I would like to know if there is a new version of Pathfinder in the works. The reason I'm asking is because I don't wanna get the current stuff and it be outdated in a year. You see it will be a good year or so before I play Pathfinder, so if I buy the stuff now will it be outdated and unsupported in a year or 2? Also is it easy to learn the game from the core rulebook by yourself?
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I don't think Paizo has any plans to overhaul the Pathfinder system any time soon. They've just come out with the Beginner Box which is an excellent way to start learning the system on your own.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I would like to know if there is a new version of Pathfinder in the works. The reason I'm asking is because I don't wanna get the current stuff and it be outdated in a year. You see it will be a good year or so before I play Pathfinder, so if I buy the stuff now will it be outdated and unsupported in a year or 2? Also is it easy to learn the game from the core rulebook by yourself?
Say hello to your new best friend.
That's the official PRD (Pathfinder Reference Document). It's an official, free online compendium of all the core rules (and some non-core stuff too, like the APG, UM, UC, Bestiaries, and GMG).
Learn the rules from there in your spare time, and in a year when you're able to play, check out whether or not you want to buy the book(s).
I don't think Paizo has any plans to overhaul the Pathfinder system any time soon. They've just come out with the Beginner Box which is an excellent way to start learning the system on your own.
I've played RPGs before and know the basics. So is it hard though? Or is it just not as easy as The Beginner Box?
I would like to know if there is a new version of Pathfinder in the works. The reason I'm asking is because I don't wanna get the current stuff and it be outdated in a year. You see it will be a good year or so before I play Pathfinder, so if I buy the stuff now will it be outdated and unsupported in a year or 2? Also is it easy to learn the game from the core rulebook by yourself?Say hello to your new best friend.
That's the official PRD (Pathfinder Reference Document). It's an official, free online compendium of all the core rules (and some non-core stuff too, like the APG, UM, UC, Bestiaries, and GMG).
Learn the rules from there in your spare time, and in a year when you're able to play, check out whether or not you want to buy the book(s).
Thanks Jiggy, I will for sure check this out. I never played 3.5, but have dabbled in 2e, and played a bit of 4e. I can look through some of the freebie stuff and this online compendium and notice many things I already understand.
If it is helpful to know, the Pathfinder RPG just entered its fifth printing, so they have a lot of those books to sell.
Does the 5th printing add errata and fix typos?
If it is helpful to know, the Pathfinder RPG just entered its fifth printing, so they have a lot of those books to sell.Does the 5th printing add errata and fix typos?
Okay. So back to my second question, how hard is it to learn Pathfinder from the core Products?
Director of Brand Strategy
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Okay. So back to my second question, how hard is it to learn Pathfinder from the core Products?
Before the release of the Beginner Box last month, we had enough people who learned the game from the Core Rulebook to justify 5 printings of it. The Beginner Box is specifically designed to be an introduction, but there's no reason you can't start with the full rules set right out of the gate. If you're familiar with many of the common terms from other editions of the game, you'll have a leg up on someone just starting with Pathfinder.
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give what you said about your playing history ..... some light reading on the "john" and you could play
Okay. So back to my second question, how hard is it to learn Pathfinder from the core Products?
If you are familiar with 3.0 or 3.5 mechanics then it's pretty easy. A few of the rules changes (like how Combat Maneuvers work) might take a little getting used to, but the principal ideas are basically the same.
If you aren't familiar with those rules, my advice is to get someone who knows the game to play with you. The best way to learn is to do in this case.
The basics are really easy. You just roll a d20 and then add a modifier and check it against a difficulty threshold (which is sometimes set by an opposed roll). Pretty much everything in the game is a variation on that idea.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Okay. So back to my second question, how hard is it to learn Pathfinder from the core Products?
This is how I learned, and I daresay I have a decent track record over in the Rules Questions forum.
Tips, tricks, and good adventuring SOP (standard operating procedures) are best learned in-game; but learning the rules from the book/PRD is totally doable.
give what you said about your playing history ..... some light reading on the "john" and you could play
I may just do that! :D
In response to your original question, paizo staff has repeatedly stated they have no plans for a new edition. I cant find some of the more recent comments, but here are 2 from about a year ago from Technical Director Vic Wertz
CEO Lisa Stevens
Their relatively slow release cycle (4 hardback books a year with 1 being a setting book and one being a bestiary) reflects their clear intention to take things slowly.
As for how hard it is to learn, compared to other rules heavy RPGs (Past Editions of dungeons and dragons, gurps, mutants and materminds) is of a comparable difficulty. There are lots of rules, but you really only need to KNOW a small portion of them off hand.
Basically if you can read and understand all of the information on a 2 page character sheet plus some basic rules on movement and combat, you can play the game. If the dm can read through a module and keep most of the key facts in mind and interpret stat blocks of monsters and know those basic rules for combat skills and movement, then you can play the game. The rules look imposing, the core rulebook is HUGE, and there is a literal libray of other material to choose from, but you dont have to know all of it off hand. Most of it is a matter of references, and the vast majority of it will never come into play at the same time.
Will you make mistakes? Of course, but we all did learning the game, and we all do to this day. Its just part of playing the game. If no one in the group has played before I would recommend starting with a published module, but other then that there is no reason you cant learn from the core rules. The begginner box is really just meant to be an easier gateway to the game specifically designed to teach the game, not the ONLY gateway.
Basically the Core Rules were designed as a reference for people who already knew the 3.5 rules. Learning from that is possible, in the same way it is possible to learn history or geography from an encyclopedia instead of a textbook, difficult, but it is still very possible.