D&D 5E Kobold Press (and are they the new Paizo?)

[Mercurius]

What I mean by the parenthetical in the title is that they are a third-party publisher producing material for D&D as good or better than Wizards of the Coast. During the OGL era there were tons of 3PP publishers, but Paizo rose above the pack in popularity and quality. In 2006, Wolfgang Baur--who cut his teeth with TSR in the 90s--founded Open Design, and then Kobold Quarterly a year later. In 2012, Open Design became Kobold Press. Like Paizo with Golarion, Kobold's product centers on a homegrown setting, in this case Midgard. Many consider Midgard to be the best currently supported D&D setting, and certainly the Worldbook (a 2018 revision and expansion of a 2012 product) is one of the best campaign setting books I've seen. Their monster books, Tome of Beasts and Creature Codex, with Tome of Beasts II coming out in November, are well lauded, and they've got a bunch of other supplements and adventures.

What Kobold products do you own and enjoy? What are your thoughts on their place in the industry? Where do you think they're going in the future?

I own the two Midgard setting books, Tome of Beasts, and have Tales of the Margreve on order. I'm planning on purchasing Creature Codex, Tome of Beasts II when it comes out in pocket (which is a great size, btw), and the various lairs books.

 

[Scott Christian]

What I mean by the parenthetical in the title is that they are a third-party publisher producing material for D&D as good or better than Wizards of the Coast. During the OGL era there were tons of 3PP publishers, but Paizo rose above the pack in popularity and quality. In 2006, Wolfgang Baur--who cut his teeth with TSR in the 90s--founded Open Design, and then Kobold Quarterly a year later. In 2012, Open Design became Kobold Press. Like Paizo with Golarion, Kobold's product centers on a homegrown setting, in this case Midgard. Many consider Midgard to be the best currently supported D&D setting, and certainly the Worldbook (a 2018 revision and expansion of a 2012 product) is one of the best campaign setting books I've seen. Their monster books, Tome of Beasts and Creature Codex, with Tome of Beasts II coming out in November, are well lauded, and they've got a bunch of other supplements and adventures.

What Kobold products do you own and enjoy? What are your thoughts on their place in the industry? Where do you think they're going in the future?

I own the two Midgard setting books, Tome of Beasts, and have Tales of the Margreve on order. I'm planning on purchasing Creature Codex, Tome of Beasts II when it comes out in pocket (which is a great size, btw), and the various lairs books.

I have Tome of Beasts. I liked it and thought it was good. I find the quality, both in print and editing to be a tad below WotC and Paizo. But, it doesn't diminish it enough to take it out of the running as a great supplement.

I too am curious as to what others have purchased and enjoyed.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

I own almost all of their hardcovers, and I wish I could trade some of my WotC books for more KP stuff. I can't talk for every 5e player/DM out there but, at least for what makes me want to buy a D&D book, those guys learned how the reach the right chords, while the mother-ship appears to have forgotten how to do it after Curse of Strahd.

 

[DWChancellor]

I've DM'd, played, and bought tons of Kobold Press so that's my background here. Kobold Press has been in operation for a very long time. I don't see them being the new Paizo because, honestly, they don't have the business chops Paizo's founder Lisa does.

But...

Their materials are definitely the top of 2nd party books. They ask a lot of DMs and players but pay it back in spades. Monsters are interesting and deadly. Scenarios are complex and often dynamic. Roleplaying is encouraged, exploration is important, and door-kicking leads to hilariously bad results.

But...

Let's not forget that 5E came out with a Kobold Press adventure, Hoard of the Dragon Queen that threw lots of people for a loop consistent with my above description. That adventure was all but unplayable without understanding the unique setup Kobold Press prefers. This is advanced stuff!

 

[DWChancellor]

Addendum: I've used tons of creatures from the Tomb of Beasts and Creature Codex (and one was my submission from the KS!) and I love them. They are a little wonky but that is what makes the game fresh again. I'd love to see more of Matt Colville's ideas in monster manuals as he's the only one other than Kobold Press that is moving 5E monster design forward (that I'm aware of and like).

I have run several of their modules (unusual amounts of TPK issues as written); and am playing in Tales from the Margreve. They aren't everyone's cup of tea; more difficult for sure and bursty in challenge. You have been warned! Run them right and your party won't forget.

 

[Bitbrain]

Apart from their excellent guides on game mastering and worldbuilding, I’m sad to say that the only thing I found interesting about Kobold Press (and their Midgard setting) were the clockwork mages of Zobeck.

 

[Retreater]

Let's not forget that 5E came out with a Kobold Press adventure, Hoard of the Dragon Queen that threw lots of people for a loop consistent with my above description. That adventure was all but unplayable without understanding the unique setup Kobold Press prefers. This is advanced stuff!

The less said about that adventure, the better.
It actually kept me from purchasing KP books for a couple years because it was so bad.
It wasn't that the rules weren't finalized when they started writing: I can overlook monster stats and encounter balance - if the rest of it is good , I can modify.
It wasn't that it was difficult. I can fix that too.
It was the structure. It was the forced railroaded tour of the campaign setting with no action for weeks. It was the lack of player agency for big portions of the adventure.
The failings of HotDQ have nothing to do with the newness of 5e design. It would've been a bad adventure in any edition of the game.

 

[Mercurius]

^I never read or played Tyranny of Dragons, but I think it is forgiveable that the first big story arc for a new edition was rather railroady.

 

[Inchoroi]

What I mean by the parenthetical in the title is that they are a third-party publisher producing material for D&D as good or better than Wizards of the Coast. During the OGL era there were tons of 3PP publishers, but Paizo rose above the pack in popularity and quality. In 2006, Wolfgang Baur--who cut his teeth with TSR in the 90s--founded Open Design, and then Kobold Quarterly a year later. In 2012, Open Design became Kobold Press. Like Paizo with Golarion, Kobold's product centers on a homegrown setting, in this case Midgard. Many consider Midgard to be the best currently supported D&D setting, and certainly the Worldbook (a 2018 revision and expansion of a 2012 product) is one of the best campaign setting books I've seen. Their monster books, Tome of Beasts and Creature Codex, with Tome of Beasts II coming out in November, are well lauded, and they've got a bunch of other supplements and adventures.

What Kobold products do you own and enjoy? What are your thoughts on their place in the industry? Where do you think they're going in the future?

I own the two Midgard setting books, Tome of Beasts, and have Tales of the Margreve on order. I'm planning on purchasing Creature Codex, Tome of Beasts II when it comes out in pocket (which is a great size, btw), and the various lairs books.

Kobold's character and monster stuff is pretty much an always-buy for me. I have zero interest in their setting, even though I've liked what little bit I've read of it. Ironically, I actually run Paizo's Golarion using 5e.

 

[Scott Christian]

^I never read or played Tyranny of Dragons, but I think it is forgiveable that the first big story arc for a new edition was rather railroady.

I read and ran it, and it was fine. Not a problem for a DM that wants to put in the work. Problem is, not many do (or inexperienced DM's may not know how). But the adventure itself was only a single track railroad if you wanted it to be. There were plenty of tracks to go down, they just happened to lead to some of the same places. But again, the DM has to put in the work.