Pathfinder 2E Kingmaker Preorders Open

Including the Pathfinder 2E version of the classic adventure path, along with bestiaries which enable you to use the AP with both Pathfinder 1E and with D&D 5E, Paizo has opened pre-orders for a revised version of its most popuar campaign. In addition, you can pick up kindom management tools map packs, and pawns, with 13 products in total available.

September 22, 2022 (REDMOND, Wash.) – Paizo Inc., publisher of the Pathfinder and Starfinder Roleplaying games, has opened preorders for the massive Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path suite of products at PathfinderKingmaker.com. The set presents a full-length campaign that chronicles the rise of a new nation—a kingdom built and ruled by the player characters—and contains 13 products with over 1000 pages of expanded and updated tabletop roleplay game adventure material based on the Pathfinder First Edition Kingmaker Adventure Path and the Owlcat computer game adaptation. It will be available to purchase on October 26 at game and bookstores worldwide and at paizo.com.

Over a decade ago, the Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path helped lead the way with an open-ended "sandbox" style adventure that encouraged exploration and conquest in a rugged wilderness. Its open-world narrative and kingdom-building elements gave players and Game Masters unparalleled freedom to explore and shape the world with their heroic actions. It became one of the best-selling and most beloved campaigns in Pathfinder's history.

In past years, Paizo published hardcover collections of the popular Rise of the Runelords and Curse of the Crimson Throne campaigns, returning beloved out-of-print favorites updated with new bridging material, new illustrations and maps, errata, and numerous additional improvements. This release brings Kingmaker into the same fold, bigger and better than ever before.

The expansion includes content from Owlcat Games’ best-selling computer game adaptation of the Kingmaker campaign added new adventures, new mysteries, and more than a dozen new companions to accompany the players as they expand their holdings from a single fortress to a burgeoning empire.

This multi-product release includes Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path, a massive new deluxe limited-edition hardcover compilation updated to the latest Pathfinder rules. The Kingmaker Companion Guide presents seven fully detailed companions inspired by the Kingmaker video game, ready to provide all sorts of assistance, each accompanied by a fully detailed personalized adventure to go along with their story. The Kingmaker Bestiary 1st Edition and Kingmaker Bestiary 5th Edition help those who prefer to convert the adventure to their games. The suite includes many additional accessories to enhance play!

Players can find detailed descriptions on each product on the site:

• Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path (P2)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Adventure Path Special Edition (P2)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Bestiary (First Edition) (P1)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Bestiary (Fifth Edition) (5E)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Companion Guide (P2)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Companion Guide Special Edition (P2)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Kingdom Management Screen (P2)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Kingdom Management Tracker (P2)
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Poster Map Folio
• Pathfinder Kingmaker Pawn Box
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Kingmaker Adventure Path Campsite Multi-Pack
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Kingmaker Adventure Path Noble Manor Multi-Pack
• Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Kingmaker Adventure Path River Kingdoms Ruins Multi-Pack

Soon, you can face off against bands of bloodthirsty bandits, deadly and dangerous monsters, and mysterious menaces from other realities as you fight to claim the Stolen Lands as your own. Will you rule with justice and mercy, or will you become the very monsters you fought to oppose? In the Kingmaker Adventure Path, the destiny of the world’s newest nation is yours to decide!

Preorder today at PathfinderKingmaker.com.

 

[TheSword]

I dont believe TheSword was saying Roanoke wasnt an inspiration, they were saying the "mysterious natives" and colonial parts are not present in KM. Though, I'll let TheSword speak for their self on that.

Spot on.

"Colony" (or a derived word) appears more than 40 times in the Varnhold Vanishing - so I think it's safe to say that's an ongoing theme. The centaur natives, the "rangelands," the mound-building, the "inhospitable to civilization" theme, etc., can be seen as connected to Native culture. The mysterious creatures responsible for the titular "Vanishing" aren't necessarily a callback to Native Americans, but the colonization aspect was inspired by a real-world story of a British colony in North America.
It is literally, emphatically stated as such by James Jacobs, the adventure's writer.
I'm not saying it's disrespectful or that anyone should feel shame about playing it. I'm not suggesting that it's wrong to buy, read, or play the adventure. And I don't like continuing to belabor this point, since it's taking away from the rest of the conversation - but I am trying to answer a question earlier in this thread.
But yes, it is inspired (at least in part) by colonialism and Native American history and early American legends. Be aware of your group's perspective on such issues.

You mentioned in your first post that the adventure has Native American themes and the vanishing was caused by these ‘ancient and mysterious natives’. I don’t believe the group (the nomen centaurs) that might be considered an analogue for native Americans in this case are the cause - or even close to it.

The world colony in this case just refers to a community in a different land. The land wasn’t taken from anyone else, no-one was displaced. In fact the nomen centaurs aren’t from the area either. They are allies not foes, and just as invested in finding the cause as the PCs are.

It was the disappearance of a whole settlement that was inspired by Roanoke. Not the cause or the circumstances - unless you believe otherwise, in which case you have a pretty fantastical view on American history.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Man, that is a real hit to the wallet.

And it's fascinating watching Paizo try to please the Pathfinder 1E and 2E audiences at the same time as trying to get the 5E dollars. I get why they wouldn't want to ever again be subject to WotC's whims, but this feels like a tough balancing act to pull off.

 

[payn]

I don’t get the cost complaints. You get a lot here. Probably seems like sticker shock because folks usually buy APs piecemeal.

 

[amethal]

Man, that is a real hit to the wallet.

And it's fascinating watching Paizo try to please the Pathfinder 1E and 2E audiences at the same time as trying to get the 5E dollars. I get why they wouldn't want to ever again be subject to WotC's whims, but this feels like a tough balancing act to pull off.

As I remember it, the Pathfinder 1E stuff was an unexpected bonus, since they raised so much money. I backed it not expecting to get anything for P1, which is the game system I actually play.

I've received all of the PDFs, but I'm not sure what print products will be turning up in due course. I have an idea I had to specify whether I wanted 5e or P2.

 

[R_J_K75]

I don’t get the cost complaints. You get a lot here. Probably seems like sticker shock because folks usually buy APs piecemeal.

$150 doesnt seem unreasonable. When I played the gothic AP in PF1 pretty sure each module was $20 iirc, back in 2010. This seems like a good deal. I'd buy it if I thought I'd run it, but I know I never will.

 

[Mercador]

Could Paizo decide to bring all its campaigns to 5E if Kingmaker is a Moneymaker?

 

[payn]

Could Paizo decide to bring all its campaigns to 5E if Kingmaker is a Moneymaker?

I loved the APs in general, but few were as popular as KM. So, who knows?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don’t get the cost complaints. You get a lot here. Probably seems like sticker shock because folks usually buy APs piecemeal.

$150 is a lot even for a 1-20 campaign. I don't think anyone is balking at the price, given that this is a known quantity, but it is noteworthy.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Could Paizo decide to bring all its campaigns to 5E if Kingmaker is a Moneymaker?

They have a lot of well-regarded APs, many of which could probably benefit from a second edition to polish things up a bit. I think this is absolutely a test, as is creating three versions of the crunch. If one of those versions lags in sales (they'd have to use the Pathfinder 2E companion book as their point of comparison to the 1E and 5E bestiaries in this case), I wouldn't be surprised to see that version go softcover or even digital-only for future conversions.

 

[SteveC]

Just one more note on the Varnhold Vanishing: this part of the game has some pretty gonzo stuff in it. I really enjoyed playing out that part of the game but I didn't know that much about the lore for the Pathfinder world and so I was quite surprised by some of it. If you're interested, here is a guide to that part of the computer game. If you don't want spoilers, don't check this link since it's a walkthrough. It will also lose the context of the larger game so you may scratch your head a bit about what's going on with it.

 

[EthanSental]

It was the Abomination Vaults 5e conversion that I ordered, I’ll need to check this out as well.

 

[payn]

$150 is a lot even for a 1-20 campaign. I don't think anyone is balking at the price, given that this is a known quantity, but it is noteworthy.

It’s actually a discount over being an AP subscriber.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Yes, what @payn says above. Typical APs are $25 per book, with 6 books in the series == $150. This is cheaper for only $99. It's only $150 if you also want either the 5e or PF1e bestiaries.

Sadly, pdfs will be a separate purchase.

Thinking real hard about this one. Maybe will buy later as my other campaign comes towards a close...

 

[Tutara]

I was running Kingmaker (converted to 5E) when the pandemic hit (and when this was first floated as something people could buy). Nearly three years later, I don't think I will re-up my cancelled order. The group found the campaign as written to be clunky and poorly paced, and while we really enjoyed the bits up to getting control of the kingdom everything after fell well short. A lot of filler, villains with no background or foreshadowing, and an absurd insistence that the rulers of a kingdom should continue to go on dungeon and hex crawls. Also the fact that the series seems to overly rely on sending in a force of level-appropriate giants to invade whenever things drag.

We loved the concept, we hated the execution. You get a lot for $100, but you're getting quantity, not quality in my opinion.

 

[doctorhook]

I was running Kingmaker (converted to 5E) when the pandemic hit (and when this was first floated as something people could buy). Nearly three years later, I don't think I will re-up my cancelled order. The group found the campaign as written to be clunky and poorly paced, and while we really enjoyed the bits up to getting control of the kingdom everything after fell well short. A lot of filler, villains with no background or foreshadowing, and an absurd insistence that the rulers of a kingdom should continue to go on dungeon and hex crawls. Also the fact that the series seems to overly rely on sending in a force of level-appropriate giants to invade whenever things drag.

We loved the concept, we hated the execution. You get a lot for $100, but you're getting quantity, not quality in my opinion.

Do you normally like sandbox adventures in the OS vein? If not, then it’s perhaps not surprising this didn’t scratch your itch.

 

[payn]

I was running Kingmaker (converted to 5E) when the pandemic hit (and when this was first floated as something people could buy). Nearly three years later, I don't think I will re-up my cancelled order. The group found the campaign as written to be clunky and poorly paced, and while we really enjoyed the bits up to getting control of the kingdom everything after fell well short. A lot of filler, villains with no background or foreshadowing, and an absurd insistence that the rulers of a kingdom should continue to go on dungeon and hex crawls. Also the fact that the series seems to overly rely on sending in a force of level-appropriate giants to invade whenever things drag.

We loved the concept, we hated the execution. You get a lot for $100, but you're getting quantity, not quality in my opinion.

Hmm, not my experience at all. I was a player though, and my GM executed it very well. He did make a few comments about adjusting a thing or two, but said he was mostly faithful to the content.

 

[doctorhook]

$150 is a lot even for a 1-20 campaign. I don't think anyone is balking at the price, given that this is a known quantity, but it is noteworthy.

Amazon is listing this as a 640 page book. If it’s only $99 USD (the Paizo price, not including shipping), it’s not bad.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm looking forward to the 1E iteration of the Bestiary, myself. Technically speaking, it'll be the tenth and final bestiary product in the 1E line (the six hardcover bestiaries, the Inner Sea Bestiary, the Occult Bestiary, and the oft-forgotten Bonus Bestiary, which was a Free RPG Day product back in 2009).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Amazon is listing this as a 640 page book. If it’s only $99 USD (the Paizo price, not including shipping), it’s not bad.

Yeah, that's a good price, assuming it's usable at the table (I own and use both Ptolus and the OAR books and there is definitely a trick to making a book that size something that works in play) and you like the content.

 

[Tutara]

Do you normally like sandbox adventures in the OS vein? If not, then it’s perhaps not surprising this didn’t scratch your itch.

We enjoyed the sandbox hexcrawl - it was the clunky marriage to a strategic ruler sim we found less enjoyable.

Hmm, not my experience at all. I was a player though, and my GM executed it very well. He did make a few comments about adjusting a thing or two, but said he was mostly faithful to the content.

When we discussed whether or not to continue playing the series, the only things my players had enjoyed were the things I had put in myself. Hard to discuss specifics without spoilers, though. Different strokes, I guess.

Edit: Probably worth underlining that this campaign was torpedoed by lockdown, so there may well be an element of bitter grapes here. That said, I still feel it is a pretty flawed campaign.