Paizo Ends Pathfinder Adventure Path Softcovers, Switching to Quarterly Model

Paizo is ending its line of monthly Pathfinder Adventure Paths, with a new quarterly hardcover replacing the long-running product. Paizo announced the change yesterday on its blog, with the shift beginning next year. The new hardcover Adventure Paths will be a minimum of 256 pages and will have a retail price of $79.99, which is cheaper than the cost of purchasing four softcover adventure paths. Paizo also stated that they'll release one Adventure Path starting at Level 1, another ending at Level 20, with the remaining two falling somewhere in between. Each Adventure Path will cover 9-10 levels of play.

The first two Adventure Paths announced for this format are Hellbreakers and Hell's Destiny, which both cover the upcoming war between Andoran and Cheliax.

The Pathfinder Adventure Paths series started as an evolution of Paizo's monthly Pathfinder magazine series. To date, Paizo has released 222 Pathfinder Adventure Paths. Early Pathfinder Adventure Paths were for campaigns that lasted six issues and typically encompassed Level 1-Level 20 play. However, more recently, the Adventure Path structure has shortened and grown more flexible, with shorter length campaigns with more variable levels of play.

 

[thullgrim]

I’ve tried to like PF2. I’m the target audience. Crunchy, tactical. It’s just to rigid. Every year I think about trying it again. Maybe it’s a me problem.

That said the hardback makes things a lot easier for people who come to an AP late. Trying to track down volumes 1,2 of old APs can be hard and expensive. If they keep the hardbacks in print it makes the available to new audiences later.

I’ve bought APs for pf2 to run with other systems. Not including the .pdf with the book is problematic . At that price point I feel it should be there. I understand wanting to keep something for their subscription program but that might be a deal breaker for me.

 

[payn]

I'm more comparing it to what else is on the market...

Even ignoring WotC economies of scale, Brotherwise Games is bringing out a large and lushly illustrated adventure book for the Stormlight RPG in October, for $49.99...

Prices do have to go up eventually, inflation is inevitable...but jumping straight to "60% more expensive than the industry standard when nobody else has gone up first" is...kind of shocking?

Folks often look at one lump sum and figure that the limit without any context. The starter set was a good one with people balking that its not 14.99 anymore. 80 bucks for a hardcover that was formerly four softcovers is the product. This bundled material is more than the average company is putting in their 50 dollar offerings. Also, the Paizo stuff is just a step above most folks RPG products (they been at it a long time).

Another way of looking at it is this is basically a campaign thats more in the average length (1-10 levels) before folks call it quits. So, id look at it as a campaign for 80 dollars which is a good value. In the past, you were looking at 120 dollars or so (al beit longer campaigns and more content).

 

[delericho]

And also...

a minimum of 256 pages and will have a retail price of $79.99

I'm guessing they are beating the rush to raise prices......On a per hour basis, TTRPGs are still a bargain, IMO. But ya, I did blink hard at that price.

Core rulebooks are absurdly good value for money. Everything else drops off massively. Provided you actually play through most of the adventure in each of these volumes, yes, they'll be good value. But looking at the campaign books on my shelves, there are almost none that make the cut.

 

[Reynard]

But, thst is the market standard...? D&D books are $50 a pop, or less (as high Eberron). Other companies are still hitting that number.

Which other publishers? Paizo is selling rulebooks for $65, which appears to be the same price for the newest Kobold Press stuff. Monte Cook Games stuff is even more. Even the FR books from WotC are $60.
$50 is not the industry standard.

 

[Parmandur]

Folks often look at one lump sum and figure that the limit without any context. The starter set was a good one with people balking that its not 14.99 anymore. 80 bucks for a hardcover that was formerly four softcovers is the product. This bundled material is more than the average company is putting in their 50 dollar offerings. Also, the Paizo stuff is just a step above most folks RPG products (they been at it a long time).

Another way of looking at it is this is basically a campaign thats more in the average length (1-10 levels) before folks call it quits. So, id look at it as a campaign for 80 dollars which is a good value. In the past, you were looking at 120 dollars or so (al beit longer campaigns and more content).

Don't get me wrong, TTRPGs are still a great deal even at that price. And I'm sure PF2E peeps will get their money worth, and the subscripers sound like they will dave money due to shipping, and $30 per softcover actually is closer to my expectations than $80 for a hardcover.

But, no, 256 pages of Adventure material is not really more than what other companies are doing at this point, while $80 is a jump ahead of the pack. I'm sure thst has more to do with broader economic headwinds than anything else...but that's a rapid jump, outpacing inflation. Princes of the Apocalypse was a packed 256 page Adventure book in 2015 for the equivalent of about $68 in 2025 money, whereas $79.99 today would have been nearly $60 a decade ago. So, ahead of the general curve.

 

[Parmandur]

Which other publishers? Paizo is selling rulebooks for $65, which appears to be the same price for the newest Kobold Press stuff. Monte Cook Games stuff is even more. Even the FR books from WotC are $60.
$50 is not the industry standard.

One of the FR books is $49.99, the DM book does appear to be $59.99.

But those numbers prove my point: $80 is a significant jump from $60 for equivalent products.

 

[Reynard]

Don't get me wrong, TTRPGs are still a great deal even at that price. And I'm sure PF2E peeps will get their money worth, and the subscripers sound like they will dave money due to shipping, and $30 per softcover actually is closer to my expectations than $80 for a hardcover.

But, no, 256 pages of Adventure material is not really more than what other companies are doing at this point, while $80 is a jump ahead of the pack. I'm sure thst has more to do with broader economic headwinds than anything else...but that's a rapid jump, outpacing inflation. Princes of the Apocalypse was a packed 256 page Adventure book in 2015 for the equivalent of about $68 in 2025 money, whereas $79.99 today would have been nearly $60 a decade ago. So, ahead of the general curve.

I think it is important to remember that comparisons to inflation only tell part of the story. In this case, I bet tarriffs have a lot to do with it.

 

[Dire Bare]

But, thst is the market standard...? D&D books are $50 a pop, or less (as high Eberron). Other companies are still hitting that number.

It might be the standard, but big, beautiful, full-color RPG books are underpriced at $50-60. For RPG companies to make a more sustainable profit, they should be charging more. They often don't, because they know they will get this exact reaction.

Prices are going up on everything for a variety of reasons (tariffs, cough), but RPG hardcovers have been underpriced for quite some time.

I'm assuming that part of Paizo's reasons on the format change and pricing is to correct that imbalance. $80 for a hardcover RPG book is a lot, but it IS cheaper than the equivalent softcover books and will (probably) be a quality book.

 

[Reynard]

One of the FR books is $49.99, the DM book does appear to be $59.99.

But those numbers prove my point: $80 is a significant jump from $60 for equivalent products.

WotC does not set the industry standard prices. They are a complete outlier because they produce a volume an order of magnitude beyond anyone else in the industry.

 

[Parmandur]

I think it is important to remember that comparisons to inflation only tell part of the story. In this case, I bet tarriffs have a lot to do with it.

100%, and I'm sure Paizo is doing what they have to do to survive.

I'm not angry or upset. Merely in shock.