Download copies of the free Beginners Bash Demos, get some friends together, and help them make characters. Run one of the beginners bash demos for your friends.
If you like it, rinse, wash, and repeat!
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Welcome! =]
I don't own the PDF version of the Beginner Box, but I have run the physical version. Do you have a printer and 3 or 4 friends to play with? Included in the PDFs should be example characters for your friends to choose from. These characters are simplified versions of the iconic classes, designed to ease you into playing Pathfinder with just a few rules at a time. Either before or during the time your players are deciding which characters to play, you should read the Game Master's Guide included with the Beginner Box. You should also read the Hero's Handbook, then give a copy to the players. These books are basic, but they have a lot of good advice to help you along the way. After reading those two books, read the adventure (sometimes referred to as a module) so you'll know what to expect along the way. With the physical version, you'll have a folded map to play on, which is very handy, but I'm not sure whether you'd be able to print it out because it's pretty large and would use a lot of ink/toner even if you printer could handle something that big. You can get graph paper at most hobby stores though, and use that to sketch out a copy from the PDF.
The basic idea of playing Pathfinder is that you're trying to tell a story with multiple storytellers and a healthy dose of luck from the dice. If you're the GM (Game Master), you provide or describe the setting and control the NPCs (Non-Player-Characters, including monsters and animals). Your players act out parts, as if they were making a movie or stage play, with everyone improvising along the way. The basic interaction goes like this:
1.) GM describes where everyone is at the beginning (in the case of the Beginner Box, outside the cave) and why they're there (in this case, investigating Black Fang). The PDF should make it clear which parts of the book to read out loud to your players when describing each room, as you reach them.
2.) GM asks the players what they want to do. Only one person should speak at a time, but what order they go in doesn't matter when you're not in combat. The players will almost assuredly ask to do things that you don't know the rules to, and that's fine. If you don't know the rule and don't know where to find the rule in less than a minute, you can make what's called an ad-hoc decision on the spot. Think about whether the thing they're trying to do would be believable in the story. Most of the time, you should allow them to attempt it, using either a skill (if there's an obvious skill to use) or an ability check (if you can't think of an appropriate skill). If what they're asking sounds really easy, just let them do it without having to roll, or only having to roll a 5 or better. If it sounds more difficult, you can set the difficulty check (usually called DC) to any other number you want, but make sure to decide what that number is before asking them to roll.
3.) After telling them what to roll, they do so and add the appropriate bonuses or penalties. For instance, they could have asked whether they can climb a wall. You could have thought about it and said, "Sure, the stones provide pretty good handholds, but it's a little damp and slippery in this part of the cave so I'll set the DC at 15. Roll a d20 and add your Climb score." If the total is 15 or more, they succeed. If it's less, they fail and someone else gets to take their turn.
4.) Relax and try to have fun. It can be nerve-wracking to learn a new game as complex as Pathfinder but remember that it's still just a game and it's okay to make mistakes. When in doubt, err on the side of fun for your players and yourself. It's not supposed to be a perfect simulation of real-life adventure. It's a fantasy, ready for your creative input.
5.) Good luck. =]
Hi im very very new to Pathfinder RPG and have the pdf version of the Beginner Box. Only problem is I don't know what I'm doing. lol I was wondering if there was someone who could show/teach me what I'm doing before I start spending money and get frustrated and decide not to do it. If anyone is willing please contact me at either johntjamesonjr@gmail.com or basalan1701@yahoo.com on messenger. thank you for your time.
let's see if this will help
Or this goes into more depth on how a session and combat works