Pathfinder 1E Are people still playing Pathfinder 1e?

[kronovan]

I'm playing after an 8 year absence, but entirely online via the Fantasy Grounds Unity VTT. I can't find any PF1e tables in my city, whereas a decade ago PF Society sessions and campaigns were common. Nor can I seem to get any players to respond to ads I've posted. A couple of years ago during an abrupt move when I had to downsize my bookshelves, I placed my CRB, APG and PFS Field Guide books on a community bookshelf as free offerings. But no one ever claimed them - doh! So I reclaimed them.

Last time I saw the quarterly FGU session number totals, PF1e ranked 3rd in popularity; far behind D&D 5e, slightly behind PF2e and slightly aheady of Savage Worlds. I do like the PF1e ruleset implemetation for FGU, with its theme among, if not the best for the VTT. It doesn't get the development attention that D&D5e, PF2e and SWADE get, but being one of the early rulesets it supports a lot of customization and the player community has created many, terrific extensions for it. It also helps that many of the GMs running APs on FGU have done it for a while, so they usually own an impressive amount of the available DLCs.

Currently I'm working on adapting the Midgard Campaing Setting to the FGU-PF1e ruleset. Which for those who are familiar with it, was originally a 3.5/PF1e setting before its publisher Kobold Press took it exclusively to 5e. My efforts are eased a bit by Kobold having converted the original PF1e campaigns to 5e, who's 5e versions are all now available as FGU DLCs. Most of the content for those can be easily converted to a custom PF1e campaign. Unfortunately Kobold never saw the value in bringing their Midgard Player's Guide for PF1e to FGU, so that's still a big effort ahead of me.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Playing through the spooky adventure path currently.

 

[Reynard]

I'm playing after an 8 year absence, but entirely online via the Fantasy Grounds Unity VTT.

How is the FG implementation. They put out A LOT of PF1 books and that makes me think people must be using the platform for that game.

 

[kronovan]

How is the FG implementation. They put out A LOT of PF1 books and that makes me think people must be using the platform for that game.

I like the PF1e ruleset for FG. It's character sheet is reasonably well layed out and very functional. My only complaint, is that its Combat and Action tabs are a bit confusing, in that the Combat tab is where secondary/derived stats are calculated for ACs, saves, attacks, CMD, CMB and movement. Whereas it's the Action tab where attacks and spell castings are actually executed from. I see some players initally tripped up by that, but they get it with time.

The PF1e ruleset stands out among FG rulesets, for including by default many effects; 35 in addition to the standard 8 lighting effects. As well, it supports a simple conditional effects logic called IF and IFT, where IF conditions refer to the PC and IFT to the PC's target. A lot of automation can be achieved with those with minimal text and I've been impressed with what some of my host GMs have come up with. The included Reference Library is also more complete and better presented than many of the other rulesets, making it easy to play without a PDF or HC copy of the CRB. Its version of the Combat Tracker is a bit lean for features when compared to some of the other rulesets. On the other hand, it's version of the Party Sheet is more feature rich that many others.

And yes, there is a lot DLC content available for it; 1st party and 3rd party. All the bestiaries, the core books and most of the APs are available. None of the Pathfinder Companions have been adapted though. I really like that Paizo allows you to sync your FG account with you paizo.com store account. Once you do that, they give you the PDF for free for any of the PF1e DLCs you buy - as a FG publisher, they're alone in providing that perk.

 

[haakon1]

I'm playing after an 8 year absence,

I’m lost in all the abbreviations, but one random idea is to run PF1 for a con and recruit players that way. I’d sure look at a PF1 game on GenCon Online next year.

I can muster no interest in PF2. I’m tired of new editions of D&D, and I feel like the value prop of PF1 was anti-edition change (D&D 3.75e as some called it at the time), so I’m just like nah, too many versions of PF/D&D, I’m out. Maybe Tales of the Valiant though if it’ll stop the edition churn and licensing stuff.

 

[kronovan]

I’m lost in all the abbreviations, but one random idea is to run PF1 for a con and recruit players that way. I’d sure look at a PF1 game on GenCon Online next year.

I can muster no interest in PF2. I’m tired of new editions of D&D, and I feel like the value prop of PF1 was anti-edition change (D&D 3.75e as some called it at the time), so I’m just like nah, too many versions of PF/D&D, I’m out. Maybe Tales of the Valiant though if it’ll stop the edition churn and licensing stuff.

I've tried the local CON approach, but the challenge is that in my area CONs with tabletop-miniatures are the thing. I've tried to pitch PF1 and even some PF1 Conflict PvP Tactics & Teams skirmishes to give it more appeal, but didn't get enough at my table. For a TTRPG to have some appeal at our CONs these days, it seems to need to be OSR (original, B/X, OSE or bust), or 5e. Wasn't always the case - middle years last decade we had SciFi hacks of PF1e, FFG Star Wars, Travelers, CoC and FATE sessions running. Alas that kind of enthusiam seems to have been rolled over by the 800 lb gorrilla driving the jugernaut that's D&D 5e. As well, a few years of event cancellations due to the pandemic tended to pare down attencance to the established, core minis crowd.

I'm fond of calling PF1 D&D 3.75 too and agree it provided a nice alternative to players that weren't enthused for 4e and wanted to continue playing someting like 3.5. I can find something to enjoy with most D&D editions though, having run and played in some lengthy 4e and 5e campaigns. I can't get much enthused about 5e these days though, as it's a bit too middle of the road in its approach for me - would rather play with the greater crunch of PF1 or the lower crunch of OSE. And I can get far more enthused about playing 13th Age than 4e, as it seems to me to be a perfected, much more enjoyable version of those rules.

 

[haakon1]

I've tried the local CON approach

OK, let me specifically plug GenCon Online. It’s a global/nationwide audience, so a better chance of finding people willing to try what you want to run. People can find audiences for much niche-ier stuff like RuneQuest on there. You’ll need to wait a year though. As GenCon ended yesterday.

If you‘re playing on a digital desktop, I assume you‘re OK with remote players. If you only want in-person players, I dunno. Posting physical messages at game stores used to be a thing, but perhaps nit viable these days.

 

[kronovan]

OK, let me specifically plug GenCon Online. It’s a global/nationwide audience, so a better chance of finding people willing to try what you want to run. People can find audiences for much niche-ier stuff like RuneQuest on there. You’ll need to wait a year though. As GenCon ended yesterday.

If you‘re playing on a digital desktop, I assume you‘re OK with remote players. If you only want in-person players, I dunno. Posting physical messages at game stores used to be a thing, but perhaps nit viable these days.

Yep, haven't looked into GenCon Online, but I will do so next year. It isn't too difficult to get a PF1 campaign going for the Fantasy Grounds Virtual Table Top. There's usually at least 1 or 2 GMs advertising for a PF1 campaign at any given time at the Looking for Group forum at fantasygrounds.com. In fact, I got the idea of adapting the Midgard Campaign/World Setting to the FG PF1 ruleset from another GM making an inquiry about running it. It's the local PF1 game play around an IRL table that I'm missing. I'd probably have to be willing to make the jump to PF2 for that, but I own too many unplayed TTRPGs to consider it.

 

[payn]

Yep, haven't looked into GenCon Online, but I will do so next year. It isn't too difficult to get a PF1 campaign going for the Fantasy Grounds Virtual Table Top. There's usually at least 1 or 2 GMs advertising for a PF1 campaign at any given time at the Looking for Group forum at fantasygrounds.com. In fact, I got the idea of adapting the Midgard Campaign/World Setting to the FG PF1 ruleset from another GM making an inquiry about running it. It's the local PF1 game play around an IRL table that I'm missing. I'd probably have to be willing to make the jump to PF2 for that, but I own too many unplayed TTRPGs to consider it.

Also, check the Pathfinder discord. There are all sorts of lookin for player/group ads going up daily.

 

[thullgrim]

I'd like to be...Does that count? Maybe after this PF2 game runs it's course I'll come back to it.

A couple months ago I started running Carrion Crown for my mid-week game (1/2 the year we meet on Tuesday. After football season we switch to Wednesday). They just couldn't get into the AP, so it got scrapped after finishing book 1. We all like PF1 and our most successful campaigns have used it. That is probably a signal I should listen to.