variety of food similar to the modern day instead of working in agriculture and eating what's seasonably available locally like in a normal fantasy world.
Interesting. If I'm going to be adventuring in this I know what I'm buying: an item that casts prestidigitation, goes great for pretty much every mundane situation.
I'd also like to be able to play one of the newfangled classes: Gunslinger.
The dice is what makes the game fun. Real people sitting at a table to bright candlelight and the sound of the howling wind. This is the best way. Staring into a computer and playing Pathfinder may be the only option for some, but If you can I recommend finding gamers at your local comic shop, bookstore, or Hobby shop.
The dice is what makes the game fun. Real people sitting at a table to bright candlelight and the sound of the howling wind. This is the best way. Staring into a computer and playing Pathfinder may be the only option for some, but If you can I recommend finding gamers at your local comic shop, bookstore, or Hobby shop.
I'm going to have to disagree, they are a good portion of it, but they aren't what make it fun to me. I like roleplaying because I grew out of rollplaying.
The dice is what makes the game fun. Real people sitting at a table to bright candlelight and the sound of the howling wind. This is the best way. Staring into a computer and playing Pathfinder may be the only option for some, but If you can I recommend finding gamers at your local comic shop, bookstore, or Hobby shop.
The local hobby shop does run games, the issue is excessive distance, especially since the games take place at night. I walk everywhere, and walking for over an hour to get there is one thing in the morning or afternoon (I do it almost every week since the library is across the street from the hobby shop, and I borrow a lot of stuff from there), but I'm not doing it at night, especially with the way people drive around here.
I took the bus to my game shop for years. I made friends with the store owner eventually, now I walk to his house (about 30 minutes), he takes me to the store, he takes me to my home at the end of the night, and in exchange, I take out his garbage.
The dice is what makes the game fun. Real people sitting at a table to bright candlelight and the sound of the howling wind. This is the best way. Staring into a computer and playing Pathfinder may be the only option for some, but If you can I recommend finding gamers at your local comic shop, bookstore, or Hobby shop.I'm going to have to disagree, they are a good portion of it, but they aren't what make it fun to me. I like roleplaying because I grew out of rollplaying.
I hear that. That's why I still play Baldur's Gate and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion instead of all the new shooters out there. It's also why I like the Total War series so much.
I hear that. That's why I still play Baldur's Gate and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion instead of all the new shooters out there. It's also why I like the Total War series so much.
There's a distinct difference between a roleplaying game and a video game.
With a roleplaying game you are expecting to act, to behave in ways that might be against your nature, and maybe chuck a few dice to simulate things you aren't actually good at.
With a video game you are expecting to run around fighting a bunch of things, because otherwise it would probably end up looking a lot like the vaguely interactive story-telling Japan likes to put into video games, where all you are doing is pressing buttons to move the cut-scene forward.
The closest video games have come to a true roleplaying experience is probably Mass Effect or Fallout:3/New Vegas, but they kind of lack the ability to surprise. Not that they can't surprise, it's just a lot harder for them to do it.
I took the bus to my game shop for years. I made friends with the store owner eventually, now I walk to his house (about 30 minutes), he takes me to the store, he takes me to my home at the end of the night, and in exchange, I take out his garbage.
How I wish that were a practical solution for me. For now, PbP.
I'll try and have a recruitment thread up tomorrow or the next day. I need to browse through some spell lists to make sure the cantrip and 1st level lists contain everything I think should be mass produceable as a magic item and check for possible overpowered stuff. Also, this only applies to arcane magic. Divine magic, being deity-granted, cannot be mass produced. The same applies to Witch magic, which is also granted by outside powers. (I don't want people running around with necklaces of Cure Light Wounds. That's why granted magic can't be mass produced.)
For those who would say this puts arcane casters above Witches and divine casters, these items are cheaply available, even to the average person. Everyone has them, whether they can create them or not, so not being able to make them is not much of a weakness.
I hear that. That's why I still play Baldur's Gate and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion instead of all the new shooters out there. It's also why I like the Total War series so much.There's a distinct difference between a roleplaying game and a video game.
With a roleplaying game you are expecting to act, to behave in ways that might be against your nature, and maybe chuck a few dice to simulate things you aren't actually good at.
With a video game you are expecting to run around fighting a bunch of things, because otherwise it would probably end up looking a lot like the vaguely interactive story-telling Japan likes to put into video games, where all you are doing is pressing buttons to move the cut-scene forward.
The closest video games have come to a true roleplaying experience is probably Mass Effect or Fallout:3/New Vegas, but they kind of lack the ability to surprise. Not that they can't surprise, it's just a lot harder for them to do it.
I concede your point, and also state that I love Mass Effect.
I'm confident that I can have a character act it ways I wouldn't. I'm planning a Magnificent Bastard (B%~%*, actually, since it's a girl) character for the PCs to oppose. I love the idea of playing an intelligent and crafty LE villain, especially in a law enforcement campaign.
I will put out there that I'm gone on Fridays (that's when I go to the shop) and Sundays(which is when I go to a friend's house). So if I don't respond Friday, it's because I'm 2-3 cities over.
We can only offer suggestions. If you put no effort into it yourself you will stay in the same position. Sounds like you need to meet some new people that could possibly pick you up then. Gamers should support gamers. I personally would not play in a game with no dice.
I will put out there that I'm gone on Fridays (that's when I go to the shop) and Sundays(which is when I go to a friend's house). So if I don't respond Friday, it's because I'm 2-3 cities over.
I understand.
@Kyrt: My justification for banning mass production of divine and witch magic is that it is granted by higher powers, not produced by the individual like arcane magic, which interferes with the process. They can make normal magic items, which is time consuming and expensive as per the CRB rules, but they can't churn out the cheap stuff.
We can only offer suggestions. If you put no effort into it yourself you will stay in the same position. Sounds like you need to meet some new people that could possibly pick you up then. Gamers should support gamers. I personally would not play in a game with no dice.
PbP has dice. Take for your insolence. That was a high-order wand of magic missile, in case you missed it.
We can only offer suggestions. If you put no effort into it yourself you will stay in the same position. Sounds like you need to meet some new people that could possibly pick you up then. Gamers should support gamers. I personally would not play in a game with no dice.PbP has dice. Take 5d4+5 for your insolence.
I lol'd.
I laughed at this thread that's why I posted here.
I laughed at this thread that's why I posted here.
You shouldn't laugh at the misfortune of others.
I laughed at this thread that's why I posted here.
That's not what I was laughing at Blu Sraw.
That's not what I was laughing at Blu Sraw.
I'm not sure what you are trying to say here.
I'd also like to be able to play one of the newfangled classes: Gunslinger.
I'd like to say yes, but I really want to try for a modern medieval feel, which guns would screw with, and the touch attack mechanic seems iffy to me.
Would anyone complain if I replaced armor with defense bonuses (from Urban Arcana, but modified for balance a bit) to try out an idea I have? Basically, it's magical fabric that feels like mundane fabric but hardens when struck, so that it's like cotton, denim (yes, this world has denim), wool, soft leather, or whatever it is when it's not being pelted with blows and like steel when it is. Enhancement bonuses and magical armor properties can be added at higher levels, just like with regular armor. It can be created with a level 1 spell (Mage Armor), so it's mass produceable and cheaply available. Most people have it. Defense bonuses reflect the ability to use this armor effectively by taking blows in the best manner possible. Shields function as normal. I would LOVE to try it out, because I love the idea of a sword fighting paladin in jeans, hiking boots, and leather jacket (soft leather, not armor leather). However, if everyone else thinks it's stupid, I won't do it.
I'd just like to add that I too was invested in the game far before I ever played it. I had become interested in, and began purchasing D&D 3.0/3.5 books when I was in the 4th or 5th grade but did not play a single game till more than a year after I graduated high school.
Until you've beheld the might of skintanium, then you don't know weird. Skintanium is what a lot of comic book and cartoon characters have. I think the touch mechanic works fine, but let's see how it works out first, and then we can modify it from there.
At very least I think any magic-based defenses should apply, like deflection bonuses, enhancement bonuses on armor/shields, and magically enhanced natural armor. However, natural armor on magical creatures shouldn't count, because then they'd get their full AC, making the gunslinger rather weak.
Yes it complicates matters a bit, but that's okay, I think we'll live.
That aside: for your first game, I highly recommend only using the books, FAQ, and Errata.
Unless you have ADD, I'd advise reading the books then you can teach other how to play instead of vice versa.
Until you've beheld the might of skintanium, then you don't know weird. Skintanium is what a lot of comic book and cartoon characters have. I think the touch mechanic works fine, but let's see how it works out first, and then we can modify it from there.
At very least I think any magic-based defenses should apply, like deflection bonuses, enhancement bonuses on armor/shields, and magically enhanced natural armor. However, natural armor on magical creatures shouldn't count, because then they'd get their full AC, making the gunslinger rather weak.
Yes it complicates matters a bit, but that's okay, I think we'll live.
That aside: for your first game, I highly recommend only using the books, FAQ, and Errata.
I understand the reason for the recommendation, but I'm not sure I can resist. Not that I don't value any advice I can get, but I really want to do it.
As for gunslingers, I'm just not sure I want guns this time around. I like the idea of guns in Pathfinder, but it doesn't really fit the modern medieval idea of this particular campaign.
Unless you have ADD, I'd advise reading the books then you can teach other how to play instead of vice versa.
I have read the books. I've been doing so with 3.5 and Pathfinder for 5 years. The issue is that I've never actually used the rules or rolled a die, and I feel it's time to start.
I'd just like to add that I too was invested in the game far before I ever played it. I had become interested in, and began purchasing D&D 3.0/3.5 books when I was in the 4th or 5th grade but did not play a single game till more than a year after I graduated high school.
For me, that's Warmachine. I love the books. I love the models. I have painted many. I have two huge and four fairly large armies between Warmachine and Hordes, but I have yet to play against anybody but my 11-year-old son (who kicks my butt partly because he has me helping him).
Tons of investment, and three years in, still no real experience.
Been playing D&D since 1981. But as for Pathfinder, last time I GMed a real game at it, the ink on the books was still wet. So a bit of a dry spell for me. Scheduled to end very soon.
In other words, I feel the pain of this thread.
I understand the reason for the recommendation, but I'm not sure I can resist. Not that I don't value any advice I can get, but I really want to do it.
As for gunslingers, I'm just not sure I want guns this time around. I like the idea of guns in Pathfinder, but it doesn't really fit the modern medieval idea of this particular campaign.
Either way, it's up to you, because you are running this shindig.
I'd just like to add that I too was invested in the game far before I ever played it. I had become interested in, and began purchasing D&D 3.0/3.5 books when I was in the 4th or 5th grade but did not play a single game till more than a year after I graduated high school.For me, that's Warmachine. I love the books. I love the models. I have painted many. I have two huge and four fairly large armies between Warmachine and Hordes, but I have yet to play against anybody but my 11-year-old son (who kicks my butt partly because he has me helping him).
Tons of investment, and three years in, still no real experience.
Been playing D&D since 1981. But as for Pathfinder, last time I GMed a real game at it, the ink on the books was still wet. So a bit of a dry spell for me. Scheduled to end very soon.
In other words, I feel the pain of this thread.
Thanks for the understanding.
Can I ask a question? Is it overly distracting to most GMs to run both the campaign and a member of the adventuring party at the same time? I was thinking of rolling up a character, but having not GMed before, I don't know how that sort of thing usually turns out.
GMPCs are a complicated matter, for someone new, I'd say yes. Even for someone experienced, I'd say yes, they are really tricky territory. Remember: you are telling this story, but the PCs are the heroes of that story, and if you add yourself to it, things get kinda wacky. You can have some NPCs to act as a voice, or to fill holes in the party, but you should just assign them what you want them to have, and don't make them the most important part of the story.
GMPCs are a complicated matter, for someone new, I'd say yes. Even for someone experienced, I'd say yes, they are really tricky territory. Remember: you are telling this story, but the PCs are the heroes of that story, and if you add yourself to it, things get kinda wacky. You can have some NPCs to act as a voice, or to fill holes in the party, but you should just assign them what you want them to have, and don't make them the most important part of the story.
Thanks.
I made a change to the cheap magic items. Instead of all cantrips and 1st level spells being mass produceable as magic items I made a list of cantrips and 1st level spells mass produceable as magic items. Only some spells make sense as magic items, and some could be quite unbalancing, so a restricted list makes the most sense. It also doesn't totally bone low level casters.
I made a change to the cheap magic items. Instead of all cantrips and 1st level spells being mass produceable as magic items I made a list of cantrips and 1st level spells mass produceable as magic items. Only some spells make sense as magic items, and some could be quite unbalancing, so a restricted list makes the most sense. It also doesn't totally bone low level casters.
In a world like you suggested people who adventure should, in general, be more powerful. Most specifically, they shouldn't start at level 1. The PCs should start at level 3 or 4, when civilization become more urban, it becomes more powerful in general, as do their warriors. Though this can be crippled by politics like it did with the Roman Empire.
Plus, if you are really worried about TPK, then you will have us start at a higher level.
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... The way my friends and I played was always informal. We'd play verbally while walking home from school or something, not sitting down at a table, and the GM would decide what happened based on character stats and the Rule of Cool, not dice rolls..... Is the fact that I have never actually played real D&D or Pathfinder going to get in the way?...
My opinion is you have played real D&D (Pathfinder). The game is all about imagination and playing in fantastic settings. Dice, movement, etc. etc. is only mechanics. Don't be intimidated you haven't rolled dice. I'd always prefer a roleplayer like you at my table over one who only plays the mechanics. Good luck.
... The way my friends and I played was always informal. We'd play verbally while walking home from school or something, not sitting down at a table, and the GM would decide what happened based on character stats and the Rule of Cool, not dice rolls..... Is the fact that I have never actually played real D&D or Pathfinder going to get in the way?...My opinion is you have played real D&D (Pathfinder). The game is all about imagination and playing in fantastic settings. Dice, movement, etc. etc. is only mechanics. Don't be intimidated you haven't rolled dice. I'd always prefer a roleplayer like you at my table over one who only plays the mechanics. Good luck.
Amen. The only time I find myself groping for dice, is when I find myself out of my depth, for example, I can't interrogate worth a spit, and I would really like dice to help me along.