Having got moderately obsessed with the adventure card game in recent months, I've been wondering about making the leap into the RPG, and wondered whether this would be a good starting point.
We've a lot of experience with board and card games, but never RPG-ed before. Also our regular group is only 2 people (there might be occasional larger gatherings, but I wouldn't want to spend much money on that basis)
Would this be a sensible purchase for our group?
Pathfinder goes with the concept of there being 5 players total; 1 player running the module and the world around it (such as the monsters or villains), adjusting the game so all involved are having fun, and the remaining 4 being the "heroes" of the module being ran, which we call "Adventure Paths."
That being said, several home games are ran with fewer players, and some of those players are running more than one character. Additionally, many players usually get together to play (which I will title "sessions") on a weekly, bi-monthly, or longer basis. For those "larger gatherings," you can run a separate Adventure Path for, whereas your regular gathering of you and your friend can be separate, and equally enjoyable.
It does need some book work and a general concept of understanding the rules, but as long as the GM (abbreviated Game Master, the player who runs the module and is an arbiter of the game's rules) understands the rules, it's not difficult to parrot back the rules. Unfortunately, if you play too infrequently, it may result in a lot of lost gaming time trying to re-explain the rules.
Of course, the Beginner's Box is a great way, probably the best way, to get fresh players involved, and if they really enjoy it, they may want to spend more time playing the game, and may dedicate themselves more to coming to each session, or partaking in other tables, such as getting involved in Pathfinder Society, and you solve the above issue.
I'd bring it up to all of your group members, get a feel of interest before you make any dedication. If you get enough for a standard game, or a little less, then set up a regular meeting time and feel free to pick up the Beginner's Box. If that goes well, get the Core Rulebook, Beastiary 1, and some Adventure Paths to run for your group.
The begginer box is abolutely the best starting point for the rpg, particularly if everyone is new.
2 people will be difficult though. As mentioned the foundation of the game assumes 4-5 players. The game can mostly work with 3 players, but less then that and you get to the point where the gm has to make significant adjustments to make sure the challenges are reasonable and the game progresses. Experienced gms and players can handle this sort of thing (I've run and played in successful 1player and 2 player games) but it takes a fair amount of adjustment to the kinds of stories you run and the rules of the game.
Unlike say a board game that usually scales pretty easily for different amounts of players, an rpg isnt structured right. Pathfinder and other games like it in particular struggle because they are so open ended and the things different characters can do varies so heavily. What a fighter can do is effectively completely different then what a wizard can do, and theres no direct correlation, or way to account for the difference. The kinds of challenges the differnt characters can manage well varies greatly.
In general for a new group I would recommend at least 2-3 players with the game master playing a 'dmpc' basically another member of the party the gm controls to fill in gaps left by the characters the players control. So if you only have 2 people, I'd strongly recommend looking around for a 3rd person at least, local game stores, the gamer connection forums here at paizo and things like meetup are great for this sort of thing.
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The beginners box is fantastic. It has everything you need to start and then some.
As said, two players would be hard. You can start with them, but if you want to play more games, finding a third friend to play along would help.
Maybe you could check if Pathfinder Society is run in your area. That way you can play and ask GM advice. Also, you can more easily find a third player.
I have a slightly dissenting opinion of the beginner's box. Yes, it helps you learn the game, but it is also made obsolete with the purchase of a core book and some dice. Thus, in the long run it's a waste of money, if you plan on going wholly into Pathfinder. The beginner's box is more for those who plan to dip their toes in the experience first, rather than just going for it.