Help! My first time to play...

[ksufan]

I have never played an RPG game before, and I am meeting next week with a group of people to play that I don't even know. Right now I feel like Penny on Big Bang Theory. I have never played an RPG game before, and haven't even ever played video games. I am not good at math or remembering things, but have a very general idea of how to play. I am also not as creative most people I know that do play. The people that I am playing with seem really nice and they know that I have never played before. I just don't know if I should go because I am so nervous and uncomfortable. Did anyone else feel like this when they started playing?

[Rurric]

See if they will let you play as a pre-made character. Paizo pre-made most if not all of their classic characters. That's the best way to learn the game.

My groupd did this and we have been playing DnD since 3rd ed

Best of luck!

[Mr.Fishy]

Ummmm. You ever play with dolls or action figures or other kids? It's kind of like that only more chaotic.

Don't worry about making mistakes, mistakes are the joy of the game. You will suggest options that the party wouldn't think of because they "know better" like talking to a monster instead of stabbing it.

It's a game, you may love it or decide that it's a bit much and only play board games.

Pieces of advice,
If the GM is smiling you're doing well and in no danger.[Fishy smile.]

[DM_Blake]

Of course you should go. Almost everybody is nervous and/or intimidated the first time they try something new, especially if they are grouped with other people who aren't new at it. So what? We all face that problem, but if we don't deal with it we will miss out on all that life has to offer.

Gamers are usually very cool, and very accepting of new gamers such as yourself. As long as you keep showing up, keep contributing to the fun (even if, at first, most of your contributions are ROLE playing an interesting character), then they will be fine with you and you'll enjoy yourself.

So definitely go. Have fun. Play a barbarian or a rogue, they're both easy and don't usually require too much math or too much knowledge.

[Kayerloth]

Above all remember it's just a game. No different really than showing up to play Monopoly or Chutes and Ladders for the first time. Go and have fun. Think about what sort of character you would like to play (or even characters - though not at the same time at least for now). What are your favorite characters from movies and novels ... do they tend to be spell users or melee type heroes? And yes I expect almost all of us were nervous about showing up that first time in a public setting especially where we don't know most if any of the other folks. If anything you'll find most of your fellow gamers will be too helpful, perhaps leaving you a bit bewildered at all the choices. And that's okay to, just keep in mind there are no truly wrong choices though as a group we will endlessly debate class "x" or ability "y" is too weak or too overpowered or whatever.

[Kolokotroni]

First of all, welcome to pathfinder. I know it can seem overwhelming at times, and you might see a giant bookshelf at your friend's house loaded with books and say 'I need to remember all that?'. But the truth is you dont. You dont need to know the whole of the pathfinder rules to play. And there is very little you need to remember. You just have to know the information on the 2 or so pages of your character sheet. Other then that the DM will prompt you to do things, or you will ask to do things and the gm will tell you how to do them.

For the most part, all you need to know is that to do something (besides walking or talking) you will need to roll a d20 (twenty sided die) and add some number that is on your character sheet and tell the dm the result. Thats it.

Its perfectly normal to feel nervous, but in the end, its just a game. There is literally nothing to be nervous about. There are no consequences for getting something wrong. No one is going to mock you (assuming nice people at your table) for no knowing the difference between a wizard and a sorceror. If you think this is something that would be fun for you, you should go, you should have fun, and I certainly hope you find joy in our hobby.

I've introduced a number of new players to pathfinder in the years I've been playing it, and I've never regretted it. New players bring a perspective that can be lost sometimes when you have been playing for a long time, and it can be a real joy reliving those early gaming moments vicariously as they discover the game. Chances are you will be doing the same for the people you play with, and hopefully you'll make some good friends in the process. Trust me, its worth trying.

[Morain]

Good advice here all around. Yeah definately go for it. The Gm will guide you as a new player and it should be a good time if you are at all interested in these kinds of things.

[kputnam]

Yeah, I felt pretty much the same when I started playing. I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn't own any of the books. I'd never played before. When I first sat down at that table, I didn't know what a "d20" was. I just learned about the game, and figured it might be fun to try. And I was right.

This is all good advice. If there's one thing I'd like to add, it's this: don't be afraid to ask for help. Try and be independent, but if you don't know what to do, just ask one of the other players what they think.