Assistance request from a first timer

[maxarkell]

Hello,
I've never delved into RPGs before. A friend of mine told me about Pathfinder back in July, and made it sound very interesting. I haven't been able to join a Pathfinder group, so I looked into Pathfinder ACG instead. I am able to follow the rules, the ones from the rule book and the clarifications posted here. But I am looking for help on how to properly play the characters.

So far, I have tried playing solo with Valeros and dual with Valeros and Merisiel and they have worked well for me. But I can't pass Brigandoom with any other character, either solo or 2 characters. Are there any special pairs you guys would suggest and/or hints of how I should be playing each character.

Thanks in advance
Maxarkell

[Markon]

Don't forget that in solo play, some cards (generally some barriers) become almost impossible to beat, don't be afraid to follow the guidance in the rule booklet about swapping out cards. Getting stuck under the collapsed feeling card isn't much fun if it's a complete game ender.

As for specific 2 person combos, I think they are all fairly balanced. I try to always have one character with Diplomacy, because it can be used to squire a solid majority of the allies out there, but that's just my playstyle. Also, don't be afraid to tweak the starting suggested decks!

[Flat the Impaler]

There are a few other threads that cover tips on playing each character if you search for them; you'll get a lot of differing points of view from those as well.

Solo play with 1 character is generally somewhat tough, since you don't have good coverage of skills/abilities. However, the game is generally considered quite easy with 2-3 characters. It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you're having trouble with 1 and 2, maybe try it with 3. You'll have better skills, more blessings available, and fewer turns per character (meaning you can play them more aggressively).

If you don't mind my asking, how are you losing each time?

[maxarkell]

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I will try working with 3 characters, and/or changing the starting decks.

A number of times I have lost because I think the dice don't like me. I roll a lot of 2's and 1's.

[Captain Bulldozer]

If you're afraid your dice a cursed (or even worse, are not actually fair dice) you can always try a die rolling app! With those the random number generators are often a bit more reliable than actual dice...

[maxarkell]

Captain Bulldozer wrote:

If you're afraid your dice a cursed (or even worse, are not actually fair dice) you can always try a die rolling app! With those the random number generators are often a bit more reliable than actual dice...

I'm fairly sure that the dice are fair. Whenever I play with Valeros and Merisiel, I have great rolls.

[maxarkell]

So I have tried playing a 3 character party. It does make things more balanced. I tried picking characters who would complement each other. So far I think Lem and Valaros would make a good pair (I've also read about this pair on other posts), and I also think that Harsk and Merisiel would compliment each other.

Currently I have 2 parallel games going. I am not mixing the characters or even exchanging cards between them. I started each character with the recommended deck in the rule book, and upgraded those decks as I played along. I've only completed the first 2 scenarios in each of these games.

Game 1: Valeros and Merisiel
Valeros' Deck:
Battleaxe, Flaming Mace +1, Longsword (X2), Shortsword
Chain Mail, Wooden Shield (X2)
Mattlock, Potion of Healing
Sage, Troubadour
Blessing of the Gods (X3)

Merisiel's Deck:
Dagger, Sling
Leather Armor
Caltrops, Crowbar, Potion of Energy Resistance, Potion of Glibness, Spyglass, Thieves' Tools
Archer, Burglar
Blessing of the Gods (X4)

Game 2: Ezren, Kyra & Harsk
Ezren's Deck:
Warhammer +1
Acid Arrow, Arcane Armor, Force Missile (X2), Glibness, Invisibility, Lightning Touch (X2)
Blast Stone, Luckstone, Token of Rememberance
Night Watch, Standard Bearer, Troubadour

Harsk's Deck:
Light Crossbow (X2), Shortbow (X2), Starknife
Magic Leather Armor
Amulet of Life, Mattlock, Spyglass
Crow
Blessing of Calistria, Blessing of the Gods (X4)

Kyra's Deck:
Battleaxe, Longsword
Cure, Guidance, Mending
Half-plate,Wooden Shield
Blast Stone
Standard Bearer
Blessing of the Gods (X6)

What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Maxarkell

[Flat the Impaler]

One comment about your choice of weapons for Ezren & Kyra: you do realize that the Longsword, Battleaxe, and Battleaxe +1 all require weapon proficiency, right? The difficulty of all attacks using these weapons would be increased by 4.

[maxarkell]

Flat the Impaler wrote:

One comment about your choice of weapons for Ezren & Kyra: you do realize that the Longsword, Battleaxe, and Battleaxe +1 all require weapon proficiency, right? The difficulty of all attacks using these weapons would be increased by 4.

Oh, I did not realize that. I thought that difficulty increase was for the check to acquire the weapon. Thanks for the heads up. Guess I'll go back to square 1.