I'd recommend a laptop. All of the information you need, or even just want, is available for free online.
I'd recommend a laptop. All of the information you need, or even just want, is available for free online.
I second this. So much. The potential issue with this method though is that saying "X books only" becomes a bit unpractical as all Paizo made choices are blended together. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but be sure to talk with each player about the material they want to use to make sure both of you actually understand it.
Thanks, but I prefer the books, and don't mind spending a little money to help support the game. Good to know I can fall back on that however.
I buy books for the sake of supporting the company as well, but there's just so much stuff out there spread over so many different books that it's really much easier to keep the information you need in browser tabs, even if you do own every single player companion that has been released.
|
Rise of the Runelords is a terrific starter adventure for newbs.
There's a Rise of the Runelords subforum here that's full of juicy advice for GMs. Good luck!
|
|
I'm running RotRL right now and we're in Chapter 5. We started over 2 years ago. I've run several long-term campaigns and APs over the years.
Since you're a new GM and a relatively new group, I would advise you to run a couple of shorter adventures before jumping into an AP. Running some short stand-alone adventures will give you and your group a chance to get comfortable with the rules and to sort of find your groove, plus it will give you an idea of what things you might want to work on to be a better GM. That can make a huge difference in your gaming experience, especially with a long-running campaign.
Good luck and welcome aboard!
-Skeld
With all new players and a new GM, I would recommend Core Rule Book only for spells, classes, feats, etc... for a little while. Most people I've seen try to jump in with everything all at once just get frustrated and confused. However, I wouldn't stay with CRB only for too long if everyone wants to branch out. That's just to start out while learning the rule system. Once you feel like you are fairly comfortable with the rules, I'd recommend allowing more books fairly quickly.
I'm pretty lenient with rebuilds (especially for new players).
I always give everyone a free complete rebuild. One time you can change absolutely everything or anything on your PC, then we'll just pretend it was always like that.
For example: Last year I had a guy make an elf wizard. But it turned out the whole prepared caster thing was just driving him nuts. Plus he didn't realize how completely incapable he would be with a weapon even with buff spells. He ended up rebuilding as a sorcerer with a few levels of barbarian (heading for the dragon disciple prestige class).
If someone picks a feat, spell, skill, etc... because they thought it worked different than it really does, I let them change it.
For new players (like your group) at a level gain, I will let them basically change what ever choices they made at the previous level gain.
As GM, I try to have most everything I think I will need for the evening in one place rather than having to hunt for it.
I used to just put some post it notes for book marks on the spells, feats, classes, monsters that I was planning on using. But I found I still spent a lot of time going back and forth in the books.
Now I either print off or make a note sheet(s) for every significant encounter. That way I don't have to go look up umpteen places for a furious focus, lunge, powerattack, spell combat when they encounter the magus.
|
You may find RotR is a bit too much for a starting GM. I'd suggest that after running a few adventures with the beginner's box (I think there were some free extra adventures to download.) you could try some other adventures.
For example, you could run Crypt of the Everflame, followed by Masks of the Living God and then finish it of with City of Golden Death.
You can find more first level adventures in the adventure finder.
Even if u want to buy books I recomend u get the pfrpg app the search feature will make rule searching imensely faster then searching threw books
|
|
Great advice! How often does your group play and for how long? I'm just curious so I can get an idea how long this story may take for us. We are not super deep world builders we are more wild and unpredictable always looking for a fight and better loot.I'm running RotRL right now and we're in Chapter 5. We started over 2 years ago. I've run several long-term campaigns and APs over the years.
Since you're a new GM and a relatively new group, I would advise you to run a couple of shorter adventures before jumping into an AP. Running some short stand-alone adventures will give you and your group a chance to get comfortable with the rules and to sort of find your groove, plus it will give you an idea of what things you might want to work on to be a better GM. That can make a huge difference in your gaming experience, especially with a long-running campaign.
Good luck and welcome aboard!
-Skeld
Nominally, we play every-other Friday night. In reality, with work/family/etc. schedules, it's more like every 3 weeks. We usually try to eat at 6pm and start sometime after that and we play until about 12-1am. Excluding dinner and goofing off, we probably log 4-5 hours of actual game time any given session. We just completed our 35th session last weekend.
Realistically, the amount of time it takes to complete an AP can vary wildly from group to group. That's just the nature of the beast. Some GMs add a bunch of extra side-quest material and some groups roleplay more than others. All of that can affect how long a campaign will take in real-time.
-Skeld
I really recommend utilizing the Pathfinder OGC. It condenses the material from all of their released books into an incredibly convenient format/search engine and it's just invaluable to have available at a gaming session. If you or your friends have smartphones, I believe there are also very cheap apps that add a great deal of material into the phones that is searchable. Good luck! RotRL is a really superb campaign!
|
|
Wow good to know I'm guessing we play at least once a month, but hopefully more. Sounds like I will probably have at least 2 years worth of gaming from this one adventure path then.Great advice! How often does your group play and for how long? I'm just curious so I can get an idea how long this story may take for us. We are not super deep world builders we are more wild and unpredictable always looking for a fight and better loot.I'm running RotRL right now and we're in Chapter 5. We started over 2 years ago. I've run several long-term campaigns and APs over the years.
Since you're a new GM and a relatively new group, I would advise you to run a couple of shorter adventures before jumping into an AP. Running some short stand-alone adventures will give you and your group a chance to get comfortable with the rules and to sort of find your groove, plus it will give you an idea of what things you might want to work on to be a better GM. That can make a huge difference in your gaming experience, especially with a long-running campaign.
Good luck and welcome aboard!
-Skeld
Nominally, we play every-other Friday night. In reality, with work/family/etc. schedules, it's more like every 3 weeks. We usually try to eat at 6pm and start sometime after that and we play until about 12-1am. Excluding dinner and goofing off, we probably log 4-5 hours of actual game time any given session. We just completed our 35th session last weekend.
Realistically, the amount of time it takes to complete an AP can vary wildly from group to group. That's just the nature of the beast. Some GMs add a bunch of extra side-quest material and some groups roleplay more than others. All of that can affect how long a campaign will take in real-time.
-Skeld
That's pretty normal. Paizo (purposefully) releases APs at a faster pace than most any group can consume.
-Skeld
First Steps and We Be Kobolds are both great starting adventures. Both are free downloads from the paizo site.
Finally, any other general noob advice?Don't be surprised when your most carefully laid plans for your story arc get completely overturned because your players decide to do something you didn't expect. When that happens, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go with it. I recall in some RPG systems, the DM is called the Storyteller, but you are not the only storyteller in Pathfinder. Everyone at the table is a storyteller. You have given them the setting. They are bringing the main characters. Collaborate with them to make it the experience that you all want, and then let in the awesomeness flow.
^This is very true. I typically plan out major plot points, some NPCs, maybe a few encounters, and let the players take things from there.
Something as simple as the player saying "can I roll X knowledge check about Y?" can turn things in a very different direction than what you had planned. Especially if Y was not something you had thought of originally. But, this process can make adventures become awesome journeys.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If you really prefer hardcopy books to online lookups, then you'll want to grab a Bestiary or three.
Beyond that, I actually recommend playing with as few books as possible. All you really need is the CRB and the Adventure Path itself (if you're looking up the monsters online).
Paizo's a great company and you really can't go wrong with purchasing anything, but the library is so huge that you will be overwhelmed if you try to incorporate everything.
Runelords is a great, classic campaign and the Core Rulebook should have you covered. Focus on reading the Adventure path -- once through quickly so you have a picture of everything that goes on in it, then brush up on each section during the week before you run it.
Being a great GM is about knowing the adventure and knowing your players. Focus on those. All those other books can wait.