Ponyfinder as a Gateway Game

[ThinkMinty]

My little sister is a huge My Little Pony fan, so I'm wondering if Ponyfinder would be a good fit for her if she wanted to try out a D&D-like experience.

[legomaster00156]

Aha, a thread for me. The Ponyfinder books are fantastic, and mesh well with the Pathfinder system. It's good not only as a "gateway", but as a campaign setting in general. I myself have been in a long-term Ponyfinder campaign for over a year, and the whole group loves it.

[EisenKreutzer]

I think it could work, depending on her age. Pathfinder is a dense system to get into, and requires both math skills and the ability to figure out the mechanics.

If she is old enough to get into a system like Pathfinder I see no reason why not. Ponyfinder is excellent, a really solid setting with lots of charm. The mechanics are pretty solid as well, for the most part, theres very little wrong with it.
All this is coming from a non-brony who never saw the appeal of the My Little Pony fandom.

[Snowbluff]

Yeah, the ponyfinder book is actually pretty good. I'm not a fan of Pathfinder, but ponyfinder is sweet.

Unicorn Master Race.
http://pre11.deviantart.net/581d/th/pre/i/2015/134/3/6/bladicorn_by_ekmars-d8td9dw.png

[ThinkMinty]

I think it could work, depending on her age. Pathfinder is a dense system to get into, and requires both math skills and the ability to figure out the mechanics.

If she is old enough to get into a system like Pathfinder I see no reason why not. Ponyfinder is excellent, a really solid setting with lots of charm. The mechanics are pretty solid as well, for the most part, theres very little wrong with it.
All this is coming from a non-brony who never saw the appeal of the My Little Pony fandom.

I figure it's a fun way for a seventh-grader to keep her math skills sharp, and I figure she's bright enough to handle the mechanics behind the class or classes she'll want to try out, at least. Plus she can always ask if she doesn't know, right?


Yeah, the ponyfinder book is actually pretty good. I'm not a fan of Pathfinder, but ponyfinder is sweet.

Unicorn Master Race.
http://pre11.deviantart.net/581d/th/pre/i/2015/134/3/6/bladicorn_by_ekmars-d8td9dw.png

What class is your unicorn, out of curiosity?

[legomaster00156]

I'm playing a unicorn sorcerer. He's not useless in melee, either, thanks to an unusually high INT paired with Focused Horn Magic (which, as written and interpreted by my GM, applies to attack and damage). It's great fun.

[Grod_The_Giant]

3.x is, frankly, a terrible system to introduce people to RPGs with. Even if you keep it to core rules, it's an enormous, dense, and over-complicated pile of trap options. Even if you leave aside the minefield that is character creation, you're still left with a mess of situational modifiers and niche rules and-- if you want to play a magic user-- literally dozens of special options, each with their own special rules and weird interactions.

5e, I understand, is better. Other systems are better yet for newbies-- Fate is a good one. We can probably recommend dozens. But... it's better to start someone with a simple system, I think, so they can get a feel for roleplaying without worrying about a thousand, thousand rules.

[ThinkMinty]

I'm playing a unicorn sorcerer. He's not useless in melee, either, thanks to an unusually high INT paired with Focused Horn Magic (which, as written and interpreted by my GM, applies to attack and damage). It's great fun.

What're the stat alterations on a Unicorn, if any?

[EisenKreutzer]

3.x is, frankly, a terrible system to introduce people to RPGs with. Even if you keep it to core rules, it's an enormous, dense, and over-complicated pile of trap options. Even if you leave aside the minefield that is character creation, you're still left with a mess of situational modifiers and niche rules and-- if you want to play a magic user-- literally dozens of special options, each with their own special rules and weird interactions.

5e, I understand, is better. Other systems are better yet for newbies-- Fate is a good one. We can probably recommend dozens. But... it's better to start someone with a simple system, I think, so they can get a feel for roleplaying without worrying about a thousand, thousand rules.

As an addendum to this, there is an official conversion of Ponyfinder to 5th Edition available at DriveThruRPG by the same guy who wrote Ponyfinder.

[ThinkMinty]

As an addendum to this, there is an official conversion of Ponyfinder to 5th Edition available at DriveThruRPG by the same guy who wrote Ponyfinder.

I'll mention that in a follow-up if she asks about 5e.

[Snowbluff]

What class is your unicorn, out of curiosity?
She's a (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=205611) Harbinger (Dreamscarred Press master of scariness)/Psion/Awakened Blade (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/path-of-war/prestige-classes/awakened-blade) (Harbinger+Psion Prestige Class) :3

What're the stat alterations on a Unicorn, if any?

Bonus to Int and Con, penalty to dex. The best thing is that they can get the Horn Magic feats, with can give Int to hit and damage.

[Psyren]

3.x is, frankly, a terrible system to introduce people to RPGs with. Even if you keep it to core rules, it's an enormous, dense, and over-complicated pile of trap options. Even if you leave aside the minefield that is character creation, you're still left with a mess of situational modifiers and niche rules and-- if you want to play a magic user-- literally dozens of special options, each with their own special rules and weird interactions.

5e, I understand, is better. Other systems are better yet for newbies-- Fate is a good one. We can probably recommend dozens. But... it's better to start someone with a simple system, I think, so they can get a feel for roleplaying without worrying about a thousand, thousand rules.

Eh, I started tabletop games with 3.5 and now I'm writing handbooks and optimizing with the best of them. I don't think it's too hard to tell you're part of the audience for this sort of thing once you've been exposed to it.

I am looking forward to that Obsidian PF game though. Or Knights of the Chalice if that ever gets finished. Both would be great vectors for newer players.

But even without the CRPG route, the Beginner Box is a great product for getting newbies' feet wet.

[TheifofZ]

Someday I'll get my hands on the ponyfinder books, and find a group to try it out in.
I've seen a few pages, and it actually looked really fun.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Eh, I started tabletop games with 3.5 and now I'm writing handbooks and optimizing with the best of them. I don't think it's too hard to tell you're part of the audience for this sort of thing once you've been exposed to it.
It obviously work for some people. But I think there are a lot of newbies who get overwhelmed by the complexity and never come back, assuming that D&D is either the only system out there, or that everything is like D&D.

[Snowbluff]

I started DnD around his sister's age. It would be good to mix it up every once it in a while, though.

[Psyren]

It obviously work for some people. But I think there are a lot of newbies who get overwhelmed by the complexity and never come back, assuming that D&D is either the only system out there, or that everything is like D&D.

Which is regrettable, but unless we come up with a different medium entirely (like a CRPG) it is unavoidable without changing the nature of the game entirely. I have no doubt that 5e (and 4e for that matter) are easier to get into than PF; I also have no doubt that they are not PF.

Still I maintain that the Beginner's Box sidesteps the complexity of PF just fine. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/05/06/pathfinder-roleplaying-game-beginner-box-review-the-perfect-introduction-to-d20-gaming/)

[weckar]

I personally find Tri-Stat a very solid and rules-light system for newbies to get involved in. All the options, none of the complexity.

[Kurald Galain]

3.x is, frankly, a terrible system to introduce people to RPGs with. Even if you keep it to core rules, it's an enormous, dense, and over-complicated pile of trap options.

Don't be absurd. It is the most popular RPG in the world and has been so for over a decade. On the one hand, that shows it clearly isn't anywhere near as complicated as you insinuate; on the other hand, it also means that you'll always be able to find a group for it.

The key is realizing that you can play 3E/PF just fine without knowing all the rules. Just grab the pregens, read a few pages of standard adventuring rules, and take it from there. I'll wager that's how at least half of this forum has also learned it.

[Doc_Maynot]

The key is realizing that you can play 3E/PF just fine without knowing all the rules. Just grab the pregens, read a few pages of standard adventuring rules, and take it from there. I'll wager that's how at least half of this forum has also learned it.

Yeah, no one jumps in to 3.X building an Artificer, reading all the guides on item creation before they even realize how Bull Rushing works... That'd be crazy. *cough*

Anyways, on topic. Honestly, while it is a good series full of decent fluff that stands up on its own without the show. Some of the mechanics are... Potentially wonky (namely in the spells and the fact that they are naturally Fey types) and at least in my group it has required some of my group's DMs to patch it up a bit. Side note: Unicorn Arcanists wielding rapiers while using their Int in place of their Str, awesome.

[Totema]

I met David Silver in person, and he's a really great guy. He'd be thrilled to know that you're using his setting to expand RPGs to new audiences. :smallsmile:

[TheCrowing1432]

Is there a 3.x equivalent to ponyfinder?

[Snowbluff]

Is there a 3.x equivalent to ponyfinder?

No, but it should convert pretty cleanly.

[SilverGames]

Hi there! David here.

It's great to hear Ponyfinder's being used to introduce people into things, because that's fantastic.

For taking Ponyfinder back into 3.5, keep it simple. The races, as they are, fit just fine. Don't get bogged down in things that don't exist, like sorcerer bloodlines, and you're solid.

[Gnaeus]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but its less than 45 days old and I didn't want to retread the same ground.

Like OP, I want to start a ponyfinder game. Like OP, this will involve little girls, in this case, my kids and my friends daughter. So me as DM, one other experienced PF player, and 3 girls between 7 and 10. I had some specific questions about products. (The 10 year old is super smart and will not have a problem with the rules. (She is planning on writing her own RPG, I figured she should have some more experience playing first) The little girls will be jealous if we play without them. I'll help make their characters, and the math practice will be good for them.)

1. What products are really recommended for starting a game? I need the campaign supplement, obviously, which I will get in PDF for myself and softcover for them. Anything else I should really get for starting? Obviously I have all the basic pathfinder stuff.

2. I see a number of prepublished adventures. Can anyone recommend any of these over any of the others for new young players? I have stacks of older published adventures in various D&D versions, which I will ultimately just convert, but I would rather start with some material written for the system.

3. I am very tempted by the 5e conversion, since 5e is easier to learn. Is the conversion good? I have 5e PHB and DMG, does ponyfinder require the MM enough that I should run out and get it? I don't plan on DMing 5e much, so I have avoided reading the MM.

[SilverGames]

Hi there! The core campaign book is all you -need- to get going, after that is candy. For starter adventures, Royal Decree is a level 1 adventure that gets the party on the right track.

If you play 5e, you'll want a MM for GMng, Ponyfinder or not.

We like to think the conversion is good, but we may be slightly biased on this.