Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder compatible products from other publishers?

[Bacris]

Do those 3PPs get to be "Pathfinder O.G.s"?

That'd be a cool title.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

Is 10,000 downloads of a PDF in a single week of an alpha test enough of a "take off" for you?

This is also the initial surge of interest. If that interest maintains or expands, then quite possibly, especially in the pdf market, which is where Mutants&Masterminds has really boomed in terms of 3rd party support as well as D&D3e. But the question also comes of how much of this initial interest is just "oh, something shiny and new," with those folks either deciding its not for them (which is where I'm leaning at the moment, as I really enjoy what 4e looks to be doing) or get bored and move on to the next shiny new bauble, whatever it may be. But if the interest declines rapidly, especially after 4e comes out, then it's a whole 'nother story.

I'm not saying I want Paizo's venture to fail, as it's an option, and options are always good, but I am saying "don't get your hopes to high."

And like you said, the status of 4e's game license is an unknown quantity at this point. Paizo has pretty much said point-blank they only reason they're doing Pathfinder is becuase they need to print books to stay in business and there's no sign the 4e license would be in their hands in time to make the decision to support 4e economically feasible for them. There's also 4e itself. If it turns out to be a pretty 3rd-party friendly license and 4e blows the socks off everyone and their Great Aunt Matilda, there turn out to only be a handful of 3rd-party companies willing to support someone else's 3e product line. It's just too much of an unknown, barring those folks that have vehemently sworn-off 4e sight-largely-unseen and wil stick to 3e regardless. And even they are an unknown quantity, as all, a lot, a few, or none may end up switching to 4e should they opt to give it try.

I'm probably just being a cynic here, but part of Paizo's decision feels like they're simply trying to pander to the vocal cries of "Hell No to 4e!"

 

[crow81]

I'm probably just being a cynic here, but part of Paizo's decision feels like they're simply trying to pander to the vocal cries of "Hell No to 4e!"

I think it is more of a case that a company sees an opportunity to serve an under appreciated segment of the market. While keeping the door open to support 4e if it becomes feasible via the GSL to do so. There is no date for the GSL or any idea how flexible the document will be.

At worst they give the market a bridge product until WoTC puts out 4.5 to fix all the under tested mechanics that 4e clearly has. At best the vocal cries represent a serious segment of the D&D community that Piazo can capitalize on.

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

This was one of my first questions to the Paizo folks, and Lorraine said that they would discuss it. As Erik mentioned, the rules are OGC so that's cool, but what I asked for was a way to indicate compatibility with Pathfinder. I have no doubt that Paizo will find a way to provide this kind of support; the more people they can bring in to support Pathfinder with new material, the better it is for the customers.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I'm not saying I want Paizo's venture to fail, as it's an option, and options are always good, but I am saying "don't get your hopes to high."

To late. My hopes have been high for months. So far, all fulfilled. And so far the closest thing I see to a negative is the nay sayers saying, "Well, it'll never be as big as D&D. Therefore it is a failure." My only response to them is ... "DUH!!!! There are several companies out there that are not D&D and make their full time living. They don't need D&D's marketshare to succeed." IMO, using D&D as the stick by which "success" is measure is unreasonable. Its like saying that Apple and Lynix and FireFox are not "successes" because they do not have the marketshares of their Microsoft equivilents. Well no one is going to beat Microsoft (at least for very long). Yet they are still successes. They are companies that make their living off of these products.

I'm probably just being a cynic here, but part of Paizo's decision feels like they're simply trying to pander to the vocal cries of "Hell No to 4e!"

From where I sit, it looks like their a company that has to plan their future products and they can't wait around indefinitely to pay their employees. Reason I think that:

We have waited through two advertising cycles for the license and a first look at the rules. We have not yet seen them and there is no indication we will see them anytime soon. We have product we have to plan and create.

I am sure I didn't get the phrasing right, but the general spirit of what he said is there. I forget exactly where that was posted (either on ENWorld or on Paizo's forums). Yes there are a certain amount of people that are not thrilled about what they see in 4E that will probably end up being Paizo customers. I'm one of them (Well, I already am a Paizo subscriber). But there are others that just want more life out of their 3.5 books. And hopefully there will be those who's first RPG they ever played is Pathfinder.

But you are right, in a sense. Remove the cynical part of your sentence and I agree. The "not happy with 4E" crowd are a market that Wizards does not appear to take an interest in. Smaller companies are snatching up those costomers. How is this bad? Subway does this with those that want something healthier then McDonald's burgers. Target does this with those not happy with Walmart. Paizo/White Wolf/Green Ronin/Mongoose are doing this with 4E.

 

[DaveMage]

This was one of my first questions to the Paizo folks, and Lorraine said that they would discuss it. As Erik mentioned, the rules are OGC so that's cool, but what I asked for was a way to indicate compatibility with Pathfinder. I have no doubt that Paizo will find a way to provide this kind of support; the more people they can bring in to support Pathfinder with new material, the better it is for the customers.

And, since Paizo has its own store, your Pathfinder products can be promoted and sold from the same location.

AND, if Paizo wants to go there, Pathfinder-Compatible projects from 3rd party companits could also be available via a subscription as the other Pathfinder-related products are...

Possibilities, possibilities....

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

This was one of my first questions to the Paizo folks, and Lorraine said that they would discuss it. As Erik mentioned, the rules are OGC so that's cool, but what I asked for was a way to indicate compatibility with Pathfinder. I have no doubt that Paizo will find a way to provide this kind of support; the more people they can bring in to support Pathfinder with new material, the better it is for the customers.

I'm in the same boat. I'm waiting for something "official" from Paizo before I announce anything "official" myself.

And not waiting very patiently, either.

Come on, Paizo!

 

[Reynard]

I'm in the same boat. I'm waiting for something "official" from Paizo before I announce anything "official" myself.

And not waiting very patiently, either.

Come on, Paizo!

Look on the bright side -- you don't have to wait to do the work, as everything is already there as far as rules and amterials go. In the end, the only real issue is whether it'll have a little Pathfinder Squire logo on it (I vote for a goblin holdinga shield with the Pathfinder logo, but that's just me).

What I really want to know, though, is if Paizo is going to mine some of the great 3.0/3.5 OGC that is already other there. Monte's bard, for example, would make a great addition to the "core game", giving that class a defined role and flavor supported by mechanics but not necessarily ties to its combat badassitude (as with another edition I could mention).

 

[Fenris]

I'm in the same boat. I'm waiting for something "official" from Paizo before I announce anything "official" myself.

And not waiting very patiently, either.

Come on, Paizo!

This is good to hear!

 

[Tharen the Damned]

I'm in the same boat. I'm waiting for something "official" from Paizo before I announce anything "official" myself.

And not waiting very patiently, either.

Come on, Paizo!

Haha, lets see if they are faster with the PGL* than WoC with the GSL!

*Pathfinder Gaming License.