Two players campaign (who are new at tabletop)

[Elodie Hiras]

Hello all!

I've been reading through Rise of the Runelords Anniversary edition and I've got a few sourcebooks, and I was wondering what could I do to get two friends I've made to play through it without overwhelming them, since RotRL was meant for a group of 4-5 players.

I could get them to play two characters each, but they're very new at tabletop, or do you think I could get away with letting them make a Gestalt and giving them extra character points to buy their abilities? Is there another option, or should I turn to an entirely different game altogether (Pathfinder still has a very real place in my heart since I've had lots of fun playing through RotRL myself, but how many RPG players only play one game?)?

Thanks in advance for any answer.

[Korlos]

I would say to have them each play one character. Depending on what classes they choose, you may want to have an NPC join them to cover a bit of trapfinding and healing. Carefully consider the challenges you put them against, make sure they have options to reconnaissance and retreat, and drop clues about monster special abilities.

[Lamontius]

Also, if they are new, perhaps run them through something smaller such as a Pathfinder Society Scenario or a small straightforward module like "Master of the Fallen Fortress", which is a free download here on the Paizo site.

Doing so will get you an idea of their comfort level and how they might progress further as a two-person group, as well as allow them to learn a bit more about character creation and the game without feeling hooked into a huge AP as their first experience with tabletop.