So, Pathfinder

Gaming had been on the rocks for me since June, with vacations and the beginning of the semester getting in the way of the group getting together.  There were also some communication issues (as always); I'd put out an email or Facebook post saying "let's schedule some games" and would not hear anything.  Meanwhile, so and so would tell me that someone else "really wanted to play again."  I was frustrated.  So two Fridays ago I managed to gather the core members of the group at my house.  We played some Ticket to Ride and talked about what we wanted to do.  The result of that conversation was a Pathfinder game -- specifically an Adventure Path.  Very specifically, The Serpent's Skull.

I know there are some old schoolers who sneer at Adventure Paths, but this seems like a great solution to some problems with our group.  It reduces the amount of prep dramatically, which is always good for us busy folks.  It also has some built-in plot structure (though it's all fairly open ended and, in some instances sandbox-y), which satisfies the more story-oriented in our group.  The chapters of the path give us logical break points and, more importantly, accomplishment milestones to serve as nice positive reinforcement.  Our goal is to complete one book per semester and play out the whole thing.  We're also going to try rotating DM's, with at least one other person and myself switching up with each book in the path.

While Pathfinder would not have been my first choice (even though I like it), it fits well with a few group members who really came of gaming age with 3.0.  They like feats.  Really, I like the system well enough and the setting a lot.

All in all, I am looking forward to rolling the dice again.  Character creation is this Thursday.