3/11/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
Well, we've gotten to the point where it feels like I'm constantly doing homework. No matter how far I go or don't go with gaming, I'll never be in this position again, but right now, the only way out is through. I know full well that I've brought this on myself, of course. It would be a lot easier if I just guided the players through some relatively straight line path from adventure to adventure, and I suppose that's all that's really expected of a new GM, but I would really like the characters to have some options about how they proceed.
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3/10/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
In the past couple of years, my job description has started including project management tasks. I've never had any formal training in that area, but I've picked up some tactics here or there and lately have been trying to fold elements of Scrum, a framework for Agile development into my workflow. I've also been talking with a coworker from another department, trying to resize projects down into completable, manageable tasks.
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3/9/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
We finished the Black Fang's Lair adventure from the Pathfinder Beginner Box today. I won't tell you how it went, because I don't want to let any spoilers slip. Our fledgling heroes rested well after the final battle, and had an uneventful trip back to Sandpoint, but as they arrived at dusk, they were greeted by a man (a priest from the cathedral, as they'll find out) running around yelling about strange happenings at the graveyard. It looks like they'll have to deal with that problem in their next session before getting any down time.
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3/8/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
We played our third session of Pathfinder today. It went much more smoothly than our initial sessions last weekend. Even though I still spent a lot of time in the books, the index cards helped.
I was also a lot more comfortable in general. I think I stopped trying to make the session be anything and just focused on playing through the encounters.
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3/7/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
I love podcasts. I have a long commute, which gives me plenty of time to listen. I even hosted a podcast for a while. So it would only make sense that I seek out podcasts about Pathfinder and RPGs in general for this blogrimage.
I found a few different options, but have only had time to listen to one so far, the latest episode of the Private Sanctuary Podcast, To GM or not to GM. This turned out to be a great place to start, because the hosts (one an experienced Game Master and one a player who tried her hand at it only one time) went into some pretty good reasons for or against being a GM.
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3/6/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
You should start a blog right now. If you need a reason, Tim Kastelle has seven great ones. His post also touches on Sacha Chua's top 10 reasons not to blog. The blogrimage is a great opportunity to overcome many of those excuses. It's not too late to join in, you'll just finish up a few days later. Pick a challenge and write about it every day for 30 days. Go!
One of my biggest takeaways from last weekend's Pathfinder sessions was that I need to be better organized. Yes, I need to spend a little more time studying the details of our current adventure, but if I can't keep it all straight when the swords are swinging and crossbow bolts are flying, I'm sure I'll have regrets.
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3/5/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
Everyone loves getting free stuff, and that includes "free bonus material" after you've purchased something. Now, I realize there are multiple reasons for doing this, but let's face it, this can be an easy way to make your customers happy while leading them towards an up-sell. To continue the parallels I drew in my last post, I've quickly noticed that this applies to both electronic games like Mass Effect and Skyrim, as well as tabletop games like the Pathfinder Beginner Box. And in both cases, I've been pretty happy with what I've found.
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3/5/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
Over the years, my wife and I have dabbled into some computer games, but have never really been what you'd call gamers. Back in the days when we did play, I spent a lot of time the old MS-DOS games Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds, both of which followed game mechanics based on the AD&D rule set. This wasn't really as good as tabletop play with real people, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I also played the original DOS version of DOOM until I discovered WAD editors, after which most of my play time was spent designing my own levels rather than playing the game.
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3/4/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
The last time my wife and I played AD&D was shortly after we got married. Our Dungeon Master, Chris, was an incredible game runner. We only played a few sessions before the busyness of work and married life ended our gaming opportunities, but our adventure was as incredible as it was short. Chris is a master storyteller; his narrative is cinematic. My wife and I still recall the opening of the campaign as if we'd seen it on the big screen instead of through spoken word around the kitchen table in our tiny apartment. My mind's eye can still see the stars in the night sky over our caravan as we journeyed to our destination.
With the bar having been set so high, I've always questioned whether I'd ever have the ability to run an even moderately enjoyable game myself. In fact, that's probably one of the reasons I waited more than 20 years to even try.
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3/2/2014 in Pathfinder RPG by micah
I never really heard of Pathfinder until Friday night. The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is an evolution of the 3.5 rules set of Dungeons & Dragons. Apparently there were some changes in D&D version 4 that existing players didn't like, and Pathfinder was one of the spin-off products released under the Open Game License. I was told that this game would probably more like the old First Edition AD&D I'd played back in the 1980's than current D&D.
I got home Friday night and unpacked the box. I was immediately impressed by what I found inside.
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