Pathfinder Gets A New CRPG...Sort Of

Pathfinder is getting a new computer roleplaying game. Streetlight Studios has announced Moondrift Memory: Prologue, a new video game built using the Pathfinder 2E rules set. The game is a Unity game built with a new Starstone game engine that includes a robust rules builder. According to a Kickstarter preview page, Moondrift Memory is a top-down isometric CRPG that will take players into the valley region of Moondrift. From our cursory glance, Moondrift doesn't appear to be tied to Golarion in any way.

From the looks of things, Streetlight Studios is brand new and the use of "Pathfinder Compatible" in its marketing imagery suggests that it's not actually licensed by Paizo, but relies on the ORC license to use the PF2E ruleset. There's also a Reddit post that claims the studio is tied to an ex-moderator of the site, with a less-than-savory reputation.

You can check out the description of the game below:

Moondrift Memory is a top down isometric CRPG that uses the Pathfinder Second Edition ruleset. In this Prologue chapter, players will take their party of up to four characters, including their own character they create, to complete a quest that they have accepted from Lilywall, a start-up Adventurer's Guild, that finally got their first big break.

The valley region of Moondrift lies at the foot of a great mountain, where it lies covered in snow and constant night, known as the Parasol Days, that the latitude brings. At a site where a dragon has been slain, butchers, leatherworkers, and a myriad of other artisans work tirelessly to fairly distribute the valuable parts of the dragon's body. You and your party have been assigned to help guard the site; however while contingent members are working on the dragon, caravan guards discover the ruins of what was once a dragon's lair. Your party quests into the lair in hopes of salvaging essential resources and perhaps even find rare treasure within. But what dangers lurk in these ruins?

 

[SteveC]

Only 5 euros on Steam, but they also have a free (demo?) version from apparently the same developer called 'Quest for the Golden Candelabra', also on Steam. It only has a Windows version though, will test it on Crossover when I have some time.

The demo is the first part of the game and will give you a good idea of what it's like. The game does have a ton of mods already, including mods that make it in line with the revised game. There are added classes, and a new random encounter generator.

I can't stress enough how this is some very old-school, and I'd even say primitive, graphics. I have played it a ton, and it has taught people how to play PF2 so if you can look beyond that, it's something you'll enjoy.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

I know I am probably in the minority here, but I like PF2E for the system. I’m not actually that fond of Golarian.

You're not alone! I love Pathfinder but for my homebrews. Golarian is just a setting with enough generic elements for me to easily borrow from for my own settings and scenarios.

 

[Kichwas]

Calling their game engine Starstone is highly indicative of these folks at least being pathfinder geeks.

 

[stonehead]

I like the idea of a Pathfinder crpg. I've heard that Larian Studios didn't want to make more DnD games because the 5e engine is so limiting.

At the same time though, with only a preview kickstarter project with a few pieces of concept art and no screenshots, it might be a bit early to say we're going to get this game.

 

[Dire Bare]

I've heard that Larian Studios didn't want to make more DnD games because the 5e engine is so limiting.

That is most definitely NOT why Larian isn't going to be making DLC for Baldur's Gate 3 or any future D&D titles. According to Larian CEO Sven Vincke, they simply want to move on and do new things.

And how is Pathfinder any more or less "limiting" than D&D 5E when it comes to CRPG adaptations?

 

[stonehead]

That is most definitely NOT why Larian isn't going to be making DLC for Baldur's Gate 3 or any future D&D titles. According to Larian CEO Sven Vincke, they simply want to move on and do new things.

It's something a friend of mine said. Your comment got me curious so I looked it up, and what do you know, it's actually something the head of Larian Studios said: Baldur's Gate 3: Director Swen Vincke Answers All Our Questions About Foregoing DLC, AAA Development, and More - IGN

Direct quote from the interview: "There were a lot of constraints in making D&D, and the 5th Edition is not an easy system to put into a video game, and we had all these ideas of new combat that we wanted to try out, and so they were not compatible. You could see the team was doing it because everybody felt like we had to do it, but it wasn't really coming from the heart and we're very much a studio all about being from the heart."

And how is Pathfinder any more or less "limiting" than D&D 5E when it comes to CRPG adaptations?

Because it's more "gamified." It has much more concrete systems, and specific rules. Based on the interview in this thread, 5E seemed to have been designed with the "rulings not rules" mindset. When there's a human DM to make those rulings, that works great. When you need to program every possible action into a computer ahead of time, it's a lot harder to make on-the-fly rulings like DMs are expected to in 5E.

 

[Dire Bare]

It's something a friend of mine said. Your comment got me curious so I looked it up, and what do you know, it's actually something the head of Larian Studios said: Baldur's Gate 3: Director Swen Vincke Answers All Our Questions About Foregoing DLC, AAA Development, and More - IGN

Direct quote from the interview: "There were a lot of constraints in making D&D, and the 5th Edition is not an easy system to put into a video game, and we had all these ideas of new combat that we wanted to try out, and so they were not compatible. You could see the team was doing it because everybody felt like we had to do it, but it wasn't really coming from the heart and we're very much a studio all about being from the heart."


Because it's more "gamified." It has much more concrete systems, and specific rules. Based on the interview in this thread, 5E seemed to have been designed with the "rulings not rules" mindset. When there's a human DM to make those rulings, that works great. When you need to program every possible action into a computer ahead of time, it's a lot harder to make on-the-fly rulings like DMs are expected to in 5E.

Thanks for digging up the quote, I'll have to give that to you. It wasn't part of the narrative when Larian first dropped the news they weren't doing more D&D games, but clearly it's come up in later interviews.

But . . . I'm still not buying into the idea that Pathfinder is any more or less limiting or restrictive than D&D 5E for CRPG adaptations. Both are good tabletop games, both have already had good CRPG adaptations, both will likely get future CRPGs, both I imagine can be tricky to faithfully adapt the rules to a computer game. But not more or less so than each other, or any other TTRPG. IMO, of course.

 

[Incenjucar]

Pathfinder 2E is more explicitly designed so there are fewer gaps for a developer to fill, and has more knobs to work with since it uses typed modifiers instead of advantage. It would be easier to program in a way that feels correct, but you'd have a lot more to program to feel complete to players. PF2E also has a looot more options than 5E in general, so the content gaps will be wider.

 

[Velderan]

Thanks for digging up the quote, I'll have to give that to you. It wasn't part of the narrative when Larian first dropped the news they weren't doing more D&D games, but clearly it's come up in later interviews.

But . . . I'm still not buying into the idea that Pathfinder is any more or less limiting or restrictive than D&D 5E for CRPG adaptations. Both are good tabletop games, both have already had good CRPG adaptations, both will likely get future CRPGs, both I imagine can be tricky to faithfully adapt the rules to a computer game. But not more or less so than each other, or any other TTRPG. IMO, of course.

I think you're confusing PF1e and 2e, because 1e has had some pretty well received CRPGs by Owlcat but 2e hasn't had any adaptions that are regarded as good released yet. There's Dawnsbury Days which is $5 on Steam so obviously adjust your expectations accordingly and then there's the Dragon's Demand game that is currently in development through a crowdfunding campaign so it remains to be seen what that ends up being.

 

[Belen]

After the PF MMO debacle, I will not touch another PF cRPG. I backed that at guild level and it was awful.