D&D 4E 4E: What does this mean for Paizo?

[KingCrab]

I've been really excited about Pathfinder and many of the upcoming GameMastery modules. I really love what they've been doing so I wonder what kind of an effect this will have on them. I'm thinking:

1. The first Pathfinder series and many of their almost completed projects will be 3.5.
2. No more open license: can't be good for them.

Figuring 4ed may come out within the year, how will this affect Paizo?

 

[Dire Bare]

I've been really excited about Pathfinder and many of the upcoming GameMastery modules. I really love what they've been doing so I wonder what kind of an effect this will have on them. I'm thinking:

1. The first Pathfinder series and many of their almost completed projects will be 3.5.
2. No more open license: can't be good for them.

Figuring 4ed may come out within the year, how will this affect Paizo?

I have no inside info, but I'd be willing to bet that Paizo will announce plans at or soon after GenCon.

And I'd be willing to bet good money they will continue with their Pathfinder/Gamemastery plans under 3.5 until the day 4e is released, then switch. And provide clear upgrade notes and errata for earlier releases.

It's because they are cool that I have complete faith and trust in them to bang out quality product.

Oh, and don't worry about Paizo not getting a license from WotC. If they want it, they'll get it.

 

[Baron Opal]

I'd bet they already know. They've demonstrated a good working relationship with WotC; their relationship has been very amicable, at least publicly. I'm sure that they have plans in the works for their transition.

I imagine thier biggest concern is how much of their fan base will prefer 3.5e to 4e and then scale their product line accordingly.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's a good bet that Paizo will do one of two things:

1) Be 4E licensee #1.
2) Be the producer of a Fork OGL book that allows people to play 3E indefinitely. Given their takes on monsters we've seen so far, I think the prospect of a Paizo PHB, MM and DMG is actually pretty exciting.

 

[trancejeremy]

I dunno if it applies to their Pathfinder stuff, but their freebie for Free RPG actually didn't use the d20 license, but was OGL only. At the time I thought perhaps it was part of the fallout from losing the Dungeon/Dragon license (maybe they agreed not to make d20 products), but now I wonder if maybe they aren't trying to build up an "OGL" brand for when 4e comes out.

 

[Agamon]

Well, if we assume they can create 4E stuff, but won't support 3E once 4E comes out, my subscriptions to Pathfinder and GameMastery will end at that point, sadly. This is the bad news for me concerning this announcement.

If, however, they continue to support 3.5E? Then it's Paizo FTW!

 

[Glyfair]

I dunno if it applies to their Pathfinder stuff, but their freebie for Free RPG actually didn't use the d20 license, but was OGL only. At the time I thought perhaps it was part of the fallout from losing the Dungeon/Dragon license (maybe they agreed not to make d20 products), but now I wonder if maybe they aren't trying to build up an "OGL" brand for when 4e comes out.

Erik has said the reason the d20 license wasn't used is because the d20 logo has a negative connotation of poor quality in the market now. People associate it with substandard products.

 

[Treebore]

Where does it say no OGL for 4E?

 

[Charwoman Gene]

Where does it say no OGL for 4E?

jgbrowning's word only.

 

[Friadoc]

I have no inside info, but I'd be willing to bet that Paizo will announce plans at or soon after GenCon.

And I'd be willing to bet good money they will continue with their Pathfinder/Gamemastery plans under 3.5 until the day 4e is released, then switch. And provide clear upgrade notes and errata for earlier releases.

It's because they are cool that I have complete faith and trust in them to bang out quality product.

Oh, and don't worry about Paizo not getting a license from WotC. If they want it, they'll get it.

I agree with a lot of what Dire Bare says and not because we're both in the Boise area, in fact I don't know the guy, but because Paizo has a pretty good ability to scramble with the ebb and flow of the industry.

Losing the license for Dragon and Dungeon magazines could have hulled many a company, sending them to the bottom, or at least floundering for sometime to come, but not Paizo.

They worked things out professionally with WotC, came up with a good timing for releases, and then worked up their own, next product.

What a product, too. Everything I've seen about Pathfinder not only had me subscribed to it, but continue my subscription while laid off.

Yeap, I'm pretty excited about it, plus my severance package was okay. *chuckles*

My only addition to these comments are the same that Whizbang Dustyboots made and that is if WotC doesn't keep the OGL, or narrows it so much that Paizo has to come up with another option, I could easily see them do their own PHB, MM, and DMG.

In fact, I'd really be excited to see what they do with their own "Core Rules", so to speak.

It'd be kind of awesome, I think, but at this point it's only a pipe dream.