Paizo announces 13 Omens, a new horror RPG

Paizo has announced a new horror RPG that will not use the Pathfinder/Starfinder 2E game engine. Announced today, 13 Omens is a new rules-lite RPG designed by Jason Bulmahn and Joe Pasini. The game is set in a "dark reflection of our world; beset by horrifying specters, bloodthirsty killers, cursed places, and secrets best left unknown." No further details were announced for the game, save that it will use an easy-to-learn game engine that ramps up tension as the game moves along. You can sign up for a mailing list on Paizo's website.

The new RPG is notable as it marks Paizo's third-ever RPG. Paizo as a company has focused primarily on Pathfinder and Starfinder, as well as accessories and the occasional peripheral tabletop or card game. Bulmahn is the Director of Games for Paizo and has previously worked on Hopefinder, a horror-themed zombie apocalypse RPG that used the Pathfinder 2E engine.

 

[Cergorach]

While it's interesting, I wonder how well it will do. With Paizo's other projects outside the pnp RPGs of Pathfinder/Starfinder, things don't go so well. Their MMO collapsed, most of their board/card games tend to be mediocre at best (with the possible exception being the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game). Things like their minis are licensed to Wizkids, so imho not really a Paizo product.

To date, after they stopped making D&D 3.5e Dungeon & Dragon magazine, and the adventure compilations thereof. They've only recently made two D&D 5e products: A conversion book for Kingmaker and the entire adventure book for Abomination Vaults. Have they previously done any other RPGs?

It almost seems that Paizo is so successful due to a certain fanatical group of fans that are mostly interested in PF/SF, and not much else... They might service a completely different crowd with a game like this though...

 

[Reynard]

While it's interesting, I wonder how well it will do. With Paizo's other projects outside the pnp RPGs of Pathfinder/Starfinder, things don't go so well. Their MMO collapsed, most of their board/card games tend to be mediocre at best (with the possible exception being the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game). Things like their minis are licensed to Wizkids, so imho not really a Paizo product.

To date, after they stopped making D&D 3.5e Dungeon & Dragon magazine, and the adventure compilations thereof. They've only recently made two D&D 5e products: A conversion book for Kingmaker and the entire adventure book for Abomination Vaults. Have they previously done any other RPGs?

It almost seems that Paizo is so successful due to a certain fanatical group of fans that are mostly interested in PF/SF, and not much else... They might service a completely different crowd with a game like this though...

That's a strange criticism to level at Paizo when WotC is in exactly the same position, just an order of magnitude bigger (random guess, not an assertion). When the biggest RPG company in the world also only makes one RPG, well -- that seems to be more standard than the exception, doesn't it?

 

[Morrus]

They're going to be running it at UKGE ( 13 Omens with creator Jason Bulmahn ).

Is the GM Jason Bulmahn or Alex Speidel?

I'd be tempted to sign up, but finding 4 spare hours in a busy working convention schedule is nigh impossible!

 

[wicked cool]

While it's interesting, I wonder how well it will do. With Paizo's other projects outside the pnp RPGs of Pathfinder/Starfinder, things don't go so well. Their MMO collapsed, most of their board/card games tend to be mediocre at best (with the possible exception being the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game). Things like their minis are licensed to Wizkids, so imho not really a Paizo product.

To date, after they stopped making D&D 3.5e Dungeon & Dragon magazine, and the adventure compilations thereof. They've only recently made two D&D 5e products: A conversion book for Kingmaker and the entire adventure book for Abomination Vaults. Have they previously done any other RPGs?

It almost seems that Paizo is so successful due to a certain fanatical group of fans that are mostly interested in PF/SF, and not much else... They might service a completely different crowd with a game like this though...

It’s funny we as the public do t really know how well they do. I went to pax east and d&d dominates. Does paizo do well at any con? Unlike d&d, critical role and even shadowdark do they have a well run online group? Unlike the 3 I mentioned I barely hear about people who work there and wouldn’t know them if they walked by me?

 

[Morrus]

Unlike the 3 I mentioned I barely hear about people who work there and wouldn’t know them if they walked by me?

I mean, how many people have you heard of who work at Ford or, I dunno, Doritos or Coca Cola or Panasonic? The fame of its workers isn't a measure of a business' success. That's just not the business Ford is in, and it's not really the business Paizo is in. Their business is selling books.

 

[EternalDungeonMaster]

I will be keeping an eye out for this. Another horror RPG that I enjoy, Chill, is all but completely dead (it is currently without a publisher).

 

[wicked cool]

I mean, how many people have you heard of who work at Ford or, I dunno, Doritos or Coca Cola or Panasonic? The fame of its workers isn't a measure of a business' success. That's just not the business Ford is in, and it's not really the business Paizo is in. Their business is selling books.

True but Kelsey is a 1 person show for shadowdark and wotc/this site tells us who the big hitters are at wotc and how travis helps run crit role operations and yet very little from basically a top tier rpg company . I have other examples such as modiphius etc . I just find it odd
I also find it puzzling that other sites come out and say daggerheart or the rpg from Japan are someday wotc killers and yet pathfinder isn’t even mentioned ever in these arguments. If this was sports and your the bottom team in the league (take any of my examples) you want to move up the ladder/standings. There is zero and I mean zero talk of these companies leapfrogging paizo who is number 2? Are they even number 2 are they bud light second to modelo or Dorito's (owned I think by Pepsi and we see spokespeople etc

 

[Morrus]

True but Kelsey is a 1 person show for shadowdark and wotc/this site tells us who the big hitters are at wotc and how travis helps run crit role operations and yet very little from basically a top tier rpg company . I have other examples such as modiphius etc . I just find it odd
I also find it puzzling that other sites come out and say daggerheart or the rpg from Japan are someday wotc killers and yet pathfinder isn’t even mentioned ever in these arguments. If this was sports and your the bottom team in the league (take any of my examples) you want to move up the ladder/standings. There is zero and I mean zero talk of these companies leapfrogging paizo who is number 2? Are they even number 2 are they bud light second to modelo or Dorito's (owned I think by Pepsi and we see spokespeople etc

You lost me!

I also find it puzzling that other sites come out and say daggerheart or the rpg from Japan are someday wotc killers and yet pathfinder isn’t even mentioned ever in these arguments.

Anybody claiming any of these games are WotC killers is woefully misinformed or trying to sell you something.

 

[djotaku]

Hmm - first Kobold Press does the Wind in the Willows TTRPG and now Paizo does this one. Things are really getting interesting in this space.

 

[Dr. Bull]

I am grateful that Paizo is taking a shot at a rules-lite rpg. In my opinion, the large companies seem to focus on games that have 300+ pages of rules. For example, the D&D 2024 SRD is 362 pages!

One of the great appeals of ShadowDark is that new players can learn the game quickly. I loved Pathfinder 1e (in lieu of D&D 4e), but the crunch of Pathfinder 2e left me a bit cold. There are endless pages of character options. Everyone at the table must be a rules expert in order to make the game run smoothly.

Personally, I'm an avid fan of the Paizo writing staff. They all have excellent writing styles, so I am looking forward to this new release!