Our gaming group played through Pathfinder: Beginner Box last Friday. The whole game experience did not turn out well, not because of the game, but the gaming group. However, they brought up some valid points which forced me to look at the game from their perspective. Here's my thoughts after the game.
Great Introductory Adventure For Beginners
As I read through the adventure prior to the start of the game, I thought Paizo did an amazing job bringing everything into it. From understanding initiative to how to handle traps, it's all in there within one single adventure. Just reading through the fluff provided, it got me really excited to share what I felt with my gaming group. In addition, the adventure also had a great layout so at anytime during the game, the GM does not need to flip through the hero's handbook or the game master's guide to find information pertaining to the adventure. It's all in there, and laid out very nicely. Kudos to whoever created the book layout.
Easy To Understand Character Sheet
One major gripe I had with 4E D&D box games is trying to explain everything in the character sheet to new players. With Pathfinder Beginner Box, the pre-made character sheets had everything in them. Not sure what the feats are? Just refer to the columns next to it and there's a description of them. How many spells can be used per day? It's stated there next to the spell name. Even though everything's there, there are still times during the game when players would ask, "So, what does this do again?" However, compared to 4E D&D, it's so much better and makes the task of the GM that much easier.
Good Map With A Minor Gripe
The map does not lay flat on the table. As the map is laminated so the GM can use dry-erase markers to mark stuff on it, the bends caused by the folding make the map extremely hard to lay flat. Some people suggested using a clear plastic to place it over the map, which I thought was a great idea. But not knowing that would happen, our pawns toppled quite a few times, and we found ourselves flattening the map while grumbling over the map. It is, however, a minor gripe as the map is beautifully illustrated and being able to indicate contents on the map itself is a huge plus.
Aren't The Battles Too Long?
This is the major problem our gaming group had. Years ago, I bought the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. It was beautiful, thick, filled with tons of contents, and a great price tag. Upon testing out the game, I found the battles a little too long, resulting in boring gameplay. Years later, with the Pathfinder Beginner Box, the same feeling came back. Only 1 player in my group could endure the lengthy battles because she tried to roleplay. All the other 3 players found themselves bored enough that at the end of the game, they would not want to continue the adventure.
Afterthoughts
I gave some serious thoughts about it while driving back. Could the battles have been made such that there are less misses and more hits? Would that make each battle shorter but more intense? As I looked back at some of the 4E D&D sessions I had with another group a few years ago, I realize that those sessions proved to be much more fun. Not because the game was better, but because there were more stuff to consider during each player's turn, and each action they took seemed to make an impact from the player's viewpoint. Some people might say that 4E D&D is more of a miniature game than a roleplaying game. From what I experienced, it is not so. Rather, 4E D&D cater to the generation of today while Pathfinder and 3E D&D fits those who prefer the traditional RPG. I have both, and like both equally, but I will choose more wisely which version to bring to the gaming group.
Conclusion
In terms of production value, the Pathfinder Beginner Box is full of quality content. As a game, it is a great product if catered to the right audience, meaning, players who love to roleplay their characters and are full of imagination. Just for those points alone, the Pathfinder Beginner Box is a worthy collection to players who wants to try out D&D style games. But it is so much more that I find it impossible not to recommend to anyone who wants to try out table-top roleplaying games.
Overall: A
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