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How do I design a short "Tutorial mode" adventure for pathfinder? I want to GM one for 2 of my players, to help them get into the normal mechanics of pathfinder, and show them how it works. It should be short, i.e. 1 session or less.

What it should do:

  • Teach the player combat mechanics of Pathfinder
  • teach how skills work without having them have to use every skill in the game
  • not have it be very long. I want this to be a tutorial before we go on to real campaigns.

Is there a sensible way of doing this?

My problem is how to do so without making it seem like a tutorial.

doppelgreener
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Cataru Moore
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    Asking "How do I design an adventure of the kind I have in mind" is much too broad a question. What specific part of designing your adventure are you struggling with? – SevenSidedDie Apr 12 '15 at 04:38
  • Well. I wanted a campaign that teaches the standard concepts the players would need to understand to play pathfinder. Something I could pull out and teach the players through play in a short time. – Cataru Moore Apr 12 '15 at 05:02
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    That's just repeating the question, which doesn't tell us anything new. I asked what specifically you're struggling with to try to narrow this down to something that won't be closed. What roadblock are you running into when you try to design what you're imagining? What did you try that didn't work? – SevenSidedDie Apr 12 '15 at 05:04
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    @SevenSidedDie The issue is likely that Cataru does not have the expertise required to make such an adventure. I wouldn't either! What is and is not important to put forward requires a knowing author. If it's pretty simple to put one forward, an answer can probably describe that. And Cataru has described what kind of adventure they have in mind: a tutorial thing! Details irrelevant, answers can say what is and is not important to have. You are probably grilling someone for detail they cannot provide, and the question should be taken at face value. – doppelgreener Apr 12 '15 at 07:32
  • @doppelgreener I would think this is simply too broad then: better on a forum, or requires some time in research and self-directed learning first to ask it more narrowly. – SevenSidedDie Apr 12 '15 at 07:35
  • @SevenSidedDie A question just like this for 4e did pretty well. I do not believe this is too big for us to handle. Cataru only wants to demonstrate a limited section of the game. – doppelgreener Apr 12 '15 at 07:37
  • @doppelgreener If this was similarly asking about one tutorial encounter I'd agree, but not while it's asking for an entire campaign. – SevenSidedDie Apr 12 '15 at 07:39
  • @SevenSidedDie It's asking for a short campaign, set in 1 session or less. It is probably not even right to call it a campaign. – doppelgreener Apr 12 '15 at 07:40
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – doppelgreener Apr 12 '15 at 07:40
  • Actually, I'm going to rename this to ask for an adventure, not a campaign - 1 session or less is not a campaign, just an adventure. – doppelgreener Apr 12 '15 at 07:41
  • Either way, that circles back to my first comment: how to design an adventure is too broad; answers that are narrow will be fairly opinion-based if they go beyond "just have a combat, and some skill-check situations." – SevenSidedDie Apr 12 '15 at 07:43
  • @SevenSidedDie Again, look at the 4e question that went fine. "Just put them through a basic adventure. Bear these things in mind when you run it." Whatever works solves the problem, and this is easily solvable and fits our system under GSBS coming from some expert advice on what's worked. It does not take much. How to design an adventure is certainly too broad, but this one has specific goals that have been stated. – doppelgreener Apr 12 '15 at 07:45
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    Voting to close as there is no clear problem statement. You want to write a tutorial. You think it feels too much like a tutorial. Ok. Post what you've got, post the problems you see, then we can help you with a clear cut problem. – nvoigt Apr 12 '15 at 08:03
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    @doppelgreener I don't think this should be closed either, but I would like to know what, in the author's opinion, makes an adventure seem like a tutorial. – Hey I Can Chan Apr 12 '15 at 08:18
  • @HeyICanChan I mean by it seeming like a tutorial as in "you are tossed into an arena where the main guy throws 4 goblins at you. And with this happening, this is how combat works." Kinda thing. – Cataru Moore Apr 15 '15 at 21:19

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