Pathfinder 1E Is PAIZO becoming the next Wizards?

[Imaro]

Given the thread title, I thought I might as well post this here...

So is Paizo becoming the next Wizards? What if they are already getting WotC-ified? Seriously, looking at Zach' Houstons (extremely well done) interview with Erik Mona, I must say Mona's sales pitch for the next Paizo splat has become indistinguishable from a 4E sales pitch. To me anyway, but I'm curious what others make of this. (I ought to say in advance that Mona is my favourite guy in the RPG business currently, so don't take it as a personal stab against him.)

Eh, when I look at the blurb for PHB 2... the main difference I see is that the Pathfinder core rulebook provided all the "old favorites" that people had expected from 3.5 and thus there's no usage of marketing based around you having to buy this book in order to get the "old favorites" from the previous game... while the 4e PHB specifically calls this out in it's blurb on their site. Subtle difference, but I noticed it.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

I would disagree here... if the release of 3e also includes the OGL.

The OGL wasn't a revolution. It was an idealistic concept that didn't translate well to the real world.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

Ogl

Are you kidding? The OGL was the best thing that ever happened to D&D, post Gygax.

It's the only reason I'm not still playing RuneQuest.

It's the reason I still get to buy D&D products from the awesome writers that Hasbro sees fit to lay off every year!

It's the document that freed D&D from its cage.

Ken

 

[Wicht]

The OGL wasn't a revolution. It was an idealistic concept that didn't translate well to the real world.

We must live in different real worlds. The OGL was a huge success in my world, revitalizing the RPG industry and opening doors for a slew of creative people. Its still creating opportunities today even after being abandoned by its parent company.

 

[Reynard]

The OGL wasn't a revolution. It was an idealistic concept that didn't translate well to the real world.

It translated perfectly to the real world. But the problem is not everyone was happy with what the OGL was, and what Open Gaming in general meant. Using 3.5 and then 4E to attempt to kill it doesn't mean it wasn't a revolutionary move that changed the D&D landscape forever.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Sorry, but I haven't drunk the OGL Kool-Aid. I realize that I'm speaking to the centerpiece of the OGL community here, but I've always been of the opinion that if I want to play D&D, I'll play D&D, and if I want to play something different from D&D, I want it to be different and very much not-D&D. The OGL does nothing for me.

 

[JohnRTroy]

Sorry, but I haven't drunk the OGL Kool-Aid. I realize that I'm speaking to the centerpiece of the OGL community here, but I've always been of the opinion that if I want to play D&D, I'll play D&D, and if I want to play something different from D&D, I want it to be different and very much not-D&D. The OGL does nothing for me.

I actually think you have the majority opinion. I don't think the typical gamer cares about the OGL that much. I mean, I used to think it was a cool idea but I came to realize it had flaws (I think WoTC gave away way too much with its GPL like standard), and that I think it inhibited creativity by taking market share away from different systems, leading to a monoculture of D&D. (Most people who say OGL use it to mean D&D-SRD based games, not the license in itself).

 

[Wicht]

Sorry, but I haven't drunk the OGL Kool-Aid. I realize that I'm speaking to the centerpiece of the OGL community here, but I've always been of the opinion that if I want to play D&D, I'll play D&D, and if I want to play something different from D&D, I want it to be different and very much not-D&D. The OGL does nothing for me.

You do realize that calling it the "OGL Kool-aid" is both dismissive and insulting.
I hardly think that having an appreciation for The Tome of Horrors, the Advanced Bestiary, The Pathfinder RPG, The Pathfinder Adventure Paths, The line of Necromancer books and a plethora of other goodies qualifies someone as a suicidal cultist. I'm sorry none of these have helped your game and you feel that in fact they have hindered the production of products you might like better but they both inspire me and make my games richer.

 

[BryonD]

In order for Paizo to become the next Wizards, they need to catch lightning in a bottle. In other words, they need to do something like:

1. The original D&D craze
2. White Wolf creating a goth RPG zeitgeist back in the 90s
3. M:tG launching the CCG end of hobby gaming into the stratosphere

Something like that

(I don't consider the 3E launch one of these things. It was more along the lines of a reboot than a revolution)

I don't see it happening through rehashing a past edition of Dungeons and Dragons and putting out quality adventures and settings. They can become(if they aren't already) a solid 2nd tier RPG mainstay, but they need to come up with something revolutionary to exceed that.

By that standard, WotC was never themselves was never good enough....
At least not in RPGs...

The question becomes "Is Paizo becoming the next 1980 TSR?"

That said, I disagree that WotC didn't achieve that with 3E/OGL.

 

[BryonD]

I must say Mona's sales pitch for the next Paizo splat has become indistinguishable from a 4E sales pitch.

True.

Though it also looks just like a Steve Jackson sales pitch for the next GURPS book. Or the next White Wolf sales pitch for whatever.... Or the next Mongoose expansion for whatever....