Brand new to RPG's and Pathfinder. I am DM RotRL, is that a bad idea?

[adam nasadowski]

Hello everyone. I have played about 30 hours of DnD prior to deciding to get my friends in to Pathfinder. They're all guys I've known since I was a kid and we get along great. I played around 30-50 hours of DnD at my local comic shop. Spent another 15 hours watching Matt Mercer and gang along with DawnForge Cast.

I have most of the books that you would need. Read up on the core rule book, the game mastery guide and everything else I can get my hands on. I think I am ready and I am decent at improv. We did the beginners box together and had a blast.

Do you think it's a good idea to do Rise of the Runelords? Oh, it's the anniversary edition by the way.

Thanks all and happy gaming!
Adam

[GM Rednal]

Rise of the Runelords is a nice "classic" adventure, and works pretty well as a starting point. XD That said, I would encourage you to play a module first, maybe somewhere around 3rd level - not too high, but with a few more options than first-level characters. That'll help you transition from the Beginners Box and get a little more experience as a GM before you start a long campaign.

[Simeon]

I agree, Rise of the Runelords is probably the best AP for a new GM, but one of the shorter modules is definitely the best thing just to get introduced to it.

[Skeld]

I would also advise running a stand-alone module of some sort first. GMing an AP is a long-term commitment. It would be helpful to get a shorter module or two under your belt. That will help you determine what does and doesn't work well for you as a GM.

-Skeld

[adam nasadowski]

I ran two seperate adventures, both as part of the beginners box. The first one I added a ton of improvisation.The final section when my group encountered the skelton on the jewel encrusted throne I added some cool stuff. I made it where he grew in size as he took more damage. I added a magical gauntlet in one of the vase in the corner. Once doned, the wearer himself was able to knock the skele king down to size, my party was able to finish him off. Unfortunately, what they didn't know was the gauntlet enslaved whomever used it to defeat him. My wizard was the chosen one and he sauntered over to the throne where he assumed the old kings throne. Seeing as that was a one off it ended there.

The second time it was more, if this happens then this happens. Everyone said they had a blast and we ended on a high note when we were out of time. I was going to run Grande Temple of Jing but quickly realized that was NOT friendly for a new GM. That's when I changed to RotRL and I am excited to play it. Thanks for the responses.

Best
Adam

[Alayern]

As a note, be careful with events/effects that take away player autonomy. The players should always feel like they're the center of the action/attention, and taking away their ability to choose damages that.

[deuxhero]

Premade adventure paths and modules are generally made for less skilled GMs and players.

[Alayern]

deuxhero wrote:

Premade adventure paths and modules are generally made for less skilled GMs and players.

I'm not sure I agree with that premise. They could certainly be made for lazy or time-strained GM's, but less skilled? If the GM is designing an adventure, it should match the expectations of the player's power levels and group interest, which is exactly what AP's and modules do.

[ckdragons]

RotRL is a great adventure! Just be aware the Anniversary Edition has many numerical errors on the stat blocks. Nothing too bad but just be aware since you're a new GM. There's a great thread on the errata that another gamer posted that I used extensively when I ran that AP.

RotRL Errata Thread
(scroll to the bottom of the page for a extensive list from Strife2002)

Also for a lot of ideas and suggestions for that AP (if you haven't seen it already):
Rise of the Runelords

[Turelus]

Although I have been doing RP games for years I never really learnt the rules or really ran a proper campaign until I started RotR for my group a couple of years ago(finished it last month).

As a GM it was a great campaign to learn with and there are loads of support threads as well because of the age and love for the campaign.

OP I would fully say go ahead and run this, make a bunch of horrible mistakes, learn from them and at the end of it be more learned and wiser as a GM.

[Hythlodeus]

deuxhero wrote:

Premade adventure paths and modules are generally made for less skilled GMs

I strongly disagree. GMing since the mid 90s in various systems I consider myself very experienced and skilled.

ROTRL is the first time I'm running a premade adventure and it is one of the more challenging experiences I had as a GM. Isnstead of using my own imagination and providing the Players with a sandbox, I'm suddenly stuck with a restrictive path.

Instead of having the players go from point A to point B in an adventure, but being able to change things on the fly if I see the group is heading more towards points C or D, in a prewritten adventure you HAVE to get them back at focusing on B. You're not 100% controling the world, a part of the world is instead controling you as a GM. Your railroading everything and you still have to make it look like as if the choices the PCs make have actual impact on where the story is headed.

For someone with a more sandboxy GMing style (which usual comes with years and decades of experience) that's an actual challenge

[GM Rednal]

Yeah, different groups have different styles. XD And that's okay, of course. Some GMs - and groups - enjoy pre-written adventures. Others like to have tons of freedom to explore stories as they see fit, and both are perfectly fine ways of playing.

That said, you might want to look into Frog God Games' Sword of Air sometime if you haven't already. It has a similar 'classic' feel, but it's much more sandbox-y about it.

[WormysQueue]

I agree that RotRL is a great AP for newer GMs. It's probably the most generic of all APs, because at the time it was written, a lot of the setting didn't even exist (in published form), so you don't need to know too much about the rest of Golarion. It's also the one where you can find a ton of advice and ideas to enhance the AP in the RotRL subforums.

But as it's an AP, you need to be aware (and I probably don't need to tell you), that running (and playing) it means a major time investment, and it can be a very frustrating experience for everyone involved if for some reason the game stops prematurely. So that's something you should give some thought to before the start. Do YOU have the time for this kind of investment? And have YOUR PLAYERS?. Real life happens so there will never be a 100% guarantee on that, but you and your should be at least confident about that. If not, the module line with shorter adventures might be worth a look instead.

[Yakman]

WormysQueue wrote:

I agree that RotRL is a great AP for newer GMs. It's probably the most generic of all APs, because at the time it was written, a lot of the setting didn't even exist (in published form), so you don't need to know too much about the rest of Golarion. It's also the one where you can find a ton of advice and ideas to enhance the AP in the RotRL subforums.

But as it's an AP, you need to be aware (and I probably don't need to tell you), that running (and playing) it means a major time investment, and it can be a very frustrating experience for everyone involved if for some reason the game stops prematurely. So that's something you should give some thought to before the start. Do YOU have the time for this kind of investment? And have YOUR PLAYERS?. Real life happens so there will never be a 100% guarantee on that, but you and your should be at least confident about that. If not, the module line with shorter adventures might be worth a look instead.

i'll have to disagree with you about it being generic, if only for the haunt- and horror-filled 2nd chapter.

[WormysQueue]

Yakman wrote:

I'll have to disagree with you about it being generic, if only for the haunt- and horror-filled 2nd chapter.

Yeah ok, that I agree with. I meant it more with regard to the setting, which is, in the case of Varisia, basically the typical frontier setting with only few connections to the rest of the world (and those that are there don't play a role in this AP so you can simply ignore them)