We're a group of old school roleplayers (started off with the D&D Red Box) who are looking to get back on the saddle after an extended break. As everyone is very busy with other non-gaming activities (work, family, etc.) we need to start it off light and easy.
I was looking at the new Beginner Box and it seems like a perfect way to dive in to the world of Pathfinder. The Core book is way too thick and there's too much info in it to start with. We're lazy. Very lazy and I want to start off simple as "complicated & heavy" will kill the enthusiasm for sure. So it is Beginner Box or some other light game. Core rules isn't really an option.
Still the meat for us has always been longer campaigns and I (the GM) would like to run an adventure path for the players. Carrion Crown looks like a great AP to start with (more roleplaying, maybe a bit more mature and not so typical fantasy theme) and I am now wondering if we could start playing the AP with the Beginner Box rules? I understand that the Beginner Box only takes you up to lvl 5, but if we get that far transitioning to the "real" rules shouldn't be a problem. Or maybe Paizo will support the Beginner Box further with expansion boxes or Pathfinder v2.0.
Do you think this is a very bad idea? Or something I should pursue?
Thanks!
Still the meat for us has always been longer campaigns and I (the GM) would like to run an adventure path for the players. Carrion Crown looks like a great AP to start with (more roleplaying, maybe a bit more mature and not so typical fantasy theme) and I am now wondering if we could start playing the AP with the Beginner Box rules? I understand that the Beginner Box only takes you up to lvl 5, but if we get that far transitioning to the "real" rules shouldn't be a problem. Or maybe Paizo will support the Beginner Box further with expansion boxes or Pathfinder v2.0.
Do you think this is a very bad idea? Or something I should pursue
I'd think that "The Haunting of Harrowstone" would work quite well with the BB, and in fact I've considered doing the exact same thing for some newbie players in my area who want to give BB rules a spin someday. You can easily run pretty much any encounter in AP #43 using BB rules just by ignoring the stuff the BB tells you to disregard when using products written for the full PFRPG. The only tricky part might be some of the treasure you'll acquire that isn't outlined in the BB, but you can reasonably infer the effects of most of those items or just look them up on the PRD and adapt them for use with BB rules.
"THoH" is a very interesting module in a way, in the sense that a lot of the monster builds and encounter setups in it explore creative approaches to expressing ideas using existing mechanics that may not always play 100% by the rules (I'm thinking specifically of the Lopper, a very interesting variant take on the wraith). To me, that sort of approach to design places an emphasis on creativity rather than lock-step adherence to established principles - which, to me, is what the BB experience should be all about.
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You could easily run a campaign with the Beginner Box rules. However, as the GM, you will need to read up on Haunt rules, which are found within the Gamemaster's Guide (or on the PFSRD.) However, they are also very simple and easy to run.
Once you get into the Trial of the Beast though, the simplified rules might break down a bit. Especially once you start dealing with Alchemists and such.
Thanks mates. My plan is to start off with the Beginner Box to narrow down the amount of info and choices for the players. If we have fun running through the beginning of the campaign then we can upgrade to the core rules.
Thanks for the heads up concerning the haunt rules. I have to check them out before we begin.
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It's possible to replace the haunt rules with simpler stuff if you don't like them (my players didn't like them much, FYI). They're kind of particular and "mechanical," if you know what I mean. Eventually most of the haunts start to feel kinda the same.
One of the nice things about running a simplified rules system like the Beginner's Box is that you can feel free to improvise stuff that isn't specifically covered. So maybe you could do each haunt in a unique, appropriate way rather than following the same haunt rules every time.
If I could take another shot at GMing HoH, I think that's what I would do.