Pathfinder 1E Opinions on Pathfinder

[MichaelSomething]

While I really like the PF game so far, I also feel that the GameMastery Guide and Advanced Players Guide look really promising. It seems like the two core books are really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Good Fun - that they needed to provide the core books to continue the 3e ruleset, but these two books will really move PF beyond "just" an incremental evolution of 3.5e. While I am not a big fan of endless splat books, I am a fan of providing DM's and players new outlets for creativity. The GameMastery Guide in particular looks intriguing, as I still get a kick out of the lists in the back of the 1e DMG when creating campaign/adventures. Here's to hoping that it will include some of those Dungeon Dressings...

Paizo's business model is mostly about the adventures, flavor books, and GM tools. The players options are developed in order to support those things. Most RPG companies do the exact opposite of that. That means that because of the monthy AP coming out, they don't need to put out a lot of splat books. Just one to four books a year to show that Pathfinder is still a "supported" RPG.

 

[Wicht]

Apropos of thoughts on Paizo and Pathfinder: The Pathfinder DM's screen is one of the best DM screens out there and when I finally got to see it on Christmas morning I could tell that it would easily be my screen of choice. (before that I was a Kenzer DM Screen User). Paizo simply does a good job of putting out quality products and the screen is indicative of that.

 

[Aus_Snow]

While I really like the PF game so far, I also feel that the GameMastery Guide and Advanced Players Guide look really promising. It seems like the two core books are really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Good Fun - that they needed to provide the core books to continue the 3e ruleset, but these two books will really move PF beyond "just" an incremental evolution of 3.5e. While I am not a big fan of endless splat books, I am a fan of providing DM's and players new outlets for creativity. The GameMastery Guide in particular looks intriguing, as I still get a kick out of the lists in the back of the 1e DMG when creating campaign/adventures. Here's to hoping that it will include some of those Dungeon Dressings...

Hear, hear.

Depending on how the game groups I'm involved with choose to do things in the near future, the GMG is a possible purchase. It does sound pretty tasty, all up. Don't know enough about the APG, but it's less likely to appeal in the first place, tbh.

My days of treading the splatmill are over, is why.

 

[Caedwyr]

For all those discussing the timeline of Paizo and the 4E rollout, I suggest you listen to the Green Ronin Podcast #3 from September 19, 2007 one month after the announcement of 4E. It certainly sounds to me like Paizo was looking forward to supporting 4E.

The reason I personally like the Pathfinder products is they are books/material that I want to buy, not books/material I feel obligated to buy. Pretty much each item I've bought from them is something that if I picked it up in Chapters or Duthie Books I would want to buy it even if I wasn't into gaming at all.

 

[Wicht]

For all those discussing the timeline of Paizo and the 4E rollout, I suggest you listen to the Green Ronin Podcast #3 from September 19, 2007 one month after the announcement of 4E. It certainly sounds to me like Paizo was looking forward to supporting 4E.

The reason I personally like the Pathfinder products is they are books/material that I want to buy, not books/material I feel obligated to buy. Pretty much each item I've bought from them is something that if I picked it up in Chapters or Duthie Books I would want to buy it even if I wasn't into gaming at all.

A point from that interview - both Green Ronin and Paizo were confident that 4e would be OGL: mainly because Wizards had assured them it would be. Paizo was saying up until January or February of 2008 that they figured they would more than likely go with 4e. I think the fiasco that was the GSL and the delays involved there and the broken assurances made about the OGL continuing with 4e really shook their confidence in Wizards as any sort of reliable partner.

Back on topic:
Another pair of enjoyable Paizo products are the Fumble and Critical hit decks. In our family game tonight - a gnoll archer in the House of the Beast strained his back while using his bow and one gnoll sliced his arrow right through the cheek of the barbarian: all thanks to the wonders of the critical and fumble cards. They really do make 1s and 20s more interesting in combat.

 

[SteveC]

You know, I don't think this issue is all that complicated. Did you like 3X? Do you want a game that's in print and almost entirely compatible with 3X? Do you use adventure paths for you campaign? If your answer to these questions is all "yes" then Pathfinder is the game for you.

Once you start having "no" as an answer for those questions, Pathfinder becomes less and less the game for you.

Now the most interesting thing I've seen in Pathfinder is that it's essentially a "reboot" for 3x games, because so much of the 3.5 crunch from WotC wasn't open content, and so can't be used directly with Pathfinder.

If you didn't like the last couple years of 3X, Pathfinder doesn't have that baggage built in because it literally can't use it, so it might be a good game for you. As Pathfinder continues to develop, it has another opportunity to get some things right that you might feel WotC went wrong with.

Of course that assumes you're not using Pathfinder as a supplement for your existing 3X material, of course.

--Steve

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Y
Now the most interesting thing I've seen in Pathfinder is that it's essentially a "reboot" for 3x games, because so much of the 3.5 crunch from WotC wasn't open content, and so can't be used directly with Pathfinder.

Could you give an example of things in 3x that you can't use in my Pathfinder game? Because I dont think what youre saying here is accurate. I was under the impression that you CAN still use your 3.5 stuff with Pathfinder with some minor changes.

Now this may have to do with some peoples interpretation that if you have to make any changes between systems that it's incompatible. I dont subscribe to that rule. Pathfinder and 3.5 (tangerines & oranges) are closer to each other system wise than to 3.5 and 4E (oranges & bananas).

 

[BryonD]

Could you give an example of things in 3x that you can't use in my Pathfinder game? Because I dont think what youre saying here is accurate. I was under the impression that you CAN still use your 3.5 stuff with Pathfinder with some minor changes.

Now this may have to do with some peoples interpretation that if you have to make any changes between systems that it's incompatible. I dont subscribe to that rule. Pathfinder and 3.5 (tangerines & oranges) are closer to each other system wise than to 3.5 and 4E (oranges & bananas).

I believe what he means is they can't incorporate any of it in their products. They can't do a warlock book or have a warlock appear in a module. (specifically a Complete Arcane Warlock) It is purely an OGC non-OGC issue, not a compatibility issue.

A warlock would be 100% compatible in a PF game at your table.

But, if product bloat is one of your 3E concerns, it is very easy as a DM to simply state that you are going PF only. Poof, vast pages of WotC (and other 3PP) material is off the table.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I believe what he means is they can't incorporate any of it in their products. They can't do a warlock book or have a warlock appear in a module. (specifically a Complete Arcane Warlock) It is purely an OGC non-OGC issue, not a compatibility issue.

A warlock would be 100% compatible in a PF game at your table.

But, if product bloat is one of your 3E concerns, it is very easy as a DM to simply state that you are going PF only. Poof, vast pages of WotC (and other 3PP) material is off the table.

AH! Gotcha.

 

[Primal]

Apropos of thoughts on Paizo and Pathfinder: The Pathfinder DM's screen is one of the best DM screens out there and when I finally got to see it on Christmas morning I could tell that it would easily be my screen of choice. (before that I was a Kenzer DM Screen User). Paizo simply does a good job of putting out quality products and the screen is indicative of that.

+1! It's so thick that it can likely deflect bullets (it will definitely deflect dice hurled by angry players! ). It's the best DM/GM screen I've seen to date.