Pathfinder 1E You're the CEO of PAIZO. Now What?

[Khairn]

I know that there are some plans (dreams?) to eventually expand into other genres (modern, sci-fi) but IMO one of the best elements of Paizo's product line is Golarion, and the many outstanding adventures and supplements that support the setting.

I firmly believe that there are many gamers who are attracted to the hobby by the wonderful settings that they can enjoy exploring. But during the past few years while WotC has only published re-packaged versions of older settings, some that have been around for over 20 years, Golarion has been a breath of fresh air. Great art, great adventures, great supplements, great support... a winning combination.

So if I was CEO of Paizo I'd use the successes of the past few years as templates for the next few. In addition to expanding Pathfinder into new genres, I'd start developing the next great RPG setting.

 

[Croesus]

Or better yet, don't sign the GSL and still produce stuff 4E'ers wish to buy. Like Kingmaker!

Yep. Too often companies find a workable formula, then refuse to deviate from it. Kingmaker is a change of pace in your AP line, one that has brought in some customers like me, who have no desire for the more standard AP's. I love seeing a company take intelligent chances with their offerings.

Less utopian: draw in new players to PFRPG. Develop a slightly lighter version which takes people step by step through character creation. Produce modules for that version which make DM'ing them as easy as possible. Bulmahn's Crypt of the Everflame was a very good way forward in this area.

Start to focus on younger players as well, but take them as serious as if they were adults. Don't ever feel you have to simplify the language to enable them to keep up with your prose.

I have been working on and off (mostly off) for years on stripping 3.x down to its most basic elements, so that my group would have a simple ruleset for new players, yet we could add complexity to fit our tastes. I haven't picked up PF specifically because it's several hundred pages, full of little details that we'd have to learn and remember. I would love to see a basic ruleset for PF with tons of optional elements that could be added to taste.

Of course, there are some potential problems with something like this. For starters, what optional rules would a module use? Or an entire AP? Would it spur additional sales, or cannibalize sales of the current PF rulesset? Would it appeal the core customer, the one who buys a significant amount of Paizo product on a regular basis, who (I suspect) prefer more complexity, not less? No idea, but I'd still love to see it.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

You get WotC; we get Paizo.
Life ain't fair, you'll have to live with it.


Seriously, if you want more outside support, pressure WotC about enabling it.

Exactly.

4E people have massive amounts of support from WOTC (especially in the form of the DDI, Dungeon & Dragon), Goodman Games and a few others out there. All we have is Paizo. Supposedly it's incredibly easy to convert any edition to 4E so just do what other people have already been doing and convert the adventures to 4E.

 

[Azgulor]

The biggest problem with the GSL is that the terms can be changed at any moment by WotC. So, if Paizo did a 4E product, the terms could be changed to say that anybody who uses the GSL can no longer use the OGL. And thus Paizo would have to stop making Pathfinder. I realize it doesn't say that right now, but the GSL is set up so that it could be changed down the road and Paizo would then have to abide by the new rules. So testing the waters COULD lead to Paizo having to stop doing its bread and butter Pathfinder RPG and all of its related products, closing up shop and going out of business. And that is a risk that I just can't justify, no matter what the upside potential might be for 4E.

Basically, I find the GSL to be too open-ended and too changeable to risk my company on. And that is why you will never see us doing 4E products.

-Lisa

(Gives Lisa big, crushing virtual hug.)

I loves me my Pathfinder and Golarion!

 

[bagger245]

The biggest problem with the GSL is that the terms can be changed at any moment by WotC. So, if Paizo did a 4E product, the terms could be changed to say that anybody who uses the GSL can no longer use the OGL. And thus Paizo would have to stop making Pathfinder. I realize it doesn't say that right now, but the GSL is set up so that it could be changed down the road and Paizo would then have to abide by the new rules. So testing the waters COULD lead to Paizo having to stop doing its bread and butter Pathfinder RPG and all of its related products, closing up shop and going out of business. And that is a risk that I just can't justify, no matter what the upside potential might be for 4E.

Basically, I find the GSL to be too open-ended and too changeable to risk my company on. And that is why you will never see us doing 4E products.

-Lisa

Thanks for clarifying. We don't want Paizo to stop producing Pathfinder just because of "testing waters" too. Anyway continue the good job.

If I was CEO, I would make the next Pathfinder edition rules lighter and newbie friendlier. I am not sure about the market, but I believe Pathfinder mainly caters to previous 3.5e people. Getting new blood is a good goal.

Besides my hurdle with the ruleset, everything is fine to me

 

[Rechan]

Once again, this is just a "hey what would you like" threads. I'm certain that if I wanted to nitpick the WotC thread and say "Haha no that won't happen" I'd be threadcrapping the "If you were the WOtC CEO" thread. I don't see any real complaining,, just answering the OP with random wishful thinking.

Geez. Stop gloating.

Mod edit: Folks, if you really don't like a type of thread, consider not joining in.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Licence a solid Pathfinder video game.

Develop and/or encourage some Pathfinder character-builder/monster-maker/whatever software.

Hire me to freelance for them.

Though honestly, I think Paizo has a good handle on the big-picture stuff. I think Wizards does, too, though they're looking at different things.

 

[BryonD]

If I was CEO, I would make the next Pathfinder edition rules lighter and newbie friendlier. I am not sure about the market, but I believe Pathfinder mainly caters to previous 3.5e people. Getting new blood is a good goal.

Honestly, trying to go head to head with WotC doesn't seem a good approach.

New blood doesn't stay "new". Just as a lot of people prefer PF to 4e now, some guy out there will pick up D&D for the first time in the next month and somewhere down the road discover that the "newbie friendly" game isn't the end all for them.

WotC covers one market and Paizo another. (No claim whatsoever that the markets have no overlap. There is plenty of overlap.) But "previous 3.5e people" doesn't do justice to PF's market.

 

[Uzzy]

One book campaign settings that are quite different from what's available in Golarion. Maybe even do a campaign setting contest to see what good ideas people have out there.

 

[Shazbot79]

Exactly.

4E people have massive amounts of support from WOTC (especially in the form of the DDI, Dungeon & Dragon), Goodman Games and a few others out there. All we have is Paizo. Supposedly it's incredibly easy to convert any edition to 4E so just do what other people have already been doing and convert the adventures to 4E.

Truth.

I know a number of GM's who are running old Paizo Adventure Paths using 4E.

I myself am considering converting Rise of the Runelords (after watching the excellent Burnt Offerings play put on by the talented kids at Da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland, OR : ) or Savage Tides for my home game.

Paizo has a good thing going with the Pathfinder RPG and if I were in the Big Chair, I would focus on cementing Pathfinder's place as a market contender and carving out it's own product identity.

One thing I do wonder about the AP's though:

Is it possible to devote smaller creative teams to each Adventure Path so that each has a dedicated core group of designers, or is manpower too limited for that?