Palladium Fantasy: Why the Hate?

[Reynard]

NOTE: I am not a Palladium fanboy looking to start a fight. I am honestly curious.

I have been on something of an "old school fantasy rpg" binge lately, so I decided to purchase, through Noble Knight Games, a copy of Palladium Fantasy 1E Revised, even though I had never heard a (A)D&D fan speak well of it. Quite the opposite, actually -- Palladium seems to get a lot of hate from the D&D crowd.

Anyway, I read through it and don't quite get the problem. it is AD&D, with a percentile skill system, more types of magic and a few rules changes that make it just a touch more granular. plus, it has an alignment system that makes far more sense.

So, I am wondering: why does PFRPG invoke such ire from D&D fans (and, to be fair, vice versa, as Palladium fans tend to be just as bad). Is it simply that the games (at least AD&D vs PFRPG1) are, in fact, so similar that only minutiae and semantics -- which we all know drives most flame wars -- are at issue? or is there a non system related issue of whic I am not aware?

 

[Prince of Happiness]

I haven't been aware of any hatred for PFRPG. In my years of gaming and association of gamers, I've only known one person who even had the game, much less read or played it.

 

[pawsplay]

I don't think there is hate. It's a fine game for its time. Although flawed, it's playable, and its game world is actually a first-class swords-and-sorcery setting. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who can get it cheap.

You may be thinking that Rifts-hate colors perceptions of PFRPG, but I don't think that's the case.

 

[Monkey Boy]

I haven't seen any hate for the system. I agree with pawsplay that Rifts hate may be confusing the issue. Personally I have never encountered the system nor met anyone who has.

 

[Treebore]

The Paladium Fantasy setting is not hated. The mechanics could use some fixing, but the setting material is outstanding.

RIFTS and Paladium as a company are what gets the negative stuff, mostly because someone refuses to overhaul the mechanics of the system, or allow fan fixes to be shared publicly.

 

[Psion]

I don't think Pallaium FRPG gets as much hate as RIFTS does. In our group, it got a fair amount of play, and many players really dug the races (like Wolfen). I mercilessly plundered book 2 for cities, towns, and keeps.

It does have the ubiquitous and never updated or refined Palladium system which has the emblematic problems such as a flurry of different combat modifiers and a tedious percentile based skill system.

I also always felt my character was very weak under the Palladium FRPG, but I guess some folks dig that sort of thing.

 

[Crothian]

The setting books by Bill Coffin are some of the best fantasy setting books ever. His books have more adventure ideas and creativity then most full game settings.

 

[jdrakeh]

. . . I had never heard a (A)D&D fan speak well of it. Quite the opposite, actually -- Palladium seems to get a lot of hate from the D&D crowd.

Weird. In more than 10 years of posting at online gaming sites I have rarely heard D&D players (or other gamers) express contempt for Palladium Fantasy. RIFTS, yes (frequently, even). Palladium as a business? Sure (again, frequently). Kevin Siembieda? Absolutely. But Palladium Fantasy? Almost never.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Weird. In more than 10 years of posting at online gaming sites I have rarely heard D&D players (or other gamers) express contempt for Palladium Fantasy. RIFTS, yes (frequently, even). Palladium as a business? Sure (again, frequently). Kevin Siembieda? Absolutely. But Palladium Fantasy? Almost never.

I've always gotten the same impression as the OP. Perhaps it's because when I see someone putting the hate on for Palladium I automatically think of the FRPG, not the company. (I don't think of the company much as I have no interest in RIFTS, and never updated my PFRPG to the RIFTS compatible 2nd edition.)

 

[HellHound]

Weird. In more than 10 years of posting at online gaming sites I have rarely heard D&D players (or other gamers) express contempt for Palladium Fantasy. RIFTS, yes (frequently, even). Palladium as a business? Sure (again, frequently). Kevin Siembieda? Absolutely. But Palladium Fantasy? Almost never.

Bingo.

A lot of material from Palladium Fantasy made it into a lot of our older D&D games. I also ran three different campaigns using the system.