Would Paizo Make a Better Steward for Our Hobby?

[Tequila Sunrise]

When discussing the industry, it's fun to think about things that will never happen, like "What if Paizo owned D&D"?


Assuming that Paizo wrote a ruleset that you personally loved (or stuck with PF if you love it)...


...It's an appealing thought. Paizo seems to be a much better company than WotC, in every way I can think of. It doesn't have annual Xmas layoffs, it doesn't suck at PR, and I even heard that they keep boxes of kittens in the office for anyone who's having a bad day. If Paizo was in charge of D&D (or PF, whatever), maybe we'd have another edition that broke the decade mark. Maybe we'd have less unwanted rules bloat, and more adventure and setting support instead. (Let's also assume that Paizo is supporting your favorite setting.)


But then again, who's to say that Paizo wouldn't become the next WotC after increasing its revenue stream and seeing the future generation of management? Like how VH1 became the next MTV, after going from MVs to reality garbage just like MTV did. When I see things like that happen, I have to suspect that there's an insidious underlying cause for the pattern. Who's to say that as a big company, there aren't underlying reasons for WotC's behavior other than bad decision-making and callousness?

EDIT: For the purpose of this thought experiment, feel free to interchange Paizo with your favorite non-WotC game company.

EDIT the Second: For the purpose of this thought experiment, assume that JJ and his team care about the design goals you care about. They woke up from the Matrix or something, and now have the power to make exactly the ruleset you want.

 

[Wicht]

I don't think WotC behavior is because of callousness. I suspect its more a lack of appreciation for the nuances of the RPG market. In which case a company which understands the business is going to do better than a company that tries to market it like a typical commercial product, or which assumes that because the Core books are the best sellers profit will be maximized by continually replacing the core books.

The idea though that Paizo is going to obtain DnD is a bit of a pipe-dream. It might be nice. I won't hold my breath. And as a conversation its about as profitable as wondering what it would be like if Batman had Wolverine's regeneration, or what would happen if Luke Skywalker got in a fight with Captain Kirk. That is, it makes interesting speculation, but produces nothing of real lasting value outside the conversation itself.

 

[ForeverSlayer]

I would rather Paizo come up with their own game and develop a name that is just as known and recognized as D&D.

 

[Wicht]

I would rather Paizo come up with their own game and develop a name that is just as known and recognized as D&D.

I think that, at this point, Pathfinder is very much Paizo's game and while it may not have the cultural penetration that Dungeons and Dragons has, D&D has thirty or so years headstart. Give it time. The name is already creeping into the boardgame community via the very well received Adventure Card game. There are pathfinder comics, novels, and minis (plastic and metal).

The "why don't they make their own game," was a bit tiresome when it first was trotted out. Four years on, its no less old and even less valid. One might as well tell car companies that unless they replace the old four-wheeled model of automobile design, they are simply failing to innovate.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I'm lukewarm about their actual writing ability, but I think Paizo has embraced open gaming more than WotC ever did, and succeeded with it. On that basis, I do think they'd do better.

 

[Dice4Hire]

To be fair, Paizo HAD to embrace open gaming as Pathfinder is built upon that concept. It is not their original game.

 

[Ahnehnois]

To be fair, Paizo HAD to embrace open gaming as Pathfinder is built upon that concept. It is not their original game.

I see nothing that would have prevented them from making all their novel material closed content though. The prd isn't just the SRD revised, it's a ton of new stuff that they made and voluntarily released for free.

Conversely, WotC could have released their supplements in the same way but chose another pass.

 

[Wicht]

To be fair, Paizo HAD to embrace open gaming as Pathfinder is built upon that concept. It is not their original game.

The chestnut that never gets old.

Does it not occur to some people that Paizo might see the OGL as a bonus, not as an albatross to be worn around the neck?


And as Ahn points out, they have added plenty of new material into the pool. Archetypes, bloodlines, the mythic rules, scads of new monsters, the list could go on and on. They have taken the 3.x core and made it their own.

 

[DaveMage]

Yes, I think Paizo would make a better steward for the flagship RPG.

 

[JeffB]

It is too late for D&D and has been since TSR stopped being a hobby company run hy enthusiasts who considered it a labor of love in the ealy/mid 1980s.

IOW, Paizo would end up in the same boat as WOTC if they did get the brand. That is the problem, it is no longer just a game..it is a brand. Yuck.