GAME OF THE WEEK 2: PATHFINDER RPG!
This last weekend, I started off my Pathfinder RPG game at Back of the Closet Games in Auburn.
Well, those of you who know me personally know that I'm a gamer. A Role Playing Gamer.
Initially, i didn't pay much attention to Paizo's Pathfinder modules, despite the excellent job the company did when it had Dungeon and Dragon Magazines.
But this year, with the demise of D&D 3.5 and Wizards of the Coast's draconian policies concerning the banning of sales of the 3.5 books and the banning of the sales of ANY WOTC PDFs, Pazio decided to come up with their own game system. Which they named Pathfinder.
If you enjoyed 3.5 but wanted to see it evolve into more of a role playing game instead of the combat munchkin game that D&D 4E became, then Pathfinder is for you! It's basically D&D 3.75, or D&D Evolved, if you like...taking a lot of the best of the non WOTC D&D stuff and blending it into a better RPG.
I really enjoy this game. The new rules encourace a lot of role playing and backstory, and the characters have a lot of newer, if not more powerful abilites. Combat is more streamlined and there are more options for non-combat solutions.
So, first, a review of the game play, then some comments on the game system itself.
This weekend, I started a Demo session at BOTCH. With one of my regular players and three new players, including one whos only played a RPG once. In other words, a good mix of experienced and new players, the perfect test group for a new game.
Character generation went well, with the group discussing their roles and then quickly picking race, career, feats, traits, and background. (This was the part I thought would take a while, but instead they helped each other and the rules were easy to understand...a bonus for teaching new players.)
Then the adventure started...The Treasure Chest Adventure: Into the Haunted Woods. It is a mix of combat, mystery, and role playing. The streamlined rules kept the game pace quick and the detailed backgrounds gave good motivations for party cohesion and goals. The new character abilites allowed for some fun solutions, and the fun and funny scenario led to some interesting encounters. This particular module also makes us of the other Pathfinder props, like the item cards and flip maps, so it was a very interactive role playing game.
The players all seemed to have a good time, and one of the onlookers is looking to join us this week, so I think it was a success.
OK, so what makes it better than D&D?
1) More balanced character races and classes. All of the classes get stuff at every level. And the races are all pretty balanced. Half Orcs and Half Elves no longer get weaker bonuses and all of the classes are fun and playable at all levels.
2) Classes are more iconic: Barbarians get more ability to rage. Bards do more with performance. Clerics have a lot of new domains and now they can use their turn undead ability to heal others instead. Druids have better animal companions. Fighters are combat monsters. Monks have better (and more balanced) Flurry of Blows. Paladins are more effective against evil (Smite Evil ROCKS!) Rangers have more tracking and weapon options. Rogues have mroe special abilites. Sorcerors now get a bloodline and specific powers. Wizards choose a school and have more focused abilites. And all spellcasters can cast their Level 0 spells and unlimited number of times a day!
3) Skills are more streamlined. Easier to use, more options, and commonly combined skills (Move Silently and Hide) are now a single skill (Stealth).
4) Lots of new background options and traits that give simple bonuses and help players design characters that fit into the campaign world.
And the modules! Every adventure I've seen has had a great blend of role playing encounters to go with the combats. They encourage non-combat solutions and problem solving. And a lot of the creatures have been revamped to have meatier backgrounds and better ecologies. (goblins are great. at first , they will make the players laugh. But after a while, players will learn to fear goblins.)
All in all: I give it 8 out of 10. A lot of fun and a great improvement over other D&D systems. Check it out.
Well, those of you who know me personally know that I'm a gamer. A Role Playing Gamer.
Initially, i didn't pay much attention to Paizo's Pathfinder modules, despite the excellent job the company did when it had Dungeon and Dragon Magazines.
But this year, with the demise of D&D 3.5 and Wizards of the Coast's draconian policies concerning the banning of sales of the 3.5 books and the banning of the sales of ANY WOTC PDFs, Pazio decided to come up with their own game system. Which they named Pathfinder.
If you enjoyed 3.5 but wanted to see it evolve into more of a role playing game instead of the combat munchkin game that D&D 4E became, then Pathfinder is for you! It's basically D&D 3.75, or D&D Evolved, if you like...taking a lot of the best of the non WOTC D&D stuff and blending it into a better RPG.
I really enjoy this game. The new rules encourace a lot of role playing and backstory, and the characters have a lot of newer, if not more powerful abilites. Combat is more streamlined and there are more options for non-combat solutions.
So, first, a review of the game play, then some comments on the game system itself.
This weekend, I started a Demo session at BOTCH. With one of my regular players and three new players, including one whos only played a RPG once. In other words, a good mix of experienced and new players, the perfect test group for a new game.
Character generation went well, with the group discussing their roles and then quickly picking race, career, feats, traits, and background. (This was the part I thought would take a while, but instead they helped each other and the rules were easy to understand...a bonus for teaching new players.)
Then the adventure started...The Treasure Chest Adventure: Into the Haunted Woods. It is a mix of combat, mystery, and role playing. The streamlined rules kept the game pace quick and the detailed backgrounds gave good motivations for party cohesion and goals. The new character abilites allowed for some fun solutions, and the fun and funny scenario led to some interesting encounters. This particular module also makes us of the other Pathfinder props, like the item cards and flip maps, so it was a very interactive role playing game.
The players all seemed to have a good time, and one of the onlookers is looking to join us this week, so I think it was a success.
OK, so what makes it better than D&D?
1) More balanced character races and classes. All of the classes get stuff at every level. And the races are all pretty balanced. Half Orcs and Half Elves no longer get weaker bonuses and all of the classes are fun and playable at all levels.
2) Classes are more iconic: Barbarians get more ability to rage. Bards do more with performance. Clerics have a lot of new domains and now they can use their turn undead ability to heal others instead. Druids have better animal companions. Fighters are combat monsters. Monks have better (and more balanced) Flurry of Blows. Paladins are more effective against evil (Smite Evil ROCKS!) Rangers have more tracking and weapon options. Rogues have mroe special abilites. Sorcerors now get a bloodline and specific powers. Wizards choose a school and have more focused abilites. And all spellcasters can cast their Level 0 spells and unlimited number of times a day!
3) Skills are more streamlined. Easier to use, more options, and commonly combined skills (Move Silently and Hide) are now a single skill (Stealth).
4) Lots of new background options and traits that give simple bonuses and help players design characters that fit into the campaign world.
And the modules! Every adventure I've seen has had a great blend of role playing encounters to go with the combats. They encourage non-combat solutions and problem solving. And a lot of the creatures have been revamped to have meatier backgrounds and better ecologies. (goblins are great. at first , they will make the players laugh. But after a while, players will learn to fear goblins.)
All in all: I give it 8 out of 10. A lot of fun and a great improvement over other D&D systems. Check it out.