Pathfinder Beginner Box Campaign Comic Report Part 2

This time its on its own, free of me playing other 40K boardgames along side it.

The game continues to be good fun and folks seem to be enjoying themselves, enough so that now two of the players have bought the massive core rule book, and I have bought a good half dozen or so of the Pathfinder Companion books which are 32 odd full color things covering various minor topics in more depth.  I currently have 3 religion books, a book on Gnomes, a book on Pathfinder's AMAZING Goblins, and an equipment book.  They run about 11 bucks or so and are a good value.

Overall I am running this game quasi D&D Encounters style.  Its mostly a series of dungeons and encounters with light story and roleplaying, no real worry if you show up or not each session.  Low pressure.  While this does mean the story and roleplaying are as I stated LIGHT, its still a lot more freeform and open than D&D Encounters which is mostly a single combat encounter each session.  In general I have a series of dungeons with the odd setpiece here and there.

I say everyone is there even if they aren't so we don't have to keep figuring out why Player X is there this session while Player Y is not.  I've had a number of BIG CAMPAIGN ideas in the past that have petered out and just never got off the ground.

I'm using Pathfinder Beginner Box as a nice casual campaign to have a good time with right now.  Make some funny monster voices, give players some freedom without it becoming just a giant sandbox or a railroad where they have no real choices either, folks show up, kick some doors down, we plan for the next game.

I possibly could have (and if my player numbers that seem to keep growing maybe SHOULD HAVE) used a super light system like Swords & Wizardry or maybe 1983 Basic D&D to speed it all up but folks seem to quite like the game and the way I run it.

See full bore Pathfinder is D&D 3.75 edition with all those rules and boring bloat that ran me off from 3rd ed D&D in the first place.  The Pathfinder Beginner Box is a stripped down set of rules and takes PCs to 5th level.  While I will have some options in place for post 5th level advancement (because I probably shouldn't hope for Paizo Publishing to make an Expert Set.  Even though I WOULD SO BUY ONE PAIZO ARE YOU LISTENING?  Max level to 10, another 3 races, another 4-5 classes, more monsters and goodies.  I would be happy to give them money for this.) it keeps things to the point before it gets out of hand.

My players have told me it all seems to play MUCH faster and smoother than D&D 4e.  Also I am even using some 4e rules over Pathfinder's when I find they are better or faster or weren't in the Beginner Box, ala Attacks of Opportunity.