![10mm Medieval Miniatures! Azincourt English Army Review | Wargames Atlantic [7 Days Early Access]](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2026/03/unboxing-wargames-atlantic-azincourt-english-army-coverimage-225-127.jpg)
Pathfinder: The Big err…Blue Box?
October 6, 2011 by brennon
As most roleplay gamers know two of the big heavy hitters are Dungeons & Dragons from Wizards of the Coast, and of course Pathfinder from Paizo Publishing.
Dungeons & Dragons went for the newbies not long ago with the return of the Red Box, a starter kit for people wanting to get into the world. It also paved the way for the new Essentials line and a real flip in terms of the design philosophy with the game. I myself bought the Red Box, and the new Essentials books and it was all pretty amazing stuff.
Well, Paizo have taken a leaf from the Wizards of the Coasts tome and have come out with their own Beginner Box which you can see a video preview of above.
Coming in a very weighty box you get a Heroes Handbook, a Starter Solo Adventure, Sample Characters, Another Adventure for a Group, Guides on being a Dungeon Master, a nice fancy dungeon map and interestingly of all, some cardboard cut out heroes. Very oldschool...and I like it!
Our very own Romain did an article on Paizo and Pathfinder not long ago and you can check it out here.
So the real question is does this peak any interest in you gamers, both newbies and old hands alike?
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
![Play WW2 Commando Operations With Butcher & Bolt [Updated]](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2026/03/relaunch-600-338.jpg)
Looks like a solid starter box for an rpg. Easy introduction to new players and open ended enough to keep going more than the sample adventure.
I’ve never been disappointed by any of the official Pathfinder supplements… Quantity, quality, style and content, as well as price, are all a dream come true !
The indea to progressively teach the GM as well as the players during the first adventure is top notch, the text looks full of nice explanatory graphs and full color illustrations, and the color coding the got from D&D4 is perhaps the only right turn WoTC took with the game…
And the large blank flip-mat is an excellent idea, as well as the cardboard silhouettes… Not just counters and a dungeon like the Red Box : This is something you can play with for a while without buying something more, with your own adventures…
Especially since you can also download the free Pathfinder Reference Document with complete rules… Or the smartphone app edition, of course !
It’s beautiful and heavy, and I await the french edition so I can give it as a gift to friends and convert them to this excellent game.
BoW Romain
was looking to play my first ever rpg….looks like this might be it!
Well, @madprof666, it depends what kind of RPG you’re looking for… There are many of them out there !
Assuming you want a fantasy/medieval game, D&D4 is better if you like less role and more board-game tactical combat… And @beerogre is probably going to jump in and tell you just that. You can always roleplay with D&D4, but it’s hardly the point, and in my opinion, it simply is a very good tactical boardgame with more scenario options…
Pathfinder, while slightly rules-heavy for beginners if you try and follow all the different options (which you don’t have to) is VERY good, and VERY suitable, especially with this box ! And it’s a true role-playing game as well, not just a combat system.
You can find my article on Pathfinder RPG here on the website, by the way, just use the search engine.
GW has also got a RPG, but the third edition of Warhammer Fantasy RPG is a bit crappy and expensive. The second edition is much better, but of course it’s not in print anymore…
If you’re looking for less miniature combat (or even none) and more roleplaying, I suggest you check out Lone Wolf RPG (see recent video… No miniatures necessary, very beginner friendly if you like the Lone Wolf universe), Ars Magica (where you play a wizard in a close to historical setting), or Basic RPG or Gurps for generic system in which you can play anything in any setting.
That said, you CAN play Pathfinder without minis or tactical combat. I’ve done it for years, actually, it’s perfectly fine. And I wholeheartedly recommend Pathfinder anyway !
I’m only saying this “just in case”, because if you’re here, you’re probably into little toy soldiers just as much as we all are… But it is my duty to point out that they’re not a direct element of a good roleplaying experience !
I believe you won’t have any difficulty finding other players, seeing as you already are into wargaming and living in England, and that many wargamers are also roleplayers…
I hope i’ve answered any and all questions you might still have… Go for it, tiger !
BoW Romain
unless someone is gonna jump in and tell me the DnD starter set is better 😉
D&D 4th edition has as much roleplaying as you want to put into it, you can also play it completely without any roleplaying aspect… something you can’t really do very well with other RPGs.
😛
Precisely… You can “add” roleplay and storytelling to anything. If you can put in as much role-playing as you want, it’s just like any other activity (such as football, boardgames, wargaming, sex and video games), then it’s not specifically a ROLE playing game.
It’s a great game nonetheless… And it even has a chapter on how to add roleplaying to the whole thing, by the way… But as you said, roleplaying isn’t necessary to this game.
I rest my case, your honor…
BoW Romain
1974 White box, B/X DnD to 1st ed is DnD for me
I hear Pathfinder is well loved so this is a good move for many fans- DnD 4th ed is a great game but id rather play it as a pure minis game
Personally I like Pathfinder much more than DnD 3.5 or 4.0, it’s streamlined, but not overly simplistic. I would recommend it to anyone inclined towards playing a fantasy RPG.
I just got Mine today, Its a great quality box! I highly recommend this for beginners. Colourful easy to pick up rules with some great artwork on the counters as well, I rate this box 9/10. a Must buy!