Don’t have a role play group in your area? Get started with the Pathfinder Beginner Box

If you’re lucky, starting with a new table RPG game is as easy as joining an established group. For others, it can be much more difficult.

Perhaps there is no one in your life playing this type of game, or perhaps social anxiety makes you shudder at the thought of learning live rules at the table. New Paizo’s Pathfinder Box for beginners solves some of these problems, making the barrier to enter the popular RPG very thin. At the same time, this starter set is also a small, dense box of treats that can help younger groups improve their game.

The most intimidating aspect of modern table RPGs (TTRPGs) is the character sheet. Experienced players can scan one and discern a character’s strengths in an instant, while younger players just see a mess of numbers that makes no sense at all. The Beginner Box Hero Manual solves this problem by adding an introductory dungeon that doesn’t actually require a character sheet.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

Just read the text entries in the style Choose your own adventure as you go, writing down a few simple notes that mark your success or failure. There is little drama, but it gets the job done. It even encourages players to run through the dungeon several times, allowing them to discover new paths as they progress. It’s a quick, low-risk way to introduce concepts like hit points, damage, skill checks and even character death.

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

The Box for beginners Game Master Guide has a very different approach, more or less playing novice GMs (masters of the game) right in the middle of things. After just two brief pages describing the key concepts of TTRPGs in general, let’s go to the races with about 20 pages of action right at the beginning of the book. But it’s all packed with sidebars and display instructions designed to help GMs keep things moving.

As with the introductory adventure, information is provided based on the need for knowledge. The copy itself is uplifting for players and encouraging for new GMs, with a focus on pretending until you go through the first few sessions.

This does not mean that this Box for beginners it is scarce in introductory content. Both the Hero’s Handbook and Game master guide they are robust game manuals, reaching 72 and 88 pages, respectively. It turns out 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 that approach.

Photo: Charlie Hall / Polygon

When compared to the Starter set of Dungeons & Dragons or the Essential Kit, a Pathfinder Beginner Box is packed with value. The Hero’s Handbook contains everything you need to play with characters from three different ancestors (dwarf, elf and human) and four different classes (cleric, warrior, rogue and wizard). The Game Master Guide includes many advanced rules, as well as maps and adventure hooks to boot. There is also a set of color-coded polyhedral data, quick reference cards with key concepts printed on both sides, four pre-generated character sheets and six blank ones. Like the books themselves, everything is printed on cardstock or cardstock and in color.

Finally, Paizo also offers some game resources for players who can meet in person. There is a double-sided battle mat, perfect for using erasable markers, and 124 cardboard miniatures – including pawns for the players’ characters. Altogether, it is a very generous set with a retail price of $ 39.99.

The Pathfinder Beginner Box is Paizo’s newest starter set, released last year. As such, it is fully updated and compatible with the set of rules of the second edition of the game. You will find an almost identical treatment in Starfinder Beginner Box, but with a set of rules adapted to Paizo’s science fiction scenario.

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

Pathfinder Beginner Box

Prices measured at time of publication.

A small dense set for beginners, perfect for players with zero experience or groups that are starting their journey in table RPG.