THIS Is The Pathfinder Playtest Rulebook!

Jacob Lewis · Jul 8, 2018

Jester David said:
It's not gatekeeping to suggest if someone doesn't like something they shouldn't partake.
I don't like pineapples on my pizza so I don't order them. It's not gatekeeping for someone to suggest I not order Hawaiian pizza if I'm just going to complain.

Now it's pineapples and oranges? You have a strange infatuation for fruit-based arguments. Ok, I'll bite!

I think I made it pretty clear that I am not ordering the Hawaiian pizza. And I have not actually made a complaint about how the Hawaiian pizza was being delivered, only the contrast in difference on how two different pizza companies deliver their particular brand of pizza. (Are we done with the abstract fruit/pizza metaphors now?)

It is literally irrelevant if you don't like it.

You literally don't know when not to use the word "literally". See what I did there?

Again, what I take umbrage to is point to one thing Paizo is doing and pointing to something completely unrelated and using it as an example of how Paizo handles releases completely differently, when they're not *that* different.

I don't understand why you're taking umbrage in the first place, though your flimsy arguments and examples suggest that you don't either. (I'll get back to that in a minute.) If I had not disclosed my own personal preference, nothing I wrote should imply which approach I thought was better. I don't think either is better or worse. As I have tried to convey several times, it's not about a competition. It's simply an observation of approach. I have not been denying or accusing anyone if they like WotC' style because some people are enjoying it. But there is a distinct difference.

Since you like to cite specific references to try building an argument, here's a little assignment for you. Find the following instances where:

1) Paizo used codenames in public to hide the name of any future product.

2) Paizo teased a picture of some partially obscured product so as to hide the name or contents of any future product.

3) Paizo made a deliberate attempt to mislead their audience into guessing the wrong anything about a future product.

These are all things WotC has done in recent years with 5e products. That is not an accusation; that's just an observation. And that is what I am pointing at when I talk about contrast. Differences, not similarities. Pineapples and oranges.

ddaley · Jul 8, 2018

I can't even remember if I pre-ordered this or not...

Morrus · Jul 8, 2018

ddaley said:
I can't even remember if I pre-ordered this or not...

Did you get an email a couple of days ago? If not, you didn’t.

ddaley · Jul 8, 2018

Morrus said:
Did you get an email a couple of days ago? If not, you didn’t.

I just looking through my lengthy list of Amazon orders... apparently , I pre-ordered through Amazon. So, I'll get it when I get it

D1Tremere · Jul 13, 2018

It seems a lot thinner than the previous Pathfinder core rulebook book. I wonder if this is because or rules reduction or less art? Either way, slightly concerning for a time serving as DM, Player, and monster guide.
That said, I'm still excited to get my hands on it soon.

houser2112 · Jul 13, 2018

D1Tremere said:
It seems a lot thinner than the previous Pathfinder core rulebook book. I wonder if this is because or rules reduction or less art? Either way, slightly concerning for a time serving as DM, Player, and monster guide.
That said, I'm still excited to get my hands on it soon.

It's just a playtest document in book form. It's not intended to be anywhere close to the equivalent of the PF1 CRB.

wolfknight75 · Jul 14, 2018

WOW! I never realized their was such a division between Pathfinder and 5e fans. I personally like both and have them both. I see them as two sides of the same coin, similar to BECMI and AD&D were in the 80's. Both are great and can be intermixed or used on their own without difficulty. I guess for those on a more strict budget I might be able to see the reason only to support one or the other. However, I see them both as a boon for fans as it makes each company compete for a better set of rules and give fans a better deal. I for one, sure don't want to see or be a a part of another set of online trolling about different editions again. Thank you to Mr. Bulmahn for posting this, although I'm crazy excited to get my own copy right now. Definitely hate waiting.... Lol!

Staffan · Jul 15, 2018

wolfknight75 said:
WOW! I never realized their was such a division between Pathfinder and 5e fans.

Here's my guess of how things are: Pathfinder fans are, to a large degree, self-selected for conservatism - not as in politics, but as in being pretty happy with the status quo and suspicious of change. Back in 2008, many D&D players were unhappy with the changes in 4th edition, and jumped onto the Pathfinder bandwagon. Many of them jumped back with 5e - and of course, there are plenty of people in the same situation as you, who enjoy both games for what they are. But that still leaves a lot of people who liked neither the 4e nor the 5e changes, and they make up a significant portion of the Pathfinder fanbase. And of course, these will not like changes to Pathfinder that make it more like 4e or 5e.

I'll add that of course the above bit is a gross generalization. There are certainly plenty of Pathfinder players who look at 5e and go "Well, that's a nice game I suppose, but it's' not what I like." But these folks are rarely the ones who are vocal on playtest forums - the ones who are tend to be the ones that are heavily invested in the game as it currently exists.

Staffan · Jul 15, 2018

D1Tremere said:
It seems a lot thinner than the previous Pathfinder core rulebook book. I wonder if this is because or rules reduction or less art? Either way, slightly concerning for a time serving as DM, Player, and monster guide.
That said, I'm still excited to get my hands on it soon.

To my knowledge, it is not intended to serve as a monster guide - that'll be a separate document. And I went and dug up my old Pathfinder beta PDF - it was 410 pages long, including two pages for the front and back cover, compared to the 578 pages (again including cover) it turned to when actually published.

I'm guessing there are two main reasons for the shorter length of the playtest book: less art, and less to no "handholding" texts (how to design encounters and such).

Charlaquin · Jul 15, 2018

D1Tremere said:
It seems a lot thinner than the previous Pathfinder core rulebook book. I wonder if this is because or rules reduction or less art? Either way, slightly concerning for a time serving as DM, Player, and monster guide.
That said, I'm still excited to get my hands on it soon.

Have you considered it could be a similar amount of content presented more efficiently?