Sept 2nd News - I wont be doing Scales of War

[Uzzy]

Wait wait, I thought you were complaining about the lack of an overview from Paizo, something not true at all. If you wanted an overview of the first AP, you can find that in Pathfinder 1: Burnt Offerings. No, it is not 100% ideal that the overview for the second AP was found in the last book of the first AP. However, Paizo learnt from that, and the first book in Second Darkness has a very nice overview. It's alright to make little mistakes, just as long as people learn from them. Paizo has done. (Further, to be fair, the 4 page preview of Curse of the Crimson Throne in PF#6 is a top quality preview.)

As for cost related issues, there are a few points. Firstly, quality. Paizo's adventures are top notch, as evidenced by the 8 Ennies that were won this year. Heck, Expedition to Castle Greyhawk was written by Paizo staff! Secondly, they are actual print products, as opposed to PDF's. Thirdly, WoTC, as the market leader, have much greater economies of scale then Paizo.

Paizo give people the overview they need for an Adventure Path. WoTC offer lame excuses.

 

[Fifth Element]

I'm really sick to death with WoTC telling me how to have fun.

Overstate much?

I do agree that DMs should have a synopsis available. We all know players aren't a predictable lot, and the more info the DM has from the beginning, the better. Which is why I personally would never DM an adventure path without having the whole thing to begin with.

 

[The Little Raven]

Wait wait, I thought you were complaining about the lack of an overview from Paizo, something not true at all.

No, my complaint was that I couldn't find one, and I asked to be pointed to one if it exists. You pointed me to it, and I learned that it would cost me money to be able to see it, which is a new issue I have with it.

It's alright to make little mistakes, just as long as people learn from them.

Agreed. And you're exactly right that going from putting the overview in the last adventure of a previous AP to putting it in the first adventure of the current AP is definitely learning and correcting.

Secondly, they are actual print products, as opposed to PDF's.

No, I'm talking about the PDFs that cost $14 a pop. If I was talking about the print products, the price under discussion would be $20. I chose to compare the PDF versions of the adventures to Dragon/Dungeon since DDI stuff is PDF as well.

 

[billd91]

Paizo give people the overview they need for an Adventure Path. WoTC offer lame excuses.

I agree. And the Paizo AP overviews serve as a marketing tool for the discriminating consumer. Do I want to invest more in this AP? Does it have the potential to add to my campaign? How do I know? I read the overviews.

Of course, that comes with the possibility that I may not buy the adventure path. Is that something they're actually afraid of? Is that the real reason they aren't putting out an overview?

I'd be willing to accept an explanation that later parts of the path aren't completely nailed down. I'd accept it even more willingly if they broke up the path into 4 or 8 episode chunks and provided a synopsis of those chunks as they approached publication date and were solidified in the plans.

It's about service to the consumers, ultimately, and their use of the materials. Good service, even if the customer doesn't buy the product, brings people back to check out other offerings. Some companies, it is clear, understand that better than others.

 

[billd91]

Overstate much?

You may have a different opinion, but I agree with Drkfathr1. All this stuff we've heard about things not being fun - having surprises potentially spoiled, certain kinds of "unfun" things that went on in previous editions of the game, etc. I'm getting pretty tired of it too.

 

[AllisterH]

Silly question.

Pre-Adventure path overview, how did you guys do something like Against the Giants->Descent?

 

[The Little Raven]

You may have a different opinion, but I agree with Drkfathr1. All this stuff we've heard about things not being fun - having surprises potentially spoiled, certain kinds of "unfun" things that went on in previous editions of the game, etc. I'm getting pretty tired of it too.

I see absolutely nothing in his reply that goes anywhere near telling people how to have fun or saying that things from previous editions were unfun. I see him saying that certain "reveals" being spoiled ahead of time won't have the same impact, which makes sense, since surprises in storylines (like plot twists, character deaths, etc) don't have the same impact if you know about them ahead of time.

Saying "this won't have the same impact" and "this is how you have fun" are entirely different statements.

 

[WhatGravitas]

So, to get an overview of the second AP in the series, I have to spend $14 (nearly 3 months of DDI) on the last adventure in the first path? And this doesn't even help me with an overview of the first AP (#1-#6)? And I spend more per month ($10 with subscription, as opposed to $5 with subscription on DDI) for less content (1 96-page adventure, as opposed to 2 100+ page magazines plus a rules compendium that features rules from products I don't own)?

That's not good either. But just because Paizo does it wrong, it doesn't mean that WotC must make the same error, no? Plus the Paizo AP entries feel more interconnected (though this doesn't make up for the lack of a well-placed overview) than the two SoW entries so far.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I don't see how argument is any weaker than the 'must know it all right now' argument.

I don't need to know it all. I would appreciate if they gave me some information to give me a general idea of where in Hood's name this adventure path is going, and how are the adventures interconnected.

Also, I find it unacceptable that the information is available, but that the powers that be decide for ME that this information would be more hurtful (because of the "secrets") than helpful.

Beru fend.

AR

 

[The Little Raven]

Also, I find it unacceptable that the information is available, but that the powers that be decide for ME that this information would be more hurtful (because of the "secrets") than helpful.

Again, I see nothing in his post that says that. He says that the impact will be lessened if you know about surprises ahead of time, which is an accurate statement. If you knew Vader was Luke's father before watching that scene in Empire, then it wouldn't have the same impact.

There's a difference between "it won't have the same imoact we want if you know ahead of time" and "it will hurt you to know this."