Pathfinder 1E Is PAIZO becoming the next Wizards?

[S'mon]

I was in my not-very-F LGS Orcs' Nest yesterday, and I noticed that Paizo have occupied the place of honour on the 3rd shelf up,directly opposite the entrance, displacing WoTC! They also occupy the bottom shelf of this primary display area, relegating WotC to the top and the 2nd-from-bottom shelves.

 

[S'mon]

II wonder if they could end up as "hated" in some circles as WotC, or Games Workshop or similar companies.

From what I can see, WoTC have never ever done anything nearly as evil as the kind of activities routine for Games Workshop (or TSR in the Williams era). Heck, there are small RPG companies like Palladium (and Lone Wolf Development, judging by the recent thread) who are far more evil!

 

[hexgrid]

After all, why did nearly all 3PPs suddenly shift from making 3e/d20 products to making Pathfinder products? Paizo singlehandedly caused that shift.

I'd say WotC had just as much of a hand in that shift as Paizo did.

 

[CasvalRemDeikun]

When Paizo makes their own game system instead of using an outdated one from another company, maybe they can start approaching WotC's level. Of course, when that happens people will hate on them for the same reasons people hate on WotC ("such and such system has only been out for four decades, going to a new one is now is too soon!" or some other equally ridiculous fanboy bs).

Nothing against Paizo, but everything they have and are producing is something borrowed from someone else(using WotC's game system, Reaper's minis) besides the novels. And if the novels are something printed by a different company other than themselves, they haven't done anything but make themselves a little money and others a lot of money.

 

[Nymrohd]

Would anyone want them too? In order to manage that level of print runs and marketing they would need a rather sizable influx of capital which would bind them to those same externalities that force Wizard's hand to take quite a few of the very unpopular decisions they have been forced to take. Ultra niche gives them the flexibility and freedom to create the product they love (and honestly it probably keeps them in economies of scale the larger companies may be overshooting). It is more efficient that way.

 

[DaveMage]

Nothing against Paizo....

Right.....

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Would anyone want them too? In order to manage that level of print runs and marketing they would need a rather sizable influx of capital which would bind them to those same externalities that force Wizard's hand to take quite a few of the very unpopular decisions they have been forced to take. Ultra niche gives them the flexibility and freedom to create the product they love (and honestly it probably keeps them in economies of scale the larger companies may be overshooting). It is more efficient that way.

Well, what I want them to do is churn out 4E adventure paths. Since that isn't happening, I guess they just should do what they are doing, because it is clearly working for them and their customers.

If they change what they are doing, they will invariably disappoint some of their customers.
Maybe they will make up for it since the changes will get them new ones. But there will now be a "disgruntled fanbase", and they'll have to deal with that. (And if just by not taking any attacks against them personally.)

Of course it is possible the will also invariable _have_ to change what they are doing. At some point, they might run out of creative ideas for new adventure path. Or they still have them, but the expectations of their customer rises and they can't meet them anymore. Or their customers just have too much of them.
I don't know if that's inevitable, though.

 

[Nymrohd]

The thing is, the RPG market is very prone to segmentation. Paizo has picked its segmented, and they are loyal and very happy with the product they get. I don't like Pathfinder as a system, but part of me wishes I did because it IS a good product with high level of detail and support. If they expand their market then they will have to please people with different needs and that either means that they will need a new product line (say goodbye to economies of scale right there) or they will need to water down their main product and that will surely erode the loyalty of their playerbase. I really hope that there is a place for companies like Pathfinder and as I understand it, their cost structure works just fine for them. Apart from some rabid fans (if you can even call them fans) who for some weird reason think that PAIZO has to overtake the industry and bring it in a new age of prosperity and enlightenment, I think most people just want them to keep doing well for themselves and well for their customers. If they can grow their market without widening their niche (which can surely be done) good for them. But shooting for the market WotC is chasing seems to me as idiotic and I have no indication that the people running Paizo are anything but sound businessmen/women.

 

[Rykion]

When Paizo makes their own game system instead of using an outdated one from another company, maybe they can start approaching WotC's level.

To be fair, WotC bought TSR and produced a new edition of an old game originally made by another company(TSR). Pathfinder is a new edition of an old game albeit much closer to D&D 3.5 than D&D 3 was to AD&D 2.

And if the novels are something printed by a different company other than themselves, they haven't done anything but make themselves a little money and others a lot of money.

It is very common for publishers not to own the company that does the actual printing. Does WotC own the company that prints its books?

 

[avin]

Right.....

Indeed...

Well, I don't think Paizo is going to be Wotc anytime soon. Maybe more like White Wolf, as somebody else said.

If Paizo gets as big as Wotc they won't be loved as they are now. Being Goliath isn't as cool as being David.

While that, I'll be waiting for a deeply revised and away from 3.5 Pathfinder 2E with new and simple grapple rules \o/ I like Paizo a lot