Black Diamond Games Blog - An Experiment

[Caedwyr]

Ding-dong.

...The Pathfinder PHB has worn quite well with time, mostly because stuff hasn't replaced it, and you can't get the rules in other places...

I'm not trying to pick on the quoted author, but I've seen this type of comment fairly frequently and it is somewhat confusing to me given that the Pathfinder rules are available free online in several locations.

Pathfinder_OGC
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document
The Archives of Nethys - Home

And there's probably a few additional versions of the SRD available online that include all the rules.

Does anyone have an opinion on why the free SRD and OGL websites always seem to be overlooked, while the pay DDI is almost always brought up?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Does anyone have an opinion on why the free SRD and OGL websites always seem to be overlooked, while the pay DDI is almost always brought up?

You're right that the rules are available online (yay OGL!).

However, they don't add much "utility" for being available online. A linked SRD is nice, but it's nothing like a Character Builder or a Compendium, a fully-functional program that does all the complicated work for you and is constantly updated with all the new information.

 

[Jadeite]

You're right that the rules are available online (yay OGL!).

However, they don't add much "utility" for being available online. A linked SRD is nice, but it's nothing like a Character Builder or a Compendium, a fully-functional program that does all the complicated work for you and is constantly updated with all the new information.

Constantly updated? Like including Dark Sun or Essentials? At least we got some support for the stuff released on GenCon.
The Character Builder is probably a nice program, but its update schedule seems rather messed up at moment.

 

[AngryMojo]

Constantly updated? Like including Dark Sun or Essentials? At least we got some support for the stuff released on GenCon.
The Character Builder is probably a nice program, but its update schedule seems rather messed up at moment.

If they've had one delay in over two years of operation, I think I'll cut them some slack.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Constantly updated? Like including Dark Sun or Essentials? At least we got some support for the stuff released on GenCon.
The Character Builder is probably a nice program, but its update schedule seems rather messed up at moment.

Yeah, there's a thread for those gripes. But even so, it's been updated more often than the PFSRD.

Though it's an interesting dichotomy. PF is pretty heavily focused on adventures, rather than player supplements, so it doesn't need the updates as fast and furious. Which might me a more sustainable way to exploit the market for character options: give them a few, spaced out, and make sure those few are good. Still, PF also has the entire 3e library to draw on, so it's also probably less necessary.

 

[IronWolf]

Yeah, there's a thread for those gripes. But even so, it's been updated more often than the PFSRD.

The community maintained Pathfinder SRD sees a lot of updates. It is a great resource for the Pathfinder Community:

Pathfinder_OGC

Apples and oranges though since an SRD isn't a Character Builder.

Though it's an interesting dichotomy. PF is pretty heavily focused on adventures, rather than player supplements, so it doesn't need the updates as fast and furious. Which might me a more sustainable way to exploit the market for character options: give them a few, spaced out, and make sure those few are good.

While Pathfinder has a strong adventure focus, there is a good amount of material coming our for their ruleset and for their campaign world these days.

 

[prosfilaes]

Yeah, there's a thread for those gripes. But even so, it's been updated more often than the PFSRD.

Pathfinder_OGC has been updated with the material from the Advanced Player's Guide and various other books Pazio has put out. PCGen is also still out there, and is updated with the APG I believe. It's not DDI, but it's also not nothing.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

For what its worth, the Pathfinder OGC isn't fully up to date - there's a lot of APG stuff that isn't up yet.