Hello, fellow gamers and hobby enthusiasts! I need your help selecting an appropriate gaming system for my gaming group. I want to give you small bits of information to help make a more informed decision.
• My gaming group is small: 5-6 adults willing & able to attend with dice, paper, snacks, etc.
• All players are adults with significant responsibilities (three people attending college, including doctoral research/dissertation) and with commensurate imagination.
• Timetables suggest gaming at least once a month, usually for a large chunk of time (6-8 hours).
• Experience includes Pathfinder, D&D/S&W, and two newer vices: Weird West RPG & Warrior, Rogue, and Mage RPG (both with significant, group-decided house rules).
• Playing styles lean more towards narrative. Asking for some calculations can eat time, despite experience.
• Our group likes painting & using miniatures; we contributed to the Reaper Miniatures’ BONES kickstarter.
• Character creation takes the most time and is the most enjoyable part. Less desirable times come when someone needs to borrow a calculator. Most of the time, players sit with a DM and tell them how they envision a character, and the DM helps quantify. I also run a small story (individually) to exemplify combat, casting, and bluff/diplomacy/purchasing to remind players of systems.
Here’s an outline of our current Pathfinder RPG troupe:
o Half-orc alchemist 3 (loves bombing & 2H Weapons)
o Halfling rogue 4 (skill monkey, hides any other time)
o Dwarven Cleric 4 (limited channeling)
o Human Paladin 3 (TANK and dumb- literally cannot speak)
o Elven Ranger 3 (Legolas wannabe)
o Half-elf Summoner (uses the Celestial Summoner archetype presented by Rite Publishing)(MUCH less bookkeeping WITHOUT his Eidolon? Nope, but minis really help!)
After seeing how much fun the player had with his Celestial Summoner, other players also thought about the archetypes therein. Are there combinations that I should look to add or avoid? I also wondered about a ZERO level campaign, and letting characters have NPCs to rise up to heroes.
Should I make pre-generated characters? I thought about it, and even looked up optimization guides for NPCs. My gaming group is experiencing some sluggish times, and I am asking for your advice on:
• RPG system to try, or additional supplements, archetypes, etc. without breaking bank,
• Pre-generated vs. PC made heroes,
• And any other information you may want to share.
Finally, with the BONES miniatures, is there a smart way to incorporate these as fuel to spark gaming interest? After talking with players, we WANT to play, but tend to get distracted with kids, jobs, schools, etc.
Respectfully,
Szombulis
This looks awesome at first (free!) read!
Thanks, TriOmegaZero! What's your experience playing the game?
Yes, it looks like it could play well in the hands of a narrative group. Was sad to see they haven't developed their Magic system yet (it' only been a year or so...so maybe 6d6 is playtesting/hobbyist interest).
You could even call it the "Bare Bones" campaign. :)