Pathfinder
Pathfinder Roleplaying GamePaizo
Ages 12 and up (varies greatly)
4-6 players plus GM (or what the GM would like)
4-6 hours/session (on average)
roleplaying
From the book: The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game puts you in the role of a brave adventurer fighting to survive in a world beset by magic and evil. Will you cut your way through monster-filled ruins and cities rife with political intrigue to emerg as a famous hero laden with fabulous treasure, or will you fall victim to treacherous traps and fiendish monsters in a forgotten dungeon? This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an open playtest involving more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge roleplaying experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules in to the new millenium.
What I like: I started roleplaying games back when there wasn't a lot of choice. It was Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), then came Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, then 2nd Edition D&D, and then 3.0 was followed shortly by 3.5, only to be replaced last year with 4th Edition D&D. My problem was that I loved the 3.5 system, or the D20 system as it is also known. It was a pretty simple system that seemed to take the best of each of the other editions. I wasn't ready to move on to 4.0. Pathfinder runs off the same basic d20 system (thank you open licensing!) with a few of the minor glitches corrected (hello better grappling rules!) Paizo did something I think was brilliant, they combined the Dungeon Master Guide and the Players Handbook in to one book. It's a good chunk of money to put out at once, but it's less than the cost of both books in the other system. Let's face it, it's tough to get a better return on your money than gaming. It's also pretty common that while you can play a game with just the Player's, eventually you think of games you'd like to run, and then you need to add another book. Pathfinder just takes that step out for you. I really like the world Pathfinder has put together, there is a rich history and distinct cultures available. Plus, they are putting out some great supplements including complete campaigns. If 4.0 isn't your style of play, and you are mourning the lack of support for 3.5, I can not encourage you strongly enough to run pick up a copy of Pathfinder!
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