Publisher: Paizo Publishing
RPG System: Pathfinder (Second Edition)
As the premier alternative to Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder has carved itself a nice niche as a crunchy fantasy roleplaying system. The system comes with many more customization options while remaining complex and balanced. Still, that complexity and crunchiness can be intimidating for newcomers to RPGs, and Pathfinder doesn’t have the same name recognition or as many GMs available to teach the ins and outs of the system.
The Second Edition corrects errors from the first, includes rules from later first-edition books, and makes the game easier to play than ever. The GM Core book focuses on the Game Master, allowing them to learn everything they need to run a game smoothly and effectively.
Storytelling & Worldbuilding
The Pathfinder GM Core book is packed with tools to help new and experienced GMs tell compelling stories. For newcomers, it starts with a guide on how to run games and transitions into working with players to create collaborative stories and adapt games to player needs. While it may not be as comprehensive as a dedicated GM deep dive book or podcast, it provides a solid foundation.
For experienced players running a published adventure, the first chapter includes a guide on published adventures and guides. The third chapter provides a primer on the Age of Lost Omens setting, covering nations, peoples, and history, which are also found in other Pathfinder-published stories.
For those creating their own stories, chapter two offers guidance on broad strokes of campaigns or individual adventures. The worldbuilding section in chapter two provides a process for creating a vibrant backdrop and stories. Chapter three’s information on nations, settlements, and planes can help detail worlds. There are tips on session 0, planning a session, running a session, pacing, player spotlights, stakes, and falling forward to ensure the game always goes well. It even covers house rules and handling disruptive players.
Rules & Mechanics
The GM Core book doesn’t include all the information on character building found in the Player Core book, focusing instead on the GM experience and the big picture. Spells and skills are covered briefly as well. Most GMs are going to want access to both the Player and GM cores to have the full picture when referencing rules.
The “Running The Game” chapter contains tips for progressing the story and worldbuilding, with plenty of tables throughout and formal ways to handle various obstacles for players, such as environments, getting lost, travel speed, and social encounters. It’s a good blend of mechanics and tips on running the game.
There are extensive tables for Difficulty Classes, XP, treasure, wealth, and more. Combat threat tables support balanced combat, treasures, and other progression numbers, which is nice for longer campaigns. There are also detailed lists of curses, environments, hazards, and creatures, as well as excellent tools for creating dangers within the rules of the system, with tons of stats and skills to consider.
Chapter four covers subsystems, giving GMs an extension of the main rules to explore deeper mechanics. Systems such as influence, reputation, chases, and leadership are fleshed out here. The Treasure Trove chapter at the end of the book provides GMs with more items to utilize than they could ever use.
Artwork & Presentation
The GMCore book has excellent presentation, with great fonts and vibrant colors that make flipping through the many pages fun. The book’s layout is designed for ease of use, ensuring that players can quickly find the information or rules they need.
Throughout the book are bits of art depicting characters, monsters, and various scenes. This artwork not only looks nice but also breaks up the text, making the book more engaging and less daunting to read.
The book is hefty and well-bound and should last for a long time, although the pages are somewhat thin and may tear over time with heavy use. Considering the price point for a book of this size, the amount of great looking content is excellent.
The GM Experience
The GM Core book delves into the nitty-gritty of GMing, and while it can be overwhelming for inexperienced GMs, it’s hard to imagine a “bad GM” after reading through it. The book provides an incredible amount of details and tools in a single package without needing too many supplemental resources. It offers a superb blend of worldbuilding and game mechanics.
The Age of Lost Omens chapter gives players an excellent foundation for the setting used in many Pathfinder resources, covering cultures, factions, settlements, and more to liven up the world. Players who read through this chapter will become experts on the setting.
The Player Experience
There isn’t much for players in this book, especially if they don’t want to know too much about the world and setting as newcomers. However, a GM who reads this book will naturally enhance the player experience. Players who understand the subsystems and flow of combat from a GM’s perspective can be more supportive, which benefits everyone at the table.
The Pathfinder Second Edition GM Core book is a must-have book for any Game Master, offering a wealth of information, tools, and guidance to run a successful game. While it may seem overwhelming at first, the book’s clear organization makes it an incredible tool for both new and experienced GMs. Whether running published adventures or creating their own worlds, GMs will find everything they need to create engaging and dynamic worlds for all of their future adventures.
