Pathfinder 1E Paizo Publishing Hires Sean K Reynolds

[Zaukrie]

Erik, congrats on the hiring. I've always enjoyed SKR's work. I'm still bummed we aren't seeing any Paizo work on 4E, as we decided to go that way in my house, but hopefully you'll find a way in the future. Either way, good luck.

 

[Jack99]

While time is certainly an issue, the terms of the GSL are the real things preventing us (and many other publishers) from jumping aboard the 4e train.

And I am not the guy with the power to change those, I'm afraid.

--Erik

Yeah. While I agree that the GSL is a bit too harsh in some areas, I understand and support WotC in their choice. I think the OGL was great for us, but in the long run, bad for WotC.

Also, for all of the "concerned" folks who worry about our ability to compete with 4e, all I can say is that our subscription numbers have gone up every week since the 4e announcement, and we now have more paid Pathfinder subscribers than we ever have before.

Sales at Origins have been brisk, and I have spoken to hundreds of gamers this weekend who are pleased that we are not converting our Pathfinder lines to the new system. Last night's "Sticking with 3.5" Pathfinder seminar was the best-attended Origins seminar in Paizo's history.

People who think we are pissing in the wind with this strategy, or that 4e is being universally embraced by the audience, are kidding themselves.

We are not trying to "dethrone" D&D. We cannot compete with the power of that brand, or with the audience base of Wizards of the Coast.

What we _can_ do is provide a game that appeals to the sizable chunk of the audience that does not want to convert to 4e. If you personally are not among that audience, I will miss your business, but I'll try to keep busy making products other people want to buy.

--Erik Mona
Publisher
Paizo Publishing

And I wish you good luck. And as long as you make products with no or very little crunch, I will be buying those, since I like your products. And while doing that, I will keep hoping for something to happen that makes it more tractable for you guys to make some 4e adventures.

They can't. Once you start making 4e, you're stuck there.

That hardly seems correct. From the many posts on this board, it is possible to produce 4e and 3.x (or Pathfinder, in the case of Paizo), as long as you don't produce the same products, or produce them under the same product line. Of course, since I am not a lawyer, I could be totally wrong, but Clark seems to think it is possible (or at least he seemed to last he posted on the subject), and he is a lawyer with publishing experience.

 

[carmachu]

[quote=JohnRTroy;4337707]

While that's the person's rights, I do find the term "shut up and sing" somewhat offensive because I think it's leading to a world where nobody wants to express their opinions ever for fear of "market share loss". [/quote]


Why? I'm not paying good money for say, the dizie chicks or Striesand at a concert to hear her stupid political beliefs. I pay the money to hear their music. Period.

So shut up and sing is pretty accurate. You want to do poltics? Do it on your own time, not at teh expense of folks paying to hear you sing.

 

[Grazzt]

Yeah. While I agree that the GSL is a bit too harsh in some areas, I understand and support WotC in their choice. I think the OGL was great for us, but in the long run, bad for WotC.


And I wish you good luck. And as long as you make products with no or very little crunch, I will be buying those, since I like your products. And while doing that, I will keep hoping for something to happen that makes it more tractable for you guys to make some 4e adventures.
That hardly seems correct. From the many posts on this board, it is possible to produce 4e and 3.x (or Pathfinder, in the case of Paizo), as long as you don't produce the same products, or produce them under the same product line. Of course, since I am not a lawyer, I could be totally wrong, but Clark seems to think it is possible (or at least he seemed to last he posted on the subject), and he is a lawyer with publishing experience.

Correct. GSL is per product line, not per company. For example, we could do 4e adventures or even a 4e monster book, and still do Tome of Horrors for 3.x or Pathfinder. If we ever do a Tome 4e, we can never do another Tome for 3.x or Pathfinder or any OGL...ever. Even if/after the GSL is terminated.

 

[Rechan]

I'm glad to see SKR getting work, for the same reason I'm glad any game designer gets work. I may have disagreed with his rulings on multiple occasions, but Paizo cannot be hurt by getting another pair of hands and a brain.

As far as the debate over "chosing artists over views", I find that I lose respect for an artist if I find their opinions deviate too far from me. And my lack of respect stops me from appreciating their work. If I find out a celebrity is a raging expletive, I'm not motivated to go out and get his work, and moreover, the knowledge of his expletiveness diminishes my ability to enjoy or appreciate it. It ruins it for me, because that knowledge is in the foreground of my mind when I watch the work.

The same could be said for certain posters on this board. During the EN Summer Camp, I was made aware of a certain poster's behavior, attitudes and demeanor outside of gaming discussions, and I was offended to the extent I won't listen to him again. This is why I am glad we are firmly moderated and there's the "No religion or politics" rule; I don't have to filter people out due to my personal preferences outside of gaming.

 

[Rechan]

Why? I'm not paying good money for say, the dizie chicks or Striesand at a concert to hear her stupid political beliefs. I pay the money to hear their music. Period.

So shut up and sing is pretty accurate. You want to do poltics? Do it on your own time, not at teh expense of folks paying to hear you sing.

Actually, I would argue that the Dixie Chicks' popularity is now due to their politics. The sales figures of their last CD, for instance, was probably motivated BY the fan's agreement with their stances or support of how they "stuck to their guns" despite the boy cut by Clear Channel and other radio stations.

Besides, artists have a habit of putting their opinions into their works. So "shut up and sing" can mean "Shut up and put your opinions in your songs".

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Would any of you suddenly dislike Gary because you know these things? Would you decide to boycott D&D or stop getting any of his new work because he expressed an opinion?

Yup.

I didnt know these things about Gygax before and I'm kind of upset that I know them now. And yes it would pretty much not make me support any thing that he would do now (if he were still with us).

Do you only have friends who are your political and religious affiliation?

No I dont, but since they are my FRIENDS I can cut them a little bit of slack.
Gygax or any creator dont have that kind of leway with me. At All.

The work of any creator should stand on its own. Should people not play CoC because Lovecraft had racist tendencies?

I don't know about PEOPLE. But if I'm part of the group that he's racist toward (which is the case in terms of Lovecraft) then NO I should NOT support them. I played CoC once or twice before I discovered Lovecraft's attitudes towards blacks and people of color and haven't looked back since.

Should you not listen to Wagner's opera The Ring of the Nibelung because his attitudes brought inspiration to Hitler?

I have the Ring Cycle on CD. It was a boxed set given to me by a vendor almost 20 years ago. I've never listened to it even though I'm familiar with some of the pieces of music. I probably will never listen to it in it's entirety now. Will I miss out? Probably. Does it really matter that much in the long run. NO. I think that we each have to personally decide where THAT line is.

If you're a fan of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, does his personal opinions on homosexuality being "wrong" make that work suddenly awful?

I read and liked ENDER'S GAME. Then I read an article about some of Card's views about homosexuality being wrong and found them more than a little off putting. I probably wont be supporting his work anymore.

would like to think that people are judging game desinger's output based on their quality and how it stimulates your imagination or respects your intelligence rather than whether or not he or she belongs to a specific political agenda.

If my money is going into their pockets then it matters to me. I'm not for taking away their rights to express those opinions. But there's no way that I'm going to support someone with my hard earned cash someone that I vehemently disagree with on certain things. If someone holds these views and I'm unaware that's different or they are issues that arent a deal breaker for me then I'm fine. But outside of that, they won't miss my cash when I stop supporting them...

 

[Fifth Element]

My, there's a lot of politics in this thread.

 

[JeffB]

My, there's a lot of politics in this thread.

Agreed.

 

[carmachu]

Actually, I would argue that the Dixie Chicks' popularity is now due to their politics. The sales figures of their last CD, for instance, was probably motivated BY the fan's agreement with their stances or support of how they "stuck to their guns" despite the boy cut by Clear Channel and other radio stations.

Besides, artists have a habit of putting their opinions into their works. So "shut up and sing" can mean "Shut up and put your opinions in your songs".

Doubt it. Their fan bas was texas and their words were dissing said texans back then.....

But thats just me.