Astrosicebear
First Post
Finally got a chance to type this up. My group consists of 5 regulars and we play Pathfinder. Currently they are going through the Zietgiest campaign (and loving it BTW, such an awesome series). They play at least 2 other Pathfinder games as well. Three are mid-late twenties in age, two are mid-late thirties, and one early 20 something. As a group we have started with 3.5, moved to 4th for both playtests and tried regular campaigns, although they never panned out, and then moved to Pathfinder. The group enjoyed the ideas in 4th, but felt it too tactical for their tastes.
Two players had to call off and so I ran with 3. The overall feel I got from them going into this was apprehension, and treating it wary as a test. They would've rather run our normal game, but with 2 players absent this was an option to play.
We set out to discuss some of the basics and everyone nodded and said "that's cool" to things like advantage, at-wills, and the new cleric casting system. The player's choose characters and two even decided to play an extra one because they couldn't decide.
The party started out traveling through the countryside, having left the Keep on the Borderlands in search of goblinoid marauders plaguing the local areas. After three days of travel they rested for the evening, set up a campfire, to which the dwarf fighter said "a bonfire, cuz dwarves would want a bonfire," and watches. Through the first watch, the fighter with his low-light spotted a goblin raiding force approach and surrounding the camp. He took a shot, killing one, and the rest attacked. The other 6 goblins fired bows, hitting twice, before they rushed in. The combat was over in two rounds as the party cleanly swept the goblins. The dwarves, hating the gobs, strung them up in the trees. The party rested for the rest of the night to the sounds of critters munching away on the carcasses.
The next day, rested, they followed the tracks the goblins left (the fighter with Survival was a hit among the players) and found their way to the Caves of Chaos. Their first look spotted nothing, so instead of proceeding into the dangerous ravine, they choose to hide in a scope of bushes and trees and watch for an hour. Luckily they spotted a group of kobolds shifting guard stations. They used the opportunity to attack. The kobolds, fearful of the bright light, stayed under the trees and yipped and threw ineffectual daggers. As the party picked them off from range, the melee approached and slaughtered their front lines. A few surviving kobolds fled into the cave, and the fighter gave chase. A failed perception check, and the fighter tripped the pit trap, but managed to retain his footing. As the rest of the aprty gathered, the wizard cast light on the fighter, and the Pelor cleric pulled out a torch. The fighter scooted across the pit and found himself caught between angry kobolds and a rushing rat swarm. The wizard stepped up to burning hands the rats, but took a pestilence bit from the dire rat before the halfling could sling it to death. The fighter pressed the kobolds and decimated their lines. As the Pelor cleric tried to scoot across to heal the wizard, he had a very hard time, and failed his check enough to fall into the pit.
Once everyone had made it across, they took a short rest and regrouped. As they pressed on, they found that the kobolds had amassed a large force and manufactured a crude barricade in the passage of wooden logs and spears. They could barely see numerous kobolds beyond the barricade but were able to spot shield carrying elites guarding a medium sized chieftain. The Pelor cleric threw his torch to illuminate the area close to the barricade but instead, ended up sliding the torch right next to the structure. A 96% on a d% and the barricade was catching on fire. As it burned one kobold came around to try and douse it with a cloth, but was sniped by the fighter. Finally, with the barricade almost in flames, rain clouds appeared and mystic chanting haralded the summons of torrents of water on the fire, dousing it within seconds, but also causing the heap to collapse. The fight pressed on. The fighter pressed forward, and the ranged casters picked off a few kobolds. As the chieftain lay into the fighter, and the elites and kobolds ganged up, the tide was turning against the party. Until that is, the wizard put all but 4 regular kobolds to sleep. A few coup de grace later and the party had bested the best the kobolds could put forth. They choose to rest up after exploring the elite and chieftain area. After they emerged they found the place abandoned. They choose to exit the cave and pursue another, and play stopped there for the evening.
All told it was about 2.5hrs of game time, complete theater of the mind play. They really enjoyed themselves. They found the classes and characters strong, the mechanics interesting, but still they said the best thing I think this game could hope for... "this felt more like D&D than 3.5 and even Pathfinder."
Overall they had much more likes than dislikes. Of those dislikes they are minor. Skills needed to be better defined on the sheets, and the rogue's dump of wis seemed to hinder the character as a scout. Minor issues.
Two players had to call off and so I ran with 3. The overall feel I got from them going into this was apprehension, and treating it wary as a test. They would've rather run our normal game, but with 2 players absent this was an option to play.
We set out to discuss some of the basics and everyone nodded and said "that's cool" to things like advantage, at-wills, and the new cleric casting system. The player's choose characters and two even decided to play an extra one because they couldn't decide.
The party started out traveling through the countryside, having left the Keep on the Borderlands in search of goblinoid marauders plaguing the local areas. After three days of travel they rested for the evening, set up a campfire, to which the dwarf fighter said "a bonfire, cuz dwarves would want a bonfire," and watches. Through the first watch, the fighter with his low-light spotted a goblin raiding force approach and surrounding the camp. He took a shot, killing one, and the rest attacked. The other 6 goblins fired bows, hitting twice, before they rushed in. The combat was over in two rounds as the party cleanly swept the goblins. The dwarves, hating the gobs, strung them up in the trees. The party rested for the rest of the night to the sounds of critters munching away on the carcasses.
The next day, rested, they followed the tracks the goblins left (the fighter with Survival was a hit among the players) and found their way to the Caves of Chaos. Their first look spotted nothing, so instead of proceeding into the dangerous ravine, they choose to hide in a scope of bushes and trees and watch for an hour. Luckily they spotted a group of kobolds shifting guard stations. They used the opportunity to attack. The kobolds, fearful of the bright light, stayed under the trees and yipped and threw ineffectual daggers. As the party picked them off from range, the melee approached and slaughtered their front lines. A few surviving kobolds fled into the cave, and the fighter gave chase. A failed perception check, and the fighter tripped the pit trap, but managed to retain his footing. As the rest of the aprty gathered, the wizard cast light on the fighter, and the Pelor cleric pulled out a torch. The fighter scooted across the pit and found himself caught between angry kobolds and a rushing rat swarm. The wizard stepped up to burning hands the rats, but took a pestilence bit from the dire rat before the halfling could sling it to death. The fighter pressed the kobolds and decimated their lines. As the Pelor cleric tried to scoot across to heal the wizard, he had a very hard time, and failed his check enough to fall into the pit.
Once everyone had made it across, they took a short rest and regrouped. As they pressed on, they found that the kobolds had amassed a large force and manufactured a crude barricade in the passage of wooden logs and spears. They could barely see numerous kobolds beyond the barricade but were able to spot shield carrying elites guarding a medium sized chieftain. The Pelor cleric threw his torch to illuminate the area close to the barricade but instead, ended up sliding the torch right next to the structure. A 96% on a d% and the barricade was catching on fire. As it burned one kobold came around to try and douse it with a cloth, but was sniped by the fighter. Finally, with the barricade almost in flames, rain clouds appeared and mystic chanting haralded the summons of torrents of water on the fire, dousing it within seconds, but also causing the heap to collapse. The fight pressed on. The fighter pressed forward, and the ranged casters picked off a few kobolds. As the chieftain lay into the fighter, and the elites and kobolds ganged up, the tide was turning against the party. Until that is, the wizard put all but 4 regular kobolds to sleep. A few coup de grace later and the party had bested the best the kobolds could put forth. They choose to rest up after exploring the elite and chieftain area. After they emerged they found the place abandoned. They choose to exit the cave and pursue another, and play stopped there for the evening.
All told it was about 2.5hrs of game time, complete theater of the mind play. They really enjoyed themselves. They found the classes and characters strong, the mechanics interesting, but still they said the best thing I think this game could hope for... "this felt more like D&D than 3.5 and even Pathfinder."
Overall they had much more likes than dislikes. Of those dislikes they are minor. Skills needed to be better defined on the sheets, and the rogue's dump of wis seemed to hinder the character as a scout. Minor issues.
