Pathfinder 1E Necromancer-Paizo Product Wishlist

[catsclaw227]

If Necro's tittles that are being suggested here had sold well enough - this new partnership would not be necessary.

Well guess what? They did not.

Necro does not need 3.5 updates of already released product. Necro needs to expand its relationship with Judge's Guild and play the Nostalgia card for all its worth. If you have not noticed, that is what Paizo has been doing all along:

Great writing, great art, nostalgia tie-ins = success

Tegal Manor is on the list for this summer. And a damn fine thing that is, too. What they need is more Judge's Guild. They don't need bloody Rappan Athuk 3.5 ad nauseum = they need City State of the World Emperor. There is a vast back catalog of Judge's Guild material that with quality support can find a pre-sold audience.

While I wholeheartedly agree with your Tegal Manor and CSWE ideas, I must say that there were some good modules that were done under the Kenzer agreement that should have, I dare say WOULD have sold much more if they had been done by Paizo to start with.

Now, this doesn't mean that they ALL deserve the treatment, but rebranding the cover graphics and the credits might be sufficient to test a single adventure or two and see how well it sells.

Then again, I could be wrong.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Honestly?

I'm glad you guys are not persuading me to invest my money in your plans - because I would say "no and HELL no".

In fact, how's a big fat NO to almost all of the suggestions in this thread.

If Necro's tittles that are being suggested here had sold well enough - this new partnership would not be necessary.

Well guess what? They did not.

Of course, that doesn't factor in issues of distribution (which were very real) nor the fact that Necromancer has never republished what is arguably its biggest hit, thanks to them underpricing it initially and shying away from reprinting it with a higher price (which would still sell, I'd submit).

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Necro does not need 3.5 updates of already released product.

Absolutely agree.

Necro needs to expand its relationship with Judge's Guild...What they need is more Judge's Guild...they need City State of the World Emperor. There is a vast back catalog of Judge's Guild material that with quality support can find a pre-sold audience.

I agree that I'd like to see more Judges Guild. However, my preference isn't really d20 conversions of old JG products (although I might still buy some of them) -- I can use the original JG products just fine. What I'd really like to see is *new* JG products: preferably site-based adventures that are either set in the Wilderlands or designed so that they could be dropped into most campaigns (not hard to do).

This is what Rappan Athuk was -- it was originally placed in the Wilderlands (although it wasn't published that way). So were at least some of the adventures in Demons & Devils. Et cetera.

 

[bowbe]

Mostly Cool Ideas

I'm thinking I may have to use Expedition to the Demonweb Pits as a "prequel" adventure - it says 9-12, and the City of Brass is supposed to be for about 12th level and up, yes?

As I mentioned in a different thread. City of Brass is a 450+ page box set that is the last official release in our long standing partnership with White Wolf. Set for Gen Con Release... and yeah I'm waiting on the pre-order for that too. Shouldn't be too long now.

Yes 12th level and up, depending on your min maxers, your screwball feats and use of Tome of Magic ect. ect. That said, my group uses all of that stuff and some of the encounters are of course insanely easy. Others on the other hand have been sheer terror with only 2-3 players surviving to revive the others.

So far only one guy has quit, and another permanently lost a character in 10 months of 1-per-week play. Right now they are sitting at about 20-21 with at least another 8+ sessions to go. By the time its said and done this group with their flashy spell access, agonizingly annoying feats and sheer christmas tree worth of magic items should be 23-24th level (epic) before the door slams in their face and they die screaming.

Good Times.

I look forward to this new partnership. I'm looking forward to the endless possibilities that this new partnership opens up. I'm also looking forward to working with people who are determined to be successful in the genre of High Fantasy 1ed Feel RPGs. I'm all about high production quality, high(er) visibility and an excellent reputation. To me thats what Paizo brings to the table.

Case

 

[Nightfall]

Bowbe,

That makes two of us man.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Honestly?

I'm glad you guys are not persuading me to invest my money in your plans - because I would say "no and HELL no".

In fact, how's a big fat NO to almost all of the suggestions in this thread.

If Necro's tittles that are being suggested here had sold well enough - this new partnership would not be necessary.

Well guess what? They did not.

Fair enough.

Necro does not need 3.5 updates of already released product. Necro needs to expand its relationship with Judge's Guild and play the Nostalgia card for all its worth. If you have not noticed, that is what Paizo has been doing all along:

Great writing, great art, nostalgia tie-ins = success

Tegal Manor is on the list for this summer. And a damn fine thing that is, too. What they need is more Judge's Guild. They don't need bloody Rappan Athuk 3.5 ad nauseum = they need City State of the World Emperor. There is a vast back catalog of Judge's Guild material that with quality support can find a pre-sold audience.

BUt if this pre-sold audience is so awesome, why wouldn't Necromancer have comiited more to the printing process before the merger of WW and Eve? I think that with Nostalgia, we get a lot of talk and wishing and few purchases. I could be wrong, but I recall it took a long time to sell through the impressive boxed set and I know that you can still order copies of CSIO so I'm not seeing this sell through demand.

The vast majority of what I am hearing suggested here holds absolutely no interest for me at all. Moreover, I put it to you that demonstrably, there is not enough of an audience for these things listed above to bother.

And personally, while I enjoy the Judges Guild material, I think that Gygax's name still carries more weight with the old crowd and that the Judges Guild stuff is going to be regulated to a niche of a niche market when it goes CC.

 

[Steel_Wind]

BUt if this pre-sold audience is so awesome, why wouldn't Necromancer have comiited more to the printing process before the merger of WW and Eve? I think that with Nostalgia, we get a lot of talk and wishing and few purchases. I could be wrong, but I recall it took a long time to sell through the impressive boxed set and I know that you can still order copies of CSIO so I'm not seeing this sell through demand.

And personally, while I enjoy the Judges Guild material, I think that Gygax's name still carries more weight with the old crowd and that the Judges Guild stuff is going to be regulated to a niche of a niche market when it goes CC.

I never saw the point in box sets. They add a lot to the cost to no great purpose, imo.

Wilderlands of High Fantasy was a great couple of books. It could have benefited from higher production values in terms of art, in terms of printed paper (the maps were greyscale on poor paper) and a lower cost (ditch the box).

It could have used color and a lot better art, to be blunt.

As for Nostalgia not being all that and a bag of chips - it needs to be new enough to be NEW with links to the past. I think that's what Paizo's been aiming for in Dungeon and Dragon and its worked out very well for them. You disagree Joe?

Great writing + Great Art + Nostalgia = Success. I don't think that's a hard sell solution.

To be clear, I mean links to ideas = nostalgia. I do not think some attempt to redo 3.5 JG products in newsprint or with cheap ass production values is going to fly. Nor is it to simply slap a name on something (We saw that with the 90s version of Invincible Overlord).

We'll see how Tegal Manor goes I guess.

 

[JoeGKushner]

As for Nostalgia not being all that and a bag of chips - it needs to be new enough to be NEW with links to the past. I think that's what Paizo's been aiming for in Dungeon and Dragon and its worked out very well for them. You disagree Joe?

Do I disagree that official camapign material seeing the light of official printings in D&D is a good way of success? No.

Do I disagree that third party niche things from pre 1st ed are a good way of success? Yes.

Blackmoor would be another campaign setting that's 'classic' yet I don't see a lot of people playing. (Could be wrong, just based on local players and all that.)

Official material, especially Greyhawk, when handled by people who know what they're doing, seems to be the way to go.

 

[Odhanan]

1. Tome of Horrors 3.5 full color. I don't care if it has to be broken up into three books.

2. Gary Gygax's Necropolis 3.5 full color. Not for me personally but I think Gary's name in a full color product might be a good kick for those old schoolers who love the old paths that Eirk has wisely taken Dungeon down lately.

3. Various reprints updated to 3.5 with full color. I'm mainly thinking of Crucible of Freya and... my brain has once again failed me but it's a huge book that's been out of print for a while and was 3.0.

4. The Necromancer Ap. There was talk about an Iron Tower Adventure Path. I'd like to see this done up in individual books and compiled at the end as opposed to say running in Dragon Magazine.

5. Card Stock tiles for Rappan Athuk.

6. Miniatures for Tome of Horrors covering some of the biggest and best monsters.

Oh... these are all good suggestions my friend. I'd love to see (and buy) most of those! Particularly the Full-color ToH, ToH miniatures and tiles for RARE.

 

[Arnwyn]

In fact, how's a big fat NO to almost all of the suggestions in this thread.

If Necro's tittles that are being suggested here had sold well enough - this new partnership would not be necessary.

Well guess what? They did not.

The vast majority of what I am hearing suggested here holds absolutely no interest for me at all. Moreover, I put it to you that demonstrably, there is not enough of an audience for these things listed above to bother.

Demonstrably, Necro's previous distribution through Kenzer was bad. Bill and Clark have already clearly pointed out at their messageboards that their large adventures and premium products released through WW sell well for them.

Which would be my suggestion of what I want in my post above. Go figure.

(I agree that 3.5 updates of already-released material sucks. Hopefully they don't do that... re-hashes blow.)