Pathfinder 1E Current Pathfinder Players: Are you considering switching over to D&D 5E?

Pathfinder Players - Will You Switch Over to D&D 5E?

  • YES! - I'm tired of Pathfinder and like what I see

    Votes: 31 17.6%
  • Yes - But mainly out of curiosity; how long the switch lasts remains to be seen

    Votes: 17 9.7%
  • Maybe - Undecided; need to see more of 5E

    Votes: 41 23.3%
  • No - Nothing against WotC, but I'm happy with Pathfinder

    Votes: 75 42.6%
  • NO! - I wouldn't support WotC no matter what they put out

    Votes: 12 6.8%

What about an option for playing both, at this point they are bleeding into each other, in a good way, save 4th Ed (no offence, great game, but markedly different), at this point I will see when 5th Ed finally comes out whether I want to embrace it in whole (I will purchase regardless), or make my own glorious melange of all editions (including 4th, has some great ideas).

Actually started working on it a few years ago, started with Basic, 1st Ed, and the d20 system.
 
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For me, the sense of "switch" comes not from the idea that I need to decide between playing Next ONLY while never playing PF again or rejecting ever playing next in favor of only ever playing PF but from the reality that I only need so many near-substitutes. When there's a lot of similar options, it's more likely that some of them are likely to get crowded out. Think of RPGs as Golf Clubs. If I'm a very casual golfer and my golf bag has a driver, a three-iron, a nine-iron, a sand wedge, and a putter, I'll use them for different shots at different times, so they'll all get some use. Now say that somebody gives me, like, five more drivers that are barely differentiated from each other. Even if I like all six of the drivers and I recognize the pros and cons of them, it's likely that there'll be some that just don't get much use at all, either because I like them a little less or because they're just so close to a club I'm more comfortable with that I just don't bother.

Like, I theoretically probably have time to play D&D 3.5, and I still like D&D 3.5, but I haven't played in or run a D&D 3.5 campaign any time recently because anything I'd use 3.5 for, I just use Pathfinder for instead. I essentially "switched" not because I don't like 3.5 any more or that I wouldn't be happy to play it, but Pathfinder is SUCH a near substitute that it just crowds it out. I don't think that PF and Next will be nearly as similar to each other as PF and 3.5 are, but they're likely to be close enough that they're competing for the same campaigns, and if I like one even somewhat better it might crowd out the other one entirely.
 

For me, the sense of "switch" comes not from the idea that I need to decide between playing Next ONLY while never playing PF again or rejecting ever playing next in favor of only ever playing PF but from the reality that I only need so many near-substitutes. When there's a lot of similar options, it's more likely that some of them are likely to get crowded out. Think of RPGs as Golf Clubs. If I'm a very casual golfer and my golf bag has a driver, a three-iron, a nine-iron, a sand wedge, and a putter, I'll use them for different shots at different times, so they'll all get some use. Now say that somebody gives me, like, five more drivers that are barely differentiated from each other. Even if I like all six of the drivers and I recognize the pros and cons of them, it's likely that there'll be some that just don't get much use at all, either because I like them a little less or because they're just so close to a club I'm more comfortable with that I just don't bother.

Like, I theoretically probably have time to play D&D 3.5, and I still like D&D 3.5, but I haven't played in or run a D&D 3.5 campaign any time recently because anything I'd use 3.5 for, I just use Pathfinder for instead. I essentially "switched" not because I don't like 3.5 any more or that I wouldn't be happy to play it, but Pathfinder is SUCH a near substitute that it just crowds it out. I don't think that PF and Next will be nearly as similar to each other as PF and 3.5 are, but they're likely to be close enough that they're competing for the same campaigns, and if I like one even somewhat better it might crowd out the other one entirely.


Nice post, and the golf analogy was spot on.
 


do things that have published stats for 3.5 count as Next?

If so then if there are great adventures with 3.5 stats published I might play those as well. I've got friends that I game with in several edition camps and might play several of them in the future, including Next. Though I can't see my primary game switching from Pathfinder.
 


I'm definitely going to switch to Next once I get a chance - I'm not going to do it mid-campaign, but I'll definitely be doing it very shortly after.

While I love PF, I'm wanting for a simplified and very off-the-cuff system at this point in my GM career.
 

Honestly, I was still playing 2e, throughout most of 3x's release period. It was only the last year and half of 3x releases that I started using that ruleset. Then it was pulled from store shelves. WotC at no time was my go to company for D&D. Now there's Pathfinder and having played it for 3 years now, means I've been playing PF longer than I've played 3.5. So WotC offers no particular attraction for me no matter what they do. I didn't touch 4e, and am most certain I won't touch 5e/DDN or whatever it's called.

So if not obvious, I won't switch to DDN, or any system released by WotC ever. I'm not really in the market for a new game, so no need to look.
 



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