New to the game

[Drength]

I recently found out about this game and would like to put together the necessary books to run an open ended game in the Pathfinder setting. Would you recommend any other books than these:

• GameMastery
  
• Core
  
• Bestiary
  
• Book of the Damned—Volume 1 (This could be fun)
  

Thanks.

[koul]

The Inner Sea World Guide will be also necessary

[Drength]

I knew there had to be something like this hiding somewhere, thank you.

[Liz Courts]

Moved thread.
I would also add a copy of the Inner Sea Primer to your list for players. The Player Companion books are meant to be spoiler-free, so you can hand them off without fear to your players so they can get a taste of the setting. :)

[Rhys Grey]

Hello, and welcome to the boards!

All your selections are good choices, although you really only need the Core Rulebook and the Bestiary to play. As koul said, The Inner Sea World Guide is ultimately ideal for running in Pathfinder's setting, Golarion. You may find the Inner Sea Primer to be a more newcomer-friendly product, and is a nifty little book. Also, might I suggest the Advanced Player's Guide? That's a great book for all sorts of player options.

If you are in need of a pre-made campaign, the Pathfinder Adventure Paths or Modules are a fine way to go. Have fun with Pathfinder! :)

EDIT: Ninja'd by the gninja. ;)

[Liz Courts]

Rhys Grey wrote:

EDIT: Ninja'd by the gninja. ;)

It's what I do. :D

[W E Ray]

I would start with the Core book, a few Modules, the Inner Sea Primer and the Bestiary.

And begin to learn through practice and with the help of the Messageboards, here.

Then work your way toward the APG, Gamemastery Guide, Faction Guide and Rival Guide.

Then get the Inner Sea Guide, Bestiary 2, Bestiary 3, Books of the Damned, Great Beyond, and Inner Sea Magic when you're ready for more. But wait a while on these as those first few books will take a while to absorb.

Finally, after you've been playing a while and are more comfortable with the rules set and your Players have a better handle on the game and the setting, grab the six volumes of an Adventure Path to really experience the Pathfinder game at its best.

[Mandisa]

I've found that presenting players with the full expanse of setting material (even just the Inner Sea Primer) is sometimes a bit daunting. If you've got your starting region picked out, you might want to start players off with the Players' Guide/Companion for that region, and also pick up the region's PF Chronicles/Campaign Setting book for yourself.

Quite a few regions/cultures are covered in the setting articles in the Adventure Paths, and the modules & Society scenarios are a great source for colorful NPCs, even if you don't run the actual adventure.

Not sure if it's 100% up to date, but the Pathfinder Wiki has a list of modules by level & location, and a similar list of AP articles by subject. If you're not running an entire AP, you could cherry-pick the volumes that focus on your interests/needs.

[Drength]

Awesome, thanks.
You guys wouldn't happen to know the significance of "Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Subscription." on older (not brand new) books is, would you? I know the game subscription will send out new releases and let you download the pdf for free, but I can't find any reference to the older books.

[Liz Courts]

Drength wrote:

Awesome, thanks.

You guys wouldn't happen to know the significance of "Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Subscription." on older (not brand new) books is, would you? I know the game subscription will send out new releases and let you download the pdf for free, but I can't find any reference to the older books.

Older print and PDF products must be purchased separately--the free PDF is a bonus for active subscribers only. The notation about which subscription the product is a part of is to notify customers that they may have previously purchased the product as part of their subscription.

[Drength]

That is what I suspected. Thanks for clarifying.