Pathfinder 1E Pathfinder (PFRPG) bloat (was Forked Thread: What exactly is OGL bloat?)

[ggroy]

Forked from: What exactly is OGL bloat?

I hope I'm wrong about this.

Wonder if there will be a flood of 3pp stuff being produced for the Pathfinder RPG, after this coming August.

ie. Two years or so down the road, a "mini-me" version of the "d20 bloat" for Pathfinder. (Possibly even a minor fallout).

 

[thecasualoblivion]

I don't think there'll be that much. I have a feeling more people will stick with base 3.5E in the long run.

 

[El Mahdi]

I'd doubt it. I'm sure there will be some 3pp's that make stuff that will use the Pathfinder rules, but I'm betting mostly adventures/adventure paths and campaign setting adaptations. I think the "Bloat" during 3E was more about splatbooks and such. Personally, I'm not expecting a lot of splatbooks by 3pp's for Pathfinder.

What I'd possibly expect a glut of, if Pathfinder is very successful*, is more revised/houseruled 3E rulesets. In other words, other 3pp's trying to do what Paizo is doing now.


*I'd say that Pathfinder is already successful, but by very successful I mean exceeding expectations, possibly even becoming a strong competitor of WotC's 4E.

 

[ggroy]

What I'd possibly expect a glut of, if Pathfinder is very successful*, is more revised/houseruled 3E rulesets. In other words, other 3pp's trying to do what Paizo is doing now.

Maybe some 3pp's will publish splatbooks on stuff like:

- alternate magic systems (ie. non-Vancian)
- psionics
- drow
- demonology
- draconomicons
- alternative fighting systems (ie. something like a "book of 9 swords", etc ...)
- eastern/oriental type settings
- horror (ie. like Ravenloft, etc ...)

 

[Crothian]

The people that really published a lot under 3ed 3pp system like Mongoose, FFG, Green Ronin, and others have moved on to their own successful games. So, it would be the new and smaller companies the bloat would have to come from. Perhaps in the PDF market there could be.

 

[ggroy]

So, it would be the new and smaller companies the bloat would have to come from. Perhaps in the PDF market there could be.

With the "d20 glut" from several years ago still fresh in the minds of many distributors and retailers, along with Orcus' (Clark Peterson) dismal experiences with the 4E 3pp market, I wouldn't be surprised to see a possible 3pp Pathfinder RPG splatbook "bloat" happening in the PDF market.

 

[gamerprinter]

I'm working on a PF splat.

Yeah, I one of those brand new 3pp's working on a setting, adventure arcs and rules splat for Pathfinder.

Initially I was just creating a simple ruleset add-on for my Japanese dark fantasy setting and adventures for Kaidan. Upon a little research, I discovered that neither Oriental Adventures nor d20 Rokugan was OGC, so I couldn't reference those rulesets for my setting. After a verified Email with Jason Buhlman, I now realize I'd have to develop my complete Japanese flavored ruleset.

In a couple weeks I'll be release my initial adventure arc for the Kaidan setting called "The Gift", then two more adventures to complete the adventure arc. Then sometime in the fall I will be publishing the Splat book - Kaidan RPG with rules for variant samurai, ninja's and monks, martial arts combat, use of psionics in that setting, its own beastiary, plus some mechanics specifically for use in the Kaidan setting, as opposed to other oriental based games using the same rules.

Plus I'm a pro cartographer for a couple of other 3pps doing Pathfinder material, one at least is working on a Splat book of sorts, but being there's an NDA, I can't talk about it!

GP

PS: my setting is both Eastern and "like Ravenloft"!

 

[Crothian]

Upon a little research, I discovered that neither Oriental Adventures nor d20 Rokugan was OGC, so I couldn't reference those rulesets for my setting. After a verified Email with Jason Buhlman, I now realize I'd have to develop my complete Japanese flavored ruleset.

It probably doesn't help now and I'm not sure what of it is open content, but RPG Objects has a good line of Oriental style books for d20.

 

[Remathilis]

I don't see the same glut happening, all the "good" books are written. At best, you'll see some new monster books, adventures, and a campaign setting to compete with Pathfinders, but I don't see the same "Complete Pathfinder Fighter's Handbook" craze popular a few years back returning.

 

[ggroy]

If it turns out that a 3pp Pathfinder bloat ends up happening anyways, hopefully it will be restricted to the PDF market. Retailers and distributors may not be as affected directly by a PDF market bloat.

Perhaps the better quality 3pp stuff may end up as printed books, possibly being published by Paizo itself.