Do not have a role-playing group in your area? Start with the Pathfinder Beginner Box

If you’re lucky, it’s just as easy to start a new movie game on a tabletop as it is to join an already established group. For others, it may be much more difficult.

Maybe there is no one in your life who plays these kinds of games, or maybe your social anxiety makes you hesitate at the thought of learning at the table. Paizo’s new Pathfinder Beginner Box solves some of these issues, making the barrier to accessing the popular RPG paper thin. At the same time, this appetizer is also a dense little treat that can help newer groups improve their game.

The most intimidating aspect of modern table role-playing games (TTRPGs) is the character page. Experienced players can scan one in one moment and distinguish the strengths of a particular character, while newer players only see a jumble of numbers that make no sense at all. The Beginner Box Hero’s Handbook solve the problem by adding an introductory dungeon that does not require a character sheet at all.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Veelhoek

Just read the text entries Choose your own adventure style, and write down a few simple notes that indicate your success or failure. There is little in the way of high drama, but it leaves the work done. It even encourages players to run through the pit several times and let them discover new paths. It’s a quick way to introduce concepts such as hit points, damage, ability tests, and even character kills.

Best of all, it enables new players to fail privately and learn at their own pace.

The Beginner Box Playmaster Guide follow a very different approach, and throw beginner GMs (game masters) more or less into the chore. After only two short pages describing the key concepts of TTRPGs in general, it’s in the race, with about 20 pages of action there at the beginning of the book. But it’s all shot through with sidebars and outline instructions designed to help GMs keep things going.

Just like in the introductory adventure, information is delivered on a need-to-know basis. The copy itself is uplifting for players and encouraging for new GMs, with the focus on expiring it until you’ve done it through the first few sessions.

That does not mean that it does not Beginner Box is little of introductory content. Both the Hero’s textbook and Playmaster Guide are robust game manuals that appear on 72 and 88 pages, respectively. It’s just that the “game” part of the product takes precedence over the “manual” part. Paizo clearly wants people to start playing as soon as possible, and I think the whole package benefits from the approach.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Veelhoek

Compared to the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set or the Essentials Kit, the Pathfinder Beginner Box is chock full of value. The Hero’s textbook contains everything you need to play characters from three different backgrounds (dwarf, elf and human) and four different classes (spiritual, warrior, crook and wizard). The Playmaster Guide contains many advanced rules, as well as maps and adventure brackets to get you started. There is also a set of color-coded multi-level dice, quick reference cards with key concepts printed on either side, four pre-generated character sheets and six blank ones. Like the books themselves, everything is printed on heavy paper or cardboard and in full color.

Finally, Paizo also throws in some game aids for players who can meet in person. There is a two-sided combat mat, ideal for the use of erasable markers, and 124 cardboard thumbnails – including pawns for player characters. All in all, it’s a very spacious set with a retail price of $ 39.99.

The Pathfinder Beginner Box is Paizo’s latest starter released late last year. As such, it is fully upgraded and compatible with the game series of the second edition. You will find an almost identical treatment in the Starfinder Beginner Box, but with rules that fit Paizo’s science fiction environment.

The Pathfinder Beginner Box is available now. The product was reviewed using a final retail copy provided by Paizo Publishing. Vox Media has affiliated partnerships. It does not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s ethics policy here.

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