Pathfinder 1E The Pathfinder Campaign Setting ??

Acid_crash · Aug 20, 2009

Could somebody give me the low down on their own campaign setting? I saw it in my FLGS once like two months ago or so and it was 50 bucks I think, and for it's size I didn't think it was worth that so I never looked at it, but with all the Pathfinder stuff they have done and all their adventure paths and their chronicles and companions stuff, what's it like?

And, consider me a Pathifnder newbie about all this, what is the difference between the Chronicles stuff and the Companion stuff? Is it worth delving into getting now that Pathfinder RPG is out?

alleynbard · Aug 20, 2009

Golarion is your standard D&D game world. It assumes all of the 3e conceits in its expression. But, that doesn't do it justice. The setting takes what many see as cliches and somehow breathes new life into them. It reminds me of Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms when they were first released. There is a nation of Asmodeus worshippers, a nation with a working republic, a nation that resembles Transylvania or Romania, and even a nation that combines savage barbarism with weird tech gathered from a crashed spacecraft. Some people find it forced but I personally love the setting.

The hardcover book is $50 and it is worth the money. But if you don't want to spend that much, you can pick up the Gazetteer for considerably less. I particularly liked the Gazetteer because the information was suitable for DMs and players. Very few secrets are revealed. http://paizo.com/pathfinder/pathfinderChronicles/35E/v5748btpy82t7

Also, Companion books tend to be short and are intended for players. Chronicles tend to be longer and are filled with player and DM material. Though that guideline doesn't always hold, especially with the older books. DMs benefit from both lines.

If you are looking to see what the world is all about, pick up the Gazetteer. Much of the information there will give you a good foundation. If you want more, go for the Gazetteer. But I have said this before, a DM only really needs the Gazetteer, Gods and Magic, and a book *like* The Guide to Darkmoon Vale, Dark Markets or Guide to Korvosa to set up their own campaign.

If you want to run an AP, you obviously need those volumes and it would likely help to get the Player's Guide for that AP.

It can be a bit overwhelming. I found it easier to start small, get an idea of what the world is like, and then see if there are supplements focusing on the areas that catch your interest.

Waylander the Slayer · Aug 20, 2009

Acid_crash said:
Could somebody give me the low down on their own campaign setting? I saw it in my FLGS once like two months ago or so and it was 50 bucks I think, and for it's size I didn't think it was worth that so I never looked at it, but with all the Pathfinder stuff they have done and all their adventure paths and their chronicles and companions stuff, what's it like?

And, consider me a Pathifnder newbie about all this, what is the difference between the Chronicles stuff and the Companion stuff? Is it worth delving into getting now that Pathfinder RPG is out?

Depends on your needs. The RPG is the rules, the CS is the fluff. It is analogous to whether or not you should by the Greyhawk Setting book when you bought 3E PHB/DMG. The chronicles is more DM focused, whereas the Companion is more player focused, though still useful to the DM.

Primal · Aug 20, 2009

Acid_crash said:
Could somebody give me the low down on their own campaign setting? I saw it in my FLGS once like two months ago or so and it was 50 bucks I think, and for it's size I didn't think it was worth that so I never looked at it, but with all the Pathfinder stuff they have done and all their adventure paths and their chronicles and companions stuff, what's it like?

And, consider me a Pathifnder newbie about all this, what is the difference between the Chronicles stuff and the Companion stuff? Is it worth delving into getting now that Pathfinder RPG is out?

(Just a quick reply, as it's 5AM here and I should be getting to bed soon -- I'll try to write a "proper" reply tomorrow)

Yes, it's well worth the price and more if you're looking for a well-written setting that's intended for mature role-players (i.e. "shades of grey" morality instead of black'n'white); basically, Golarion is heavily influenced by Sword-and-Sorcery/Pulp stories, but Paizo has managed to give it its own unique spin. It's a very good setting for pretty much any type of adventures, whether you want to run Gothic Horror (read: you can dig out your old Ravenloft modules) or swashbuckling or Arabian Adventures types of campaigns. It literally has Baba Yaga, vikings and alien artifacts, but it all *works* without feeling "cheap" or too "pulpy".

It's a world in which a kingdom ruled by a seemingly-benevolent gold dragon may prove to be just as sinister in nature than the one in which the whole nation worships Asmodeus and devils lurk in the background.

Hope this helps!

I'm sure others will chime in and give a better in-depth description than this one, but even if you didn't ever run a campaign in Golarion, it's a wonderful treasure trove of ideas to steal for any other/your homebrew setting.

EDIT: As Alleynbard already said!

WesSchneider · Aug 20, 2009

Like what Primal said, one of the major philosophies of Golarion is that it's meant to be a world for you no matter what you want to do. You want crusading knights, we've got that. You want princes and politics, check. You want Arabian Nights, got it. You want strange menaces from the depths, got that too. The setting is built by folks you have spent their whole lives playing RPGs and love a lot, a lot, a lot of different things - not just one adventure or style of play. So it's really built to draw upon the tropes of the the past 35+ years of gaming and expand upon them for folks who like one or many different styles of play.

At the same time, why rehash the old. We've learned a lot from doing D&D and RPG and world design for a long time - especially through Dragon and Dungeon magazines - and wanted to show you something new. Thus, our deities are and aren't your same old rank and file warring gods of good and evil - they're personalities and figures with some very evocative goals. The planes are familiar but wildly different. The creatures you discover there come from the history of RPGs and wholly new stuff. The planets play a role in the setting, and aren't just untouchable stars in the sky. Prophecy isn't a set tale of things to come, it's up to the PCs to write their own future. And even goals as vague and unattainable as godhood are not just possible, but are core to the world's history.

So yeah, Golarion's a living world that we'll be expanding on officially every month via our Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Pathfinder Chronicles, and Pathfinder Companion lines, but even more than that it really grows every day with our wildly creative and prolific fanbase. I'd encorage you to check out what's out there already, not just the Campagin Setting book, but the vast amount of content the community is already putting out for free (just Google "Wayfinder Fanzine" "Pathfinder Wiki" or check out the Pathfinder Database at Pathfinderdb.com). That's kind of the coolest thing. Golarion's turning into way more than just a campaign setting or the setting of a few books, it's the setting for one of the most impressive pieces of shared world building and imagining I've ever seen as a roleplayer and I couldn't be more excited to see what's coming out tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after.

But that's just me.

Acid_crash · Aug 20, 2009

Thank you for the responses. I am sold on the setting with the whole barbarians and tech from a space ship angle, everything else is just bonus

Now to get money.

kitsune9 · Aug 20, 2009

I would agree with the other posters that Golarion is a campaign with something for everyone.

Did you like Greyhawk? There are elements of that there. Did you like FR? All the different countries and cultures comes across as very FR-ish. You like Ravenloft? There's a country with that theme. You like Eberron with it's steampunk kind of feel or Demon Wastes? Check and check. I would even say that has a Warhammer FRP feel for those areas. Arabian Nights? Check. Egyptian stuff? Check. Evil major organizations/governments to fight against? Check. Want intrigue, factions, politics with your morning coffee in your campaign setting? Check.

The campaign even alludes to a Spelljammer possibility as the other worlds in the campaign's solar system are populated with various cultures and horrendous things so the means of getting there is up to you. You can also take the Call of Cthulu take because they also allude to maddening horrors out in space. It also has a Planescape feel as there is a discussion of the planes.

So whatever your 31 Flavors are, this Baskin Robbins Campaign Setting seems to have it.

Happy Gaming!

Acid_crash · Aug 20, 2009

Is Pathfinder Chronicles setting 3.5 or pathfinder compatible in the crunch area?

Admiral Caine · Aug 20, 2009

Acid_crash said:
Is Pathfinder Chronicles setting 3.5 or pathfinder compatible in the crunch area?

It's 3.5.

I'm to understand it might be updated to Pathfinder Core, but they have to sell the 3.5 stock that they have in order to justify a revision and another print run.

(Subject to correction by the generous presence of all these Editors!)

BUT!!!!

Take heart, in my opinion, most of it won't break Pathfinder RPG in the sleightest. It should port right over with no hiccups. They knew they were writing the Core Rules when they published the Campaign Setting, so they shared the same design philsophy. And actually, the Campaign Setting is fairly rules light anyway. We're talking a handful of feats and a few prestige classes and some equipment, most of it won't be an issue.

However, last time I said all of that someone pointed to a few things (that I can't even remember now) that might be an issue. So your mileage might vary.. however honestly, it's rules light- mostly fluff.