D&D 5E Could Paizo go 5e?

hawkeyefan · Jan 20, 2016

I don't see how they would be able to do it. Not because WOTC wouldn't be all for Paizo helping design an adventure for 5E as other studios have...I think WOTC would agree to that in a heartbeat. And I imagine that many of the guys on each side are at the very least acquaintances, if not actual friends. Many of them would likely jump at a chance to work together.

But from Paizo's point of view, I can't see how it would be a good decision to produce content for your biggest competitor. It would basically be seen as them acknowledging that the 5E system is better than theirs.

They've managed a great deal of success over the past few years. It would be smarter for them to build upon that, rather than focus any resources on side projects...especially when those side projects could potentially drive their fan base to the competition ("wow, this 5E stuff is pretty good, and with this 5E Golarion Guide, I don't need Paizo's books anymore").

They should, and I expect they will, focus on streamlining their own system. It's gotten a bit out of hand, and I expect they realize that. Now's the time for them to rein things in a bit and make their system seem like the better option for players.

Mistwell · Jan 20, 2016

darjr said:
Yea, like they needed the 5e SRD under the OGL to do a 5e product. Sasquatch didn't. Neither did Kobold Press.

So you're saying of the three companies, the most recent one hasn't done it yet in the 3 months or so since their product came out, and this is evidence of...what?

Mistwell · Jan 20, 2016

hawkeyefan said:
But from Paizo's point of view, I can't see how it would be a good decision to produce content for your biggest competitor. It would basically be seen as them acknowledging that the 5E system is better than theirs.

I don't see how that follows. Them converting a single existing AP to 5e to garner some additional sales that way doesn't acknowledge anything about a better system. It just acknowledges there are sales to be made that was as well.

darjr · Jan 20, 2016

Mistwell said:
So you're saying of the three companies, the most recent one hasn't done it yet in the 3 months or so since their product came out, and this is evidence of...what?

Really, your going to nit pick this? Really? Go find out for your self when sasquatch went with their own 5e product and same with Kobold Press vs when their WotC collaboration was published. If you think my idea isn't valid just say so.

Regardless my point still stands. Paizo could do a 5e product with WotC and it'd be a huge deal and could be hugely successful and then go right back to serving their die hard fans with pathfinder and never touch 5e.

Reynard · Jan 20, 2016

darjr said:
Regardless my point still stands. Paizo could do a 5e product with WotC and it'd be a huge deal and could be hugely successful and then go right back to serving their die hard fans with pathfinder and never touch 5e.

They could, but whether it would pay in the long run is an open question. What's more, companies especially small companies) are operated by humans and not calculating machines, so the primary motivation behind decisions is very rarely what brings in the maximum amount of money in the shortest period of time. People have preferences and ideas and biases. Maybe Lisa Stevens thinks it would dilute the company brand or burn goodwill or has some other unquantifiable reason not to do it.

Mistwell · Jan 20, 2016

darjr said:
Really, your going to nit pick this? Really? Go find out for your self when sasquatch went with their own 5e product and same with Kobold Press vs when their WotC collaboration was published. If you think my idea isn't valid just say so.

Regardless my point still stands. Paizo could do a 5e product with WotC and it'd be a huge deal and could be hugely successful and then go right back to serving their die hard fans with pathfinder and never touch 5e.

Oh THAT is your point! OK, sure, we agree on that. Sorry, I just didn't know what your point was (probably my mistake - I am on cold medicine right now). I thought you were saying GR not doing more 5e was some sign that GR didn't like doing 5e or had a bad experience with it or saw bad sales with it or something like that.

hawkeyefan · Jan 20, 2016

Mistwell said:
I don't see how that follows. Them converting a single existing AP to 5e to garner some additional sales that way doesn't acknowledge anything about a better system. It just acknowledges there are sales to be made that was as well.

I'm not saying that I feel that would be true, but many would. Fans of either system can be incredibly biased...I believe you said this above...and seeing Paizo create 5E content would, for some folks, be seen as them admitting defeat.

Looking at it as impartially as possible, there's money to be made in a conversion book or something along the lines on Paizo's part. The question is whether it would be more money than whatever else they might produce, or if it would be enough money to even convince them to try it.

I think the inherent risks of Paizo creating 5E content...what the perception of that would be by fans, the real possibility of driving customers to the competition, and a lessening of their own creative content as resources are diverted...will keep them from attempting it in any significant way. At least in the near future.

darjr · Jan 20, 2016

Mistwell said:
Oh THAT is your point! OK, sure, we agree on that. Sorry, I just didn't know what your point was (probably my mistake - I am on cold medicine right now). I thought you were saying GR not doing more 5e was some sign that GR didn't like doing 5e or had a bad experience with it or saw bad sales with it or something like that.

Ah, no. Sorry about that. Yea, from all I can tell they had a wonderful time working with WotC and 5e. And I would welcome something 5e from them.

darjr · Jan 20, 2016

Reynard said:
They could, but whether it would pay in the long run is an open question. What's more, companies especially small companies) are operated by humans and not calculating machines, so the primary motivation behind decisions is very rarely what brings in the maximum amount of money in the shortest period of time. People have preferences and ideas and biases. Maybe Lisa Stevens thinks it would dilute the company brand or burn goodwill or has some other unquantifiable reason not to do it.

Yea. IF Paizo did a Greyhawk book with WotC I don't think it'd be for the money.

Mistwell · Jan 20, 2016

hawkeyefan said:
I'm not saying that I feel that would be true, but many would. Fans of either system can be incredibly biased...I believe you said this above...and seeing Paizo create 5E content would, for some folks, be seen as them admitting defeat.

Looking at it as impartially as possible, there's money to be made in a conversion book or something along the lines on Paizo's part. The question is whether it would be more money than whatever else they might produce, or if it would be enough money to even convince them to try it.

I think the inherent risks of Paizo creating 5E content...what the perception of that would be by fans, the real possibility of driving customers to the competition, and a lessening of their own creative content as resources are diverted...will keep them from attempting it in any significant way. At least in the near future.

I get there is competition between fans there, but I don't know if it's as extreme as you paint that picture. I dunno, I run 5e, and ran 4e and 3.5e before that....but I am using a Paizo Pathfinder adventure path that I am converting on the fly with 5e, and one of their initiative trackers as well. I somehow doubt a meaningful number of people would be so upset by Paizo converting an existing AP to 5e such that it would impact their sales in any negative way. You really think die-hard fans of either Paizo or WOTC would suddenly change their buying habits as a result of them doing that conversion such that it would hurt one or both of those companies in terms of sales? I can't see that happening.

D&D 5E Could Paizo go 5e?

hawkeyefan

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