Italian, "reborn newbie" from the 90s, LF stable group: I guess Pathfinder?

Hi! I'm going to introduce myself and explain what I hope to find in this community. I've decided I won't resist the temptation to write as much as I feel useful: after all I'm looking for like-minded, ponder-prone individuals :) Well, I'm an Italian guy, 38. Used to play when I was younger: I've played for about 8 years, from 14 to 22 more or less. Mostly AD&D 2nd Ed. Then life happened, the group scattered, I moved to the countryside, and everything else. You know how life is: you've got one too. For all these years I've "fantasized" about playing again, with no realistic "hope" of it actually happening. BUT, I've recently discovered about VTTs. So lately I've spent some time reading Internet discussions to learn about the status of PnPs. I know about the "flaming wars" over different systems. Sometimes they seem a bit silly since, well, rules are just "text" anyway. In my group, for instance, it felt natural to play with "relaxed" rules regarding combat and other things. We would just reach consensus over who was fighting melee, who was moving "out of reach" and so on. Things like that. I was kind of surprised to find out that people, for the most part, seem to have a very different approach nowadays. Still, it's nothing that would scare me off. All in all, from what I've read, I think today I would like to play Pathfinder, since it has a setting I've read nice things about and that is being supported consistently. This is the main point for me: at the beginnings of my gaming career, we used to play without giving much thought about our characters' background and environment but, as we "matured", we learned the importance of having a living, breathing world where their stories could develop organically and be more meaningful. The fun-levels skyrocketed, the more "shady" characters in my group always had "peculiar" affiliations and something going on on the side, crazy stuff happened. It was absolute FUN. Paizo seems to ensure the continuity of a well fleshed-out world and they seem to be in for the long run, so Pathfinder would be my choice. Now, I skimmed through their free Rules Archive, and they do seem to steer towards the "simulationist" approach. On the other hand, the rules themselves mostly seem to make sense so it's probably a matter of getting a little practice. Again, detailed, grid-based combat was never our thing back in the day, but I can happily adapt to it, as long as combat doesn't become the ONLY focus of the gaming sessions. So basically, you see where I'm at. What I would need right now is a group that can welcome a new member and can be REALLY patient while I get up to speed, even before my first log-in. Initially I would be a "burden" and little else: I have to learn the rules of the chosen game (say, Pathfinder): that would mean buying the Core Rules and the Setting at least, and spend some time (which doesn't exactly abound..) to read them, learn how to use Roll20 itself, etc. So I hope someone with a similar background will be willing to literally "invest" some time in me (thus giving me a reason to do the same!). Now, about the technicalities: Day : Sunday would be best, as I'd be able to adjust for time differences somewhat. On weekdays I often get home too tired anyway. Frequency : Probably every week, provided that the group won't consider a tragedy the occasional time when other issues take precedence. There won’t be usually, but, well, sometimes. A lot would depend on the chosen hour for the session. Language : Hmm, my spoken English is 2 or 3 "notches" below my written English. Still it should be enough for meaningful exchanges, and it can only improve with practice! Then again, if you want to play in Italian, I'm in :D Character : I used to play mages, sometimes a psionic. Nowadays I would like to try a multiclass, also I think a support-character would have less of an impact on an established party. So I think I might easily adapt to the party's needs. My char would tend towards good (ie: NG or CG. LG if truly needed). Set-up : well I'd need some time for this too. I have to learn about this Google Hangout thing I guess, buy a cam if it's necessary and so on. Honestly, It's not my habit to show my face on the net, but I was there in the relatively young days of PnP and I know what interaction means to a game session, so I might do an exception here. My connection might not be fully up to the task, though. FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm hoping to start something that will last, or I wouldn't "endanger" other people's time. Yet, there MIGHT be problems along the way: like, I might even need to leave Italy altogether (see crushing economic crisis) and need a long break, or I might find out that I've changed too much after all. I *don't* think any of this is likely, but one of the few qualities I can boast is reliability: I don't like to let people down so I prefer to be upfront about ANY upcoming possibility, when absolute guarantees are not possible. "Commitment" does scare me a little in this regard so the optimal might be a group that can afford the mild "risks" involved. That said, when everything "clicks", mountains will be moved to keep the fun going! Thanks to all who got this far! As you can see, I'm in no rush whatsoever…

Cheers, welcome back to the hobby. PM me if you decide to rekindle your interest in 2nd Edition AD&D (I have 1 active campaign auditioning players, and another campaign that's a Tavern or meeting-place like a fan-club for 2E), or if you want to try a more simple and non-commitment game of dungeon exploring I offer that using Basic Fantasy RPG (which is like Basic D&D, but with free core rules download book). Link to BFRPG game: <a href="http://basicfantasy.org/download.cgi/Basic-Fantasy" rel="nofollow">http://basicfantasy.org/download.cgi/Basic-Fantasy</a>... Those are the 2 game systems I would recommend for your background. The 2E has greater character options and story lines. The Basic game has fast-startup to dungeon exploring with combat being important, but also narrative, descriptions, some light role playing. I played 2E all through about the same years you started with it. I've been playing and DM'ing on Roll20 since 2012. There are even more people playing Pathfinder on here, but not me, if that's really what you want afterall.

Hi Gold! Thanks for your kind offer, which is VERY intriguing. Truth is, I'm not sure what I would prefer at this point. Of course I love 2nd Edition AD&D, and the settings we used to play with (Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft). It was the stuff of LEGEND, and I believe this is not just nostalgia-fueled talk. In this regard, I would surely play AD&D again - a part of me would want to do just that! That said, I did feel the urge to try something (slightly) different, in the hope to overcome some of the admittedly glaring shortcomings the system did have (like the dualclass/multiclass mechanics, which never made any sense for me). But most of all, I was thinking in terms of a supported Setting. Yes, I know, everything can be created or adapted, but a supported campaign, with modules already functioning out of the gate, would provide more "game-security", I believe. I mean, if I was the DM I would -eventually- tire of having to do all the heavy lifting (create, convert, adapt, prepare...), while, even as a player, I could easily do my part and contribute in the purchase of the necessary modules and addendums. And I liked the idea of a coherent whole that can only grow. (I guess you know a lot more than I do about all this). So well... let me ask you a few questions, if you have the time. What setting is your group using? And what do you mean exactly with "auditioning" players? Are there many "competitors" for the vacant seats? Do you actually run playtests with them or something on those lines? Either way, would it be fine for you if I pondered on my options for a little while? I'm honestly torn about your offer (can't define this any other way!)... Thank you again, in any case!

Yes. No worries. Take your time & contact me if it sounds like what you want to try. I don't expect it is 'exactly' what you dream of finding, but you might like it. My 2 groups use 2 different settings. In the "Basic" game it is purely an underground dungeon and cavern network, that could be called a "mega dungeon", and is old-school black-and-white hand drawn in style. It is easy to start & easy to leave without obligations. In 2E campaign it is a vast homebrew world, where I have created the full color world map & the continent / region map. I know the general terrains and climates, and some of the populations, cultures and creatures that live in various zones. You pick an area for your PC to start off, and you would probably start solo for a few sessions, which would be like a playtest or introduction. For the most part, it is Player-Character driven. I don't have the entire world detailed yet, just broad cultural regions, and we find out the specifics together after you say where your PC begins their origin. In this campaign, as DM, my goal is to describe a setting & then respond to the Player's ideas of what kind of character they want, what kind of adventures their character would like. It's approximately 1/3 combat, 1/3 character development, 1/3 exploration. It's largely theater of the mind, with illustrations, descriptions, narrative (not gridded maps with tactical positioning). It's very good for players who are writers or artists, or photoshoppers -- anything extra you can contribute to the campaign for re-telling the events of your character. The setting is High Fantasy and High Magic. It is sometimes gonzo, psychedelic, or unexplained. There are some mysteries, crimes. Players need to have strong imagination and try to use verbal-descriptive vocabulary. It's described in much greater detail on my campaign's page. Just ask me for the 2E campaign link if you want to look more closely at the details that are written-up on the campaign page. After you get a look, you'll be expected to "drop out" if you don't like it, or correspond with me in the Scheduling thread on there if you want to actually make a character and try this campaign. The word 'auditioning' for this, is just based on --- I'm looking for Players who would be a good fit for this gameplay style. I'm inviting only a few players to try it & expecting only a couple of players to stay for the long run. It's a certain kind of game, one where you should really care about your character & want to work on your character. It's highly collaborative between 50% DM and 50% you the player. It's a good fit for some players, not so much for others.

Gold, once again, thanks for your offer AND patience. You are putting me in a very difficult position :) It's true, what you're proposing isn't exactly what I was looking for. But see, what you say here: "It's approximately 1/3 combat, 1/3 character development, 1/3 exploration. It's largely theater of the mind, with illustrations, descriptions, narrative" It's just perfection. You surely belong to the elite subset of DMs who truly bring the game to its full potential. And I still remember how bad it was when we lost one such DM, back in the day! Alas, I have some trouble with the following: "It's very good for players who are writers or artists, or photoshoppers" That is, like, the exact opposite of who I am. I have no artistic skills whatsoever. I have a strong analytical mind, but not a creative one. I'm fascinated by artists and their work, but I can't be one of them. This is, in fact, another reason why I was looking for a campaign with a known setting: having official sources to rely on would allow me to prepare beforehand, visualize things (since they are drawn!), getting an overall feel of the environment, thus improving my chances to contribute meaningfully to the play. I need every possible help and "advantage" here. On the other hand, an "advantage" would indeed be playing with imaginative DMs and fellow players! So, here's what I'm thinking. This week-end I'm going to try and deal with the technical issues, like learning Google Handouts (I assume this service would do?) and such(unfortunately I must postpone to the weekend even menial tasks like this), learning the basics of Roll20, maybe dig out some old AD&D manuals. In the meantime I'll give some serious thought on this, while you, naturally, will go on with your "recruiting plan" ;) If you happen to find the right persons for you, then no worries, it's still a good thing that we've known each other: we both come from the AD&D 2nd edition experience and, well, you never know. As I said, I plan to start again with this hobby and keep it, this time! If you still have vacant spots for the subsequent week-end, and we both agree that it's worth a shot, we'll just schedule it and see what happens :) In any case, I hope this thread can help both of us: if it can happen at the same time, all the better :)