Oh man don't worry about this, my wife and I were the same way.
Can you tell a bit about your group, where you're going to play, the GM, etc? Like are they friends, family, strangers? Is it organized Pathfinder Society or a home game?
Hmmm, okay. Do you have a character made, or are you going make one while there, or use a pre-generated character that is provided for you?
Dude, relax. It's an in-store event. They're going to be used to dealing with people of varying familiarity with the rules, and with RPGs in general. The people who run "public" games like this are people who want to expand the hobby, to see it grow and continue to survive.
These are not the kind of people who are going to rage at you for not knowing what kind of action "drawing a wand" is. They're the kind of people who will helpfully correct you when you make a mistake, and there's no shame in that. I've been playing and GMing RPGs since my Sophmore year of college, and I still make mistakes. Everyone does. Anyone who tells you they don't is just too much of an a&~%+~& to admit when they've made a mistake.
Yeah, I looked up the event and it's Pathfinder Society being put on by an organized group at a local store.
Man, relax, it's gonna be okay If you haven't already, register on their event site and do all that stuff.
Let the GM know that it's your first time playing Pathfinder when you get your seat.
Mistakes will be made, stuff will happen, but you'll have a blast.
Trust me, we've all been there.
What I would suggest is that if you have any specific questions that are really bugging you, ask them here right now.
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There's only one mistake you can make that would make you look bad, and that's not telling them that you're new to the game. As long as you mention that you're new and might need some help, everyone will understand any other mistakes you make.
And as others have said, at a public game day, I'm sure you'll find people who are used to helping out newbies and will be happy to help you out.
Have fun!
My biggest recommendation: bring your laptop. When you're a new player, you're going to need to look up the rules all the time to figure out what your abilities do, what kind of actions you can make, etc. Keep a browser page open with the descriptions of all the spells in your spellbook.
There will probably be plenty of experienced players who can help you out with this stuff as well, but when the GM is busy with someone else's turn is when you should be planning exactly what you're going to do. The game will feel a lot more fluid if you know what you're doing on your turn, instead of having to ask a whole bunch of questions each round, ponder, and then choose your action and resolve it.
That said, just relax and have fun. Don't worry about making the "best" decisions you can - most of the fun of the game is just playing by your gut rather than calculating exactly how to take down the enemy in the fewest rounds.
My biggest recommendation: bring your laptop.
I would recommend against this, only because laptops at the table tend to present a huge distraction. It also kind of puts a wall up between you and the rest of the players.
Preparing notes on your spells and such is a great idea though; a lot of people use index cards, but I think a small notebook might be even better, and much easier to keep together.
My biggest recommendation: bring your laptop.I would recommend against this, only because laptops at the table tend to present a huge distraction. It also kind of puts a wall up between you and the rest of the players.
Preparing notes on your spells and such is a great idea though; a lot of people use index cards, but I think a small notebook might be even better, and much easier to keep together.
It doesn't necessarily have to be on the table, you can put it on a chair next to you. Even if it's on the table, you can find a seat near the end of the table where it won't be blocking anything.
I think having a sheet that list all your different actions (attacks, at-will powers, spells) is a good idea. However, you simply can't list all the combat rules and skill check rules on a sheet of paper. For the new players, knowing when and how to make a skill check, when you have to make a concentration check and what the DC will be, how to calculate bonuses and modifiers, when you provoke or take attacks of opportunity, how to use actions like withdraw and total defense, what the combat maneuvers do, how to draw a 30-foot cone on a grid, etc. etc. etc. I still think it really helps to have a complete reference handy.
The other great thing about it is that you learn a lot more as you play. Sure, you could tell the new player not to bother with combat maneuvers, you could tell them that you'll just tell them when to roll a skill check, but they won't learn a whole lot and they'll be lost trying to figure out what everyone else is doing. And whenever someone else casts a spell, instead of asking "what does that spell do?" the ability to just look it up means you learn a lot more with less disruption to the game.
edit: in case it's not clear, I highly recommend not doing anything unrelated to Pathfinder on the laptop. If you keep d20pfsrd open, it will help speed the game along, if you keep Facebook open, not so much...
Yukom, the only advice I give new players is as follows:
1. Have fun. Seriously. Make it a point to have fun.
2. Know your character. Make sure you can quickly identify the following:
- Saving throws
- Armor class
- Hit points
- Weapon attacks and damage
3. Think about your turn when the other players are making their turn.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Mostly though, I would just say relax and enjoy the ride.
Good luck!
2. Know your character.
And to add to this: have a personality for your character. On the bottom of your character sheet, write 4-6 adjectives that describe the character's personality. Rolling dice and killing monsters is fun, but the ability to "manifest" the traits you were envisioning when you built the character is oh-so-much more fun.
Here's some good general advice:
As others have mentioned, let the people you are playing with know you are new. In particular let your game master know.
Have fun.
Play well with others. Be polite. Be considerate.
Have fun.
Do not be afraid to admit you do not know.
Have fun.
Do not touch other players' dice without their express permission. Some players can be extraordinarily superstitious about their dice.
Have fun.
Bring your own dice.
Have fun.
That's really about it.
Dont worry too much, you will be fine, like others said just let the people at the table know you are new. You might want to try to get there a little early and see if you can hook up with event organizers ahead of time. In general, pathfinder society dms are very good at dealing with new players. So just sit back, roll some dice and enjoy.
Also, as a wizard, have you picked your starting spells? If you have (I hope you have) I would recommend putting each spell individually on an index card. Remembering what each spell does will be the most complicated thing you have to do, and being able to quickly sort through those you have in your spellbook will be invaluable.
I strongly recommend perrams spellbook for this it will help you generate the cards at theGM.org i believe
Well, tomorrow, I'm gonna play Pathfinder for the first time...and I'm nervous. I feel like I'm gonna make a big mistake, and look like an idiot...
Any advice on what to do to avoid making this mistake?
MEMORIZE THE GRAPPLE RULES
Just relax, have fun, and know as much as you possibly can. Tell someone you're new and I'm sure they'll help you out. First game or two will feel like you're lagging behind all the time but eventually you'll get it.
MEMORIZE THE GRAPPLE RULES
ALSO THIS
Me and the GM almost came to blows last week because of f$~!ing grapples.
Really I was kidding. Nobody should be required to memorize the grapple rules unless they're in a Chinese Prison and their only other option is to donate their second kidney to the communist party.
Welcome aboard, then. Tabletop games has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life; it's such a fantastic springboard for illustration and art that's been inspiring my since high school and has helped me come up with some of my best concepts as an artist.