Getting Started

in Outremer

Welcome to the campaign! This article will serve as a step-by-step guide to get you ready to play. Follow the steps below, and you'll be set! I'm really looking forward to doing this with you all - not only will it be a ton of fun, but I'm hoping it can be something that keeps us in touch for years to come.  

Step 1

Put your general availability in the #Scheduling channel. Hopefully we all share a time we have free, but if not, it's better to know now before you make a whole character with the steps below.  

Step 2

Start thinking of what sort of character you want to play! General ideas are fine here, there's time to narrow it down. You'll want to look through the Lore section of the website to make sure your character fits with the setting, and read The Pre-Game Doc to make sure we're on the same page about irl game expectations. Nothing scary in there, just things to make sure we're having a good time.  

Step 3

It's time to learn how to actually play Pathfinder 2e! The discord includes a link to the rulebook for the game. You're free to download it and have a copy for yourself.   And yeah, its really long. Don't worry, I've read it cover to cover so you don't have to. If you havent played D&D before, definitely read chapter one. For the guys who have, feel free to skim - there is a lot of overlap between the two games, so just pay attention to anything bolded, or the key terms.   What I will ask everyone to read in full is Chapter 9: Playing the Game (pg. 443). These are the only chapters I'm asking you to read in full, for now. As we really get into the campaign, it might be a good thing to leaf through the other chapters, but you wont need to until then.   For those of you who have played D&D before, here is a link to reference the actions you can take, and here is a short video on the differences between D&D5e and PF2e.  

Step 4

Next, you'll need your ABCs: Ancestry, Background, and Class. You can read these in chapters 2 & 3, or use Archives of Nethys, which has all of the PF2e rules organized on a website.   Ancestries are species. Do you want to be an Orc or a Human, for example? Each provide benefits and drawbacks. Your background is what your character did before adventuring, and gives further bonuses. Lastly, your class is the most important of the three, and determines how you fight (among other things). You are welcome to put as much thought into these as you want, or let your character idea from step 2 determine them for you. Again, the Archives of Nethys website has these all neatly organized for you to read. They even include options which the core rulebook doesn't have, because they were published in later books. You're welcome to choose those options, as long as you're following everything in The Pre-Game Doc.   At this point, you aren't locked into anything yet - just start thinking about it! You also do not need to understand how all the Ancestries, Backgrounds, and Classes work. Even I don't. When we get to actually making characters and playing the game, you'll only need to understand how your own ABCs work, no one else's - and even then, I understand it can take several sessions to get the hang of.  

Step 5

Now we get to start collaborating. Shoot your character idea to Rob - this can still be a general idea, but I'd like to know which ABCs you're thinking of choosing, and a general backstory. Nothing finalized, just making sure it all checks out - no joke/out of place characters, or choices barred by The Pre-Game Doc. Let Rob know if you want him to add something new to the website (what is xyz like in Outremer?) or if you want to add something to the site, like a hometown or something specific to your character (pending approval)! Rob can also add "secret" articles, which you have exclusive access to, due to your character's unique backstory.   Once everyone sends me that, we'll organize a Session 0! This is the first time that we'll all be together. It's good to make sure everyone is on the same page, ask questions, and we can share the character ideas we've been working on! After that, I'll walk everyone through actually making their character sheet so they become official and playable. I'll also walk everyone through Foundry VTT, which will act as our shared "table" to see what's going on and battle.   After Session 0, I imagine we'll all be itching to play. With your character sheet done, I'll ask for a proper backstory writeup of your hero, and then we can move on to step 6!

Step 6

Your character backstory will let me build up the world around what your hero would know. This is important for two reasons. First, because I will be able to create a page on the site for Your Character. Second, because we'll run individual sessions of what your character is doing immediately before they run into the rest of the party (if everyone thinks this is worth it). I'm hoping to achieve several things with these.

It will let you explore your character's connections and friends, making the world seem more immersive before kicking off.

It will let you learn how to play and use Foundry VTT at your own pace, and ask as many questions specific to your character as you need.

If you don't like your character's kit, I can work with you to change it before the first "real" session.

You're welcome to invite others to spectate your individual session, but I will default to making them private unless you say so. There might be secret things to your character that you want to ask about or explore!  

Step 7

We coordinate schedules, and start the campaign!