[Off-Topic] Pathfinder Beginner Box

[JoeCarr28]

Firstly, apologies to the die-hard Old-Schoolers for veering ever so slightly off-topic (and an extra apology to Solomoriah for bringing-up a post-2000 commercial RPG release), but since this product (http://paizo.com/beginnerbox) is so clearly inspired by BFRPG’s ancestors (i.e. the D&D Basic Sets - Moldvay even receives a dedication, alongside Holmes and Mentzer), I thought it deserved an honourable mention.

Anyway, it was cheap on an Amazon pre-order, so I took a punt and I have to say it exceeds all my expectations. The first thing that strikes you are the ultra-lavish production values with an impressively sturdy box containing two full-colour books (a Players book and a GM’s book), some very beginner-friendly pre-generated characters, blank character sheets, a set of dice and, best of all, a wipe clean battle mat with an extensive collection of cardboard figures & plastic bases. Those last two items would grace any fantasy RPG game and I’m sure I’ll find wider uses for them.

The rules themselves are, unsurprisingly, a stripped-down version of Pathfinder covering levels 1-5. Overall, they are very straightforward and no more complicated than the old-school games we love. The GM's book also contains an introductory adventure and a small campaign setting.

Don’t get me wrong - I won’t be ditching BFRPG and its old-school colleagues for this as my system of choice. But I would play it alongside my old-school-faves and would have no hesitation in recommending it. And Christmas is coming ...

[lucky64]

Ooh, might have to look into that one.

[SmootRK]

Video review of the game can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nu1PEXx ... digest_sun

It looks like something I can appreciate. I hope it is not just a gateway to Fully Loaded Pathfinder, but something they can keep simple and simply add an expert set too (like to expand options for levels 6-10) without the full complexity of all the full 3.5 (3.75pathfinder) versions.

[Maliki]

It sounds cool, if I was looking for a new system this is something I would take a look at.

[Joe the Rat]

I may have been asleep at the time, but I think a group of arcane spell-casters from by the seashore did something similar with their quaternary derivative works. While I strongly suspect (based on the name, particularly) that the intent is to introduce you to a more limited system before "graduating" to the "Advanced" rule set (now where have I heard that one before?), It would be interesting to see another grade.

On another note, boxes were awesome. In many ways, it helped sell the idea of a 'game' to the uninitiated - Open it up, and you've got some sort of weird super-sized Clue and Stratego maps, way too many character pieces, Platonic Dice, and some rulebooks. The box would fit on a bookshelf, or sit nicely alongside Monopoly and Parcheesi... or many Avalon Hill products. Little did you suspect that the books were core of the game, and the rest was more or less feelies and accessories.

If I was going to get something for someone to get into RPGs, this would be the kind of thing I'd consider.

[Solomoriah]

If I could do a boxed set the same way they do, I would.

Wouldn't a box containing the Core Rules, BF1 and BF2, and maybe a saddle-stitch version of the Field Guide be cool? Throw in some dice, a battlemat, and some character counters, and you'd be there.

Eric Wilson's cover art would look nice on a box too.

[Metroknight]

If you were able to do something like that with BF then it would be a product that I would buy multiple times to gift to friends and family.

[dymondy2k]

A BFRPG boxed set would indeed.. ROCK!

[Steveman]

If you were able to do something like that with BF then it would be a product that I would buy multiple times to gift to friends and family.

I am steveman and I approve this message, and ape the sentiment.

[jdn2006]

What I always wanted but probably won't get was a mega-box of nostalgia: rules, dice, etc. as already mentioned. I'd also like to see Dungeon geomporhs - I made a half dozen old-style types and JN1 and JN2 (not perfect, but okay). A big, fat box of goodies.

But, it'd probably cost too much due to printing costs alone...