Forum: Public Forum

Cool - we can elf-bait online now? Technology eh...

Hey everyone,

I've recently moved to Derby and would love to get involved with a game, or just socialise with fellow gamers. In the past I've played Warhammer Fantasy and homebrew version of Inquisitor, Vampire Masquerade, Changeling, Spirit of the Century, Shadowrun, Call of Cthulhu and some DnD. I'm pretty open to all systems, as long as the story trumps the detailed mechanics I'm a bit rusty now, since I've not played for almost 2 years.

I'll be at the meet-up today, and I'm looking forward to seeing you

Good, there are lots of things being offered this month.
See you there.

Len

Hi, i'm lord night from both the east and west milands roleplay meetups.

I'm running a game of 1st ed AD&D, Temple of Elemental Evil if anyone is interested

Hello Lord Night,

Welcome to the group.

As mentioned to many on this thread, try to make a monthly Big Meet if you can. There is none in April as it would be on the same day as Conquest 2012, but everything is back to normal for May.

Laurent,

Second Saturday of every month, at the Brunswick Tavern in Derby.

There is a "sticky" thread in the Public Forum about the Big Meet updated every month, just below this one.

Maybe it is too obvious, which makes it hard to find!

Now now, lets keep the sarcasm to a minimum until the new members adjust. ;)

After all, people might think our sarcasm is sincere and get confuzzled. :P *laughs*

To be honest, i suspect i've met Laurent in person at least once so i'm not surprised by said sarcasm. Am i right in thinking you made a one time appearence at the "worpigs" meetup?

You're absolutely right that the info i was looking for was there but for some reason, i just kept glancing over it.
Who was it who said that the best place to hide something is in plain sight?

Lord Night,

Nope, the last time I was at a "Meetup" meeting was when the group was on Meetup, and that is a long time ago!

"Worpigs" does not ring any bell either, sorry.

Anyhow, I will not be at Conquest but should be at the Brunswick for the Big Meet in May.

My regular haunt is Vague Connections in Nottingham.

Laurent,

Hi guys!

I'm new here and have have the tonnes of experience that comes from one dnd encounters session. My girlfriend and I are hoping to get into a game together so we can learn the ropes but have no idea where to start. I bought the 4e dnd player's handbook yesterday and then ten minutes later I went to Vague connections and spoke to *Ginga- and he said dnd is poopy and pathfinders is the way to go. Now I'm confused.

Which would you guys recommend? and are there any cool-cats who'd be willing to play with us?

• I always took the advice of minchin Minchin on this issue, so I'm a little out of my comfort zone here.

[I fixed your link for you. - Len]

Hi coolcat.

Where are you based?

I'm sure the various organisers will point you to the "Big Meet": http://www.eastmidlandsroleplayers.com/tiki/tiki-calendar_edit_item.php?viewcalitemId=698 - the monthly meeting in Derby, where people looking for games meet people running games, and games are played.

However I can't get to Derby.

I'm based in Leicester, on the Hinckley Road/Fosse Road side of the city. I've only been playing D&D for 2 years, and have only ever played 3.5edition with the same group (though with changing membership) and a bit of SerenityRPG.

I get the impression from my group members, all of whom have been playing for much longer than me, that they all dislike 4th edition. They all have a litany of "things that are wrong about 4e". But I think this is because they are used to something else, have invested in something else - and why should they change after all. What little I have seen of 4e looks like you can make it work and just as much fun - the pinnacle is the PAX2011 celebrity game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmTINEnGwnc And the benefits of 4e to me look like it's easier to pick up than 3.5e was for me.

I'm currently looking to join a game. Location is crucial for me - it needs to be easy to get to from where I am. My wish list, while not essential, includes playing 4e, and/or playing something very rules-lite. I'd like to find a group (possibly of newbies?) with whom I can learn how to be a GamesMaster and still have fun, and who won't back-seat rules-lawyer me. I much prefer the role-playing character interaction, riffing off each other, and improvising. I am not keen on focussing on the mechanics and rules - I want to create a story collaboratively, not find a combination of stats, magical items, and tactics that beats another combination.

All the best.

Hello Coolcat,

Welcome to the group.

Edition wars.

If you are for real and are genuinely asking about Pathfinder RPG and the other edition that is about to be axed anyway and replaced by 5th Edition, or "D&D Next" as it is known at the moment; there are some hard facts coming from Vague Connections.

The owner must have told you that at his shop:

• Pathfinder sells, 4th edition has never sold there. "Sell" not as in a "In stock, please buy the books", sell as in "People ask for it and buy it".
• 4th Edition sold alright when it was announced and released, but that is now way back in late '07.

Vague Connection as a shop opened after the initial 4e release.

In a weird way, you will find shops that claim to sell 4th Edition well and other shops like Vague Connections who seem to be selling Pathfinder.

If you are dropping this as a flame bait, you are late by at least a couple of years, the best time for that was around '09. The issue surely has divided the gaming community.

Whether you are for real or baiting, you have bought a book of an edition that is not going to be supported for long now. You can find links about 5th Edition in this thread on our own forum; this was my own sarcastic attempt at edition war baiting.
Still, the links to be found there are genuine and will send you to the official statements from Wizards of the Coast.

Pathfinder FOREVAH!

As you might have guessed, I am a Pathfinder RPG enthusiast and one of the regulars at Vague Connections in Nottingham. If you wish to commit your body and soul to the cause, you will find that the Pathfinder system is very well supported at Vague Connections. Several campaigns are run, sadly most if not all are full at the moment, and there are regular games (I think fortnightly) of Pathfinder Society Organised Play being run by the owner of the shop. These events are not always advertised on this website, you will need to ask at the shop for more details on what is run, when, and for whom (beginners, registered players, etc.).

Which of Pathfinder or 4e is best?

Just go to various online forums to read about the pros and cons, or more likely about gamers tearing one another apart. The funniest morsels are to be found on the Paizo website, who surprisingly hosts a 4ed forum even though Pathfinder is their baby.
For maximum entertainment, look for posts from an individual called Scott Betts, he is the ultimate 4e fanboy. Try to drop anything even remotely hinting at 4th Edition being rubbish anywhere on the Paizo forums, or the Web in general I guess, and wait for him to pounce!

All that being said, "Welcome to EMRPGG" indeed.

Laurent,

Edit: Kind of cross-posting with Martin here; oh well, done is done.

Thanks so much for the awesome replies- Sorry I touched a nerve. I've read a little bit about both now and feel pathfinders seems a little cooler and more malleable, so we could be exactly what we want to be instead of cliche barbarian orcs, but still, it's no good liking a game better if you can't find anybody to play with anyway.

What I shall do is I shall buy the pathfinder book for us as well and then we play with whoever wants to play with us. That way nobody's feelings are hurt and I can keep my testicles.

we're both Nottingham based, Martin, so we might be a bit far out I suppose. However I know somebody else who'd be willing to play if you wanted to do a monthly game? I suppose it's not too regular but it'd be good to have a few guinea pigs if you're practicing DMing and we'd love to help out I'm sure.

Laurent;

I'll look into the pathfinders organised play a bit more because that sounds like it'd be good for us- Ginga mentioned it and it seemed the cleverest option to get into it. He says the whole community's nice and cool with noobs which is reassuring.

how often to places for beginners come up at vague connections? Every few months or so?

Also: where's the best place to get miniatures for the games?

Sorry I'm peppering you guys with questions after apparently poking a festering wound but this kind of information is hard to come by!

Thanks again for the welcome,

Coolcat,

Flame wars.

No problem, it is just that the first post looked so much like the perfect fuel for a flame war.
If you do not know what I mean, do check the Paizo forums on 4ed, general flame war start with "Is Pathfinder better than 4e or not?" or something approaching.

Lack of game availability.

Well, it is all down to the standard reasons:

• Total strangers come together for a game, the group coalesces, then kind of shut itself down to outsiders.
• Campaigns go on for years (literally), become high-level and thus the game shuts itself to beginner players.

New players/members who want to learn a game system need to be incredibly lucky. They need a game near where they live, preferably currently run at low levels, in a group that has opened spaces. As you know more people want to "play" a game than "run" it, so the odds are always stacked against the new players.

My Rise of the Runelords campaign is finishing (last adventure), and high-level (LV13-14), with five players. The other campaigns at Vague Connections, such as Kingmaker, Carrion Crown and Legacy of Fire have also been going on for a while and should all be mid-level (6th-9th), i.e. not ideal even if they had spaces (they may, you will need to ask).

Drop enquiries in game threads, send messages to people who run games (check the calendar), and check the forums as every now and again, a thread will appear looking for new players or another one will be about a new game that could happen if the GM could get a group together.

The best bet indeed to learn the game locally is the Pathfinder Society: Short games (three hours top), you can change your character pretty often I guess, so you can test different classes, and more importantly the gaming groups are by design very fluid.
If there are too many people, two games can take place, things like that.

Miniatures.

Vague Connections can order some for you, the owner has a Games Workshop licence too, so you can get all sorts of things really.
As you may have noticed, the shop is pretty small and has a small inventory, but the owner is very enthusiastic about what he sells and can order, just ask and get things ordered, they show-up within a week in general.

Laurent,

As a (hopefully) fairly unbiased player/DM/GM I can tell you that it is perfectly possible to play 4th Ed and have fun roleplaying. Its more the attitude of the players themselves that can turn any edition of any game into a power gamer's paradise. Or a DM's nightmare.

I have played Pathfinder and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Despite the game having a French DM. )
I have both played and run 4th Ed D&D and enjoyed it.
I have both played and run D&d 3.5 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have both played and run AD&d 2nd Ed and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have run True20 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I still run D&D 3.5 games in Leicester, and thoroughly enjoy it.

Its all good. Flame wars aside, you are always going to find people who dislike or are fanatical about any system. Do not let anyone's biased, or unbiased, opinion put you off a system or rules set. Unless you have tried it yourself, keep an open mind. (Apart from D20 Modern, that is sh*t. )

Len

@Martin.
There is a very long standing tradition of people getting to the Big Meet by getting a lift from one of the many people who drive there from Leicester practically every month. - I am one of them.

My usual charge is "Meh, have fun." or you could buy me a drink if it helps.

Len