D&D 4E A 4e player starts learning Pathfinder

[OnlineDM]

[MENTION=20741]Steel_Wind[/MENTION]: Thank you for the detailed reply. I'm familiar with Pathfinder Society and I'm very familiar with Enchanted Grounds; when my Pathfinder GM and I met last night to talk about the post-mortem of the campaign, we met at Enchanted Grounds.

First, I'll say that I don't have the same issues with LFR that apparently some people do based on your post. I've had lots of fun with the adventures, and some of the most fun has been when I've run my own adventures (the MyRealms program). So, I don't have too many complaints about LFR.

That said, the one complaint I do have about LFR carries over to PFS, at least based on what my GM said: There doesn't tend to be much in the way of role playing or character development at organized play games. Naturally, this will vary greatly from player to player and table to table, but at least at our local store my GM was disappointed by the little role playing at PFS. This is why he wanted to start a home campaign in the first place.

If I get to the point that I'm just itching to play Pathfinder, I'll definitely head down to the local store (it's within walking distance of my home, which is why I'm there so frequently already) and get my game on. But I'll admit that so far, I feel like 4e is a more natural fit for me.

I could see getting into another Pathfinder game in the future with this same GM (just because I enjoy his style), or I could see dropping into a game with friends at a convention or something like that. But for the moment, I'm not itching to play Pathfinder. I'm pretty happy with the many 4e games I currently have going.

To be clear, this isn't a slight on Pathfinder - it's a great system, and I totally understand why so many people like it. I'd like to give it more of a try in the future, too, perhaps if I get burned out on 4e. But based on feel (and, I won't lie, the ease of use of DDI) I'm more drawn to 4e right now.

 

[JPChapleau]

Hi OnlineDM!
I am JP, the Denver Venture Captain. I'm sad to see you did not enjoy PFS. My experience of PFS is quite different than yours obviously.

If you have any specific issues, please contact me, I'd love to talk to you more about them. (jp at chapleau.us)

4e was not for me. Really not.

JP

 

[OnlineDM]

[MENTION=56409]JPChapleau[/MENTION]: Thanks for reaching out. To be clear, I have not yet personally played PFS; my comments were based on what I heard from my Pathfinder GM, who said he found there to be very little role playing during PFS games at Enchanted Grounds. I haven't played PFS myself so I don't have my own opinion on the matter, but I respect my GM's.

And yes, I know that you're not a 4e fan. I've been at the end-of-con celebrations for Tacticon 2010 and Genghis Con 2011. I remember that you made your feelings about 4e quite clear! Just so you know, that was something that specifically made me a little nervous about trying Pathfinder; it gave me the impression that people who played Pathfinder were, well, haters.

I'm glad I tried Pathfinder despite what I heard from you at those events, as it's a cool game. But your words definitely turned me off the game and made it take longer than it otherwise would have for me to give Pathfinder a shot. Food for thought about advertising the brand, I guess.

I like to try games where I feel that the community behind that game is very welcoming, and your words at the end of TactiCon 2010 were my first introduction to "Here is what people who love Pathfinder are like." It took me most of a year to try Pathfinder after that, during which time I tried out GURPS, Call of Cthulhu and Savage Worlds (in addition to my normal 4e play).

Sorry, I'm not meaning to bash you personally, but since TactiCon is next weekend and since I'm sure you want to attract new players to the game (yes, even players who were introduced to RPGs via 4e) I thought you might appreciate the perspective of someone who was a potential Pathfinder convert a year ago who specifically avoided the game for a while because of what he heard at that Con.