Thursday, April 28, 2011

Pathfinder Basic

I guess I haven't been lurking the Paizo boards enough, as this news has passed me by for about the past month and a half. They are working on an introductory boxed set. Being the Paizo fanboy that I am, I will definitely be picking it up, although it doesn't seem that it will be what I would like it to be.

I would personally like to see a rules-light version of the game, but it sounds more like it's just going to be a restated version of the existing rules, made to cover levels 1-5, with full compatibility with the existing game.

Mockup of the future box set
If nothing else, perhaps it will actually become more viable to get new players into the game without all the handholding that is currently required. Hopefully it will include some fast character generation options as well, as we have found that the biggest game-killer can be when someone dies and has to make a new character. You might as well kiss the rest of your session goodbye at that point.

In my home game, I think I am going to try a new house rule where if your character dies, you make your replacement character using microlite20, and can convert it to a full-blown PFRPG character after the session is over. This will also give me a chance to see if Microlite20 characters actually hold up balance-wise beyond 1st level, as the party is currently at 4th level. I suspect they will not, but since they will only be used as a temporary band-aid, it doesn't really matter.

Now, the next thing I would like to see Paizo do to help me keep my sanity is Basic Monsters. One of the biggest pains in the ass being a Pathfinder DM is having to study up on all the monsters before a session to ensure I am familiar with their abilities so I can use them effectively in play.

4 comments:

  1. I'm unlikely to ever play Pathfinder, but I love the artwork on the mockup. If they use that for the final product, count me in for a copy.

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  2. Paizo is always top flight when it comes to art and presentation. I sent an email to Mona a few months ago suggesting a rules lite version of the game that would make Paizo materials more accessible to old schoolers and which would also dovetail into the "advanced" rules. Never heard back - which is fine, because he's a busy dude. Still, would have been a fun project to be involved with.

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  3. @Paladin - The art is confirmed, but the name "Basic Game" and the typeface shown on the mockup will likely change.

    @Matt - I would love exactly that. Even if I ever could get my group to fully convert to an old school rules set (unlikely to ever happen - they LOVE Pathfinder) I would likely still play in Golarion and use their setting material and adventures. If Paizo were to put out a system that supported something like that, I'd be all over it.

    That being said, if you make such a system on your own, I'd be happy to playtest it! I tried myself a few months back using Microlite20 as the foundation, but didn't get very far before I lost interest in the work.

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  4. I have the Core Rulebook (1st printing with all of the errors and omissions), but I would pick up that starter set!

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